There’s a never released Beatles’ song doing the rounds on Whatsapp these days, it goes ‘Dehra Dehra Dun…’, kind of how my heart goes when I think of my home-town. It inspired me to pull a George Harrison in prose, and here goes my ramble..
How many of you have visited Dehradun? Like actually visited, not just spent a day or two there? Dehradun is my hometown, and it’s a beautiful city. NO matter where I go in the world, it will always be my favorite place to go and spend my vacations. It is a small, charming place, that is restful and bustling at the same time. We have the famous “Paltan Bazar” in the main city where you can get everything, and I mean everything! And I’m sure the majority of you have heard about the climate, ah, so unpredictable. There is a building in the main city, the “Inamullah Building”, which houses, the “Doon Darbar” where they make the second best chicken I’ve ever had, of course, the first is what my mother makes.
If you ever go to Dehradun, don’t miss Mussoorie. It’s a must visit. I have beautiful memories of that place. They have the “Mall Road” and there too you can find everything, just slightly costlier, so unless you really really want to, don’t buy anything there.
Now coming back to Dehradun, the place is known for its many good schools. I believe it is the perfect place to get an education till the twelfth standard. My time in Doon is always interesting, I get to see my relatives, my little nephews, and of course that ONE girl. Dehradun feels like home, and even though I have moved places with my family and, I never really lived in Doon much, it always feels good to be back there.
Mid-night ice-cream treats at Gaylords, that cold coffee at Standards, the delectable chicken from Doon Darbar… but it’s not all about food people, driving to the Forest Research Institute and sneaking into weird places there and just having fun with friends, early morning drives along the river in Raipur …everything about the place is special. I used to go to the banks of this big but mostly dry river, and spend hours sitting on the rocks there, just looking at the water trickling by. Mesmerizing!
There is something about Dehradun – is it the unbreakable bond with people in my life there, the love in its air, or just the city itself? I can’t be sure. But I do know it’s always beautiful to be home.
