Nainital

A little Himalayan hamlet forced to grow into a city, stretched grotesquely out of focus. But the famous lake still shimmers turquoise, the upper mountains still ring with the chirping of birds, the evenings are pleasantly nippy. And even if you get irritated by the crowds and noise, there are pervasive ice cream parlours to cool you down!

Nainital is a curious town. It depends how you see it – a vibrant, carnivalesque space, or simply a claustrophobic and noisy ‘hill station’. In season, the town’s population swells to fivefold with tourists come from the plains. Uncles and aunties saunter on the Mall, women wear glittery sarees and men colourful t-shirts stretched across their paunches. PYTs strut around in high heels. Local urchins nip about on bikes, showing off their boot cut jeans and tight vests. The Flats are run over by products bought from Delhi’s Palika Bazaar. And amid balloon sellers and toy kiosks, the gently-dappled Naini Lake gets lost somewhere.

But off-season, Nainital resumes its glorious Himalayan splendour which made the British call it home. In fact, looking at the present deluge of North Indian tourists, it’s hard to believe that in the mid-19th century, Nainital was a bastion of the British, the Indian presence only in the form of house-help or labourers, which were delicately hidden. The occasional Prince was seen here too and that’s why Nainital abounds with so many charming British bungalows and members of the erstwhile Indian royalty still have their summer homes here.

The Naini Lake is beautiful, shimmering in the crater at the foot of emerald mountains. Moving away from the town centre brings much respite – Kilbury and the Thandi Sarak running on the opposite side of the Mall are picturesque and serene, home to thick deodars and they also offer some great trekking. Nainital also makes an ideal base camp for excursions into wilder Himalayas.

Well connected to Northern India, the town is used to tourists. So the best part about Nainital is that you get to revel in the picturesque mountain scenery while enjoying all the trappings of civilisation.