The capital city of Himachal Pradesh, Shimla, is one of the most well known hill stations in north India, known for its picturesque beauty and wilderness. The place also happens to be the hometown of actor Samir Soni, who along with wife, actress Neelam went for a 10-day long trip to Shimla.
Soni’s association with the place is pretty old. “My parents and some friends stay in Shimla. Hence I visit the place at least once every year,” he says. However this Shimla trip was certainly special as it was the couple’s first, after their marriage.
Soni, who is a complete nature lover, says, “I did not know how much Neelam would like the place… she hadn’t been there for the last 15 years.” Since he was quite familiar with the city, Samir knew just the places he wanted Neelam to see.
“I took her to the Viceroy’s Lounge — which holds great relevance in Indian history, and represents the beautiful Victorian architecture,” he says. “We enjoyed exploring the place. For instance, we had gone to this place to see the apple orchards where we found an old house that was built in the 1820s and belonged to the Viceroy’s tailor.”
The couple did pay a short visit to the popular Mall Road, without indulging in much shopping though — as their agenda was to stay away from the popular tourist places. “We wanted to see the wild and the unexplored part of the city.”
In Mashobrah, the couple came across a place called Dalai, where the only scrap of civilization existed in the form of a small dhabba run by an old man and his wife.
“There was just one broken bench that could fit in not more than four people. I told Neelam that we should open a Neelam chai there,” laughs Soni. The local cuisine was not new to Soni, who was keen on having Neelam eat the popular Palda — a local dish made out of yoghurt and spices. It is one of Soni’s favourite local dish.
Though Neelam and Soni are both shopaholics, it was a total surprise that the couple did not shop in Shimla. “We both felt so much close to nature and wanted to absorb all of it. We wanted to avoid the crowd and preferred going to the lesser known places. Moreover, Shimla is known for pashmina shawls, etc, which are of no use in Mumbai,” Soni explains.
Being avid nature lovers, the couple loved the weather. “It was one thing we wanted to bring along with us to Mumbai…It was so beautiful; you could even see the fog coming in.” The highpoint of the trip, Soni says, was the serenity of the place.
Not a surprise that the couple is already planning to go to Shimla again in coming October. “We are thinking of going there around diwali and celebrate the festival with my parents,” says Soni.
