Bygone Doon by Pradeep Singh

Railways came to the Doon Valley in 1900 and in more than one way their coming ushered in a new phase in the growth of the district, particularly the central part of the valley. The once logistically challenging travel that visitors to Doon had always found irksome, if not outright daunting, became a thing of the past, evaporating like the steam from the labouring train engines that hauled the bogies to Dehradun. The coming of the railways also brought in its wake a wide spectrum of people to Doon. The salubrious climate and the fabled beauty of the valley and the spell-binding vistas of the snow peaks on the northern horizon had already become a part of folk lore through the memoirs of travellers to the valley like J.B Fraser, F.V Raper,Emily Eden and Fanny Parks. Now the valley became doubly attractive to all manner of Indians especially the British from different walks of life: traders, hoteliers, missionaries, retiring civil servants and army officers who sought to be posted here. ...

The bond that baking made with nature’s prime element, fire, from the very early days has proved to be one that has endured ever since. The sparks that emitted from flintstones sparked more than a small revolution in the way homo-sapiens would chart their course on planet Earth. The humble dough placed on the stones by the camp fire in smoky caves not only baked into an edible crust but left an alluring aroma, an aroma that has captured the senses of man ever after. The campfire that was keeping dangerous wild animals at a safe distance was also warding off the bigger threat of hunger. The rudiments of baking that helped wandering bands of hunters and gatherers to gradually settle down have evolved beyond recognition over the millennia with each settlement and hamlet having its own batch of baking delights. Over a period, the humble home bakes went on to create gastronomic wonders with jealously guarded secret ingredients and recipes. Tradition wood-fired oven Closer home, the Indus Va...