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Move to Rajgarh

On a cold February day, I packed my trunk and bedroll and prepared to leave for Shimla, and then on to Rajgarh. Bholu Ram, my peon, offered to accompany me, and I gratefully accepted. I had no idea where Rajgarh was, or how to get there, hence was happy for the company. Bholu Ram was happy too, for he had never seen Shimla. As we boarded the bus, the Range Staff lined up at Bhareridhar to see me off. The DFO and the ACF had hosted tea for me the evening earlier. I left Kotgarh with a heavy heart, only now realising how comfortable I had come to feel with all these wonderful people who had taken on the role of my family.
Bholu and I shared a cold, uncomfortable night at the Thakur Hotel near the Bus Stand at Shimla. On my limited salary, it was the only one I could afford. In the morning we took the bus for Solan, arriving there in a couple of hours. Rajgarh was located some 40 km from Solan and, in those days, there were only two buses per day from Solan to Rajgarh, and two back. We had an hour or so to kill till 11 o’clock when the first bus was due to leave, which we used to have ‘Poori Aloo’ at Premji’s, famous even then as the best eating joint in Solan. Soon enough the bus rolled in and we boarded, along with a score or so of other travellers. Though I was to get to know each and every turn in the road later, the first trip from Solan to Rajgarh was quite scary. Even though there was not any oncoming traffic to speak of, the road was narrow and winding and, at one place, there was a rocky outcrop which the bus negotiated with great difficulty. After a stop for tea and fish ‘pakoras’ at Giripul (later named Yashwant Nagar, in honour of the first Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar), the road began climbing towards Rajgarh. Soon, the valley widened and, as we climbed higher, I could see pine forests along the slopes, interspersed with villages and orchards.
In contrast to Kotgarh, Rajgarh was a much larger place, with several officers stationed there. The Forest Colony was some way from the Bus Stand. As Bholu and I stood looking around and wondering how we would transport our luggage to the Colony, a kindly jeep driver saw our plight and offered to drive us to the place. We gratefully accepted, and the worthy drove us to the DFO Office. The DFO was on tour, but there were two other officers there, who were both surprised to see me. The Division had not received a copy of my posting orders yet. They were also vastly relieved that I had not come to replace one of them. I kept my stuff in the Forest Rest House and waited for the DFO, Mr. B S Chauhan, to return from tour. On getting news that he had arrived, I went over to his residence and rang the doorbell. I was thoroughly intimidated when a tall hefty man, with huge moustaches, filled the door way, and asked who I was. When I haltingly introduced myself, he asked me to relax in the FRH, and meet him formally in his office the following day.
22nd February 1974 is a date I will never forget. That was the day I arrived in Rajgarh. It was also the day I attended my first ‘Forest Department’ party. Mr. B L Sharma, the Executive Engineer (PWD) at Rajgarh, had been posted on promotion to Shimla, and the DFO had invited him for a send-off dinner that very day. The party had been organised in the FRH compound, and all the local officers were expected to participate. They began arriving at about 8 pm, and by 9 pm the party was in full swing. A huge bonfire had been lit and, as the libations began flowing, glass in hand, the revelers started dancing round it. Most of the officers were ‘Himachalis’, hence they knew the steps of the various folk dances which were being performed with abandon. Try though I did, I could never get the hang of the steps in my entire career in HP. The ‘party’ carried on well past midnight, when most of the guests had to be ‘helped’ into their cars or jeeps and driven home.
I have attended many dinners since, but ‘that’ party will always stay in my memory … my welcome to Rajgarh, and my ‘real’ welcome to the Forest Department of Himachal Pradesh.

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