Sport in Annandale?

Sport in Annandale C1930

'While there is Sport in Annandale
Or Whiskey in Jutogh'

Rudyard Kipling

The rather beautiful and most poetic Annandale  now finds itself at the center of a new tussle between the military and the civil government.  On one side the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh has accused the army of unlawful occupation and demanded that it be returned to the people for the construction of public sports facilities. On the other side, the army are claiming that the ground is both safer in their hands and performing a more essential function. It is no surprise that Annandale is such a strongly fought over prize. It stands on the edge of the crowded town, a perfect expanse of lush, flat, grass surrounded by steep hills, some of which are carpeted with trees, while others are blanketed by houses. 

It is undoubtedly to the army's credit that they have maintained the grounds so well in the years since they were loaned the ground during the second world war. It is certainly pleasant to walk on Annandale, when allowed, or to view it from the mall. However, as such a precious resource it seems to me that it should be shared with all the community, as it was before the army took control. In the days before WWII Annandale was a wonderful park for the people. Far from being a still, somewhat distant, beauty, it was full of life, with fairs, open air theater, lavish midnight picnics and sporting events. Today Shimla, lacks any real central public park that can perform this function, surely then giving the ground back to the people is the sensible way to go. That said, I understand the fears that the government can not be trusted to develop the area properly and I would most certainly be against it becoming a single use venue, such as the proposed cricket stadium. 

Is it too much to imagine that the area might be sensitively developed into a public park? And, that the surrounding forest be placed under a preservation order to prevent further destruction? 

Sport in Annandale

While there is sport at Annandale
Or Whisky at Jutogh
R. Kipling

I remember being sat in Prof Vidya Sharda’s rather comfortable office in Shimla two years ago, sipping tea, while Dr Pankaj Gupta painted a picture of joyful research in Kinnaur. ‘It is not like Shimla’ he related with misty eyes, ‘it is more cut off and so customs there are better preserved’ he earnestly continued.

As of last week that has begun to change as helicopters now fly from Shimla to Kinnaur with the intent of making it a more connected place. Somewhere between the hydroelectric dam projects and the tourism push no doubt life in Kinnaur continues apace, but I will have to try and get to talk with Dr Gupta again to see how he thinks this is changing things up there. For now, I am more interested in assessing the reverse: how do these flights transform Shimla? And not just these flights of course but the other helicopter routes (Shimla–Dharamshala, Shimla–Kullu, Shimla–Chandigarh etc) not to mention the reopening of Jagson’s Delhi–Shimla–Kullu flights.

It seems that Shimla is becoming, or at least trying to become, the transport hub of the Himalayas. Of course it has for a long time been the jumping off point for people wanting a more ‘natural’, ‘authentic’, or peaceful experience of Dev Bhoomi. However, there have always been a significant number of tourists who would not even think of leaving the Mall. This new explosion of transport options seems to represent a significant increase in the amount of transit traffic in Shimla and I wonder how being connected to all these places in such a rapid way will transform the Queen of Hills and people’s perceptions of it? One thing is for sure, the golfers at Annandale (where the helicopters will land) are going to get less putting time nowadays.