Bygone Doon by Pradeep Singh

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...

The laboured conquest of the subcontinent, albeit piecemeal, by the English East India Company did not sit comfortably with the motley crew of the company-walas comprising the Scotts, Irish, Welsh and, of course, the English. Nothing had prepared these seekers of fortunes for the backlash of Hindustan and the driving home of a hard lesson that conquest of climate did not come with conquest of the land. Besides consolidating their commercial interests, the other preoccupation for the British was the search for congenial stations for their families and also for their personal summer retreats. Thus Darjeeling, Shimla, Ooty, Mussoorie, Nainital and their like started dotting the lower Himalayas and the Nilgiris in the first half of the nineteenth century. For the successful establishment and sustenance of these hill stations, a number of foothill towns were set up at Kalka, Haldwani, Mansingudi, and Rajpur in the Doon Valley. These foothill towns were literally and metaphorically the scaff...