A correspondence from The Memoir of George Edward Lynch Cotton, D.D., Bishop of Calcutta, and Metropolitan.
To Mrs. Arnold.
Kotgur, near Simla, September 1860.
. . . The place from which I am now writing is about fifty miles from Simla, on the Thibet road, and therefore quite in the interior of the mountain land. We came here partly because it is a mission station which wants a good deal of organising and stirring up, partly to get a little more knowledge of the Himalayas and health from their breezes, before we go down again into the plains. I have often tried to compare this Himalayan scenery with that of other mountain countries; but the result has been an increased conviction of the proverbial odiousness of comparisons, and a determination to enjoy what is before me without hankering after the unattainable. Doubt- less one may miss here the lakes of Italy, the glacier scenery of the Bernese Oberland, and the peculiar repose, freshness, and mountain streams of Westmoreland. But nowhere have I seen such foliage and vegetation ; the forests are of a grandeur and solemnity which remind me of the effect of a great cathedral, and from any height the enormous scale of the green land- scape, the vast ranges of hill-sides clothed in verdure and rich cultivation, the lines of mountain rising one behind another and terminating with the distant snow, give you the impression of a ' mountain country ' far more than any other scenery, and realise the fact that you are in the loftiest mountain range of the world. On Saturday morning we went up Hawathoo, 11,000 feet high, in this country of course a mere dwarf, but famous for its beautiful view. In the Alps at this height we should have been in the midst of ice and bare rock: here we sat down to a breakfast of coffee and mutton chops! on a greensward covered with potentillas and other flowers un- known to us, but some like anemones and others like China asters, with oaks and pines all around us and the ruins of an old Ghoorka fort to lean our backs against. The lichens and ferns are of great beauty, and the trunks of trees are clothed with the Virginia creeper which now has turned red, just as we have seen it against an old English manor house or a college in Oxford or Cambridge.
Read it @ http://bit.ly/BishopCotton
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
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Thank you for posting this. What really interest me about it is the way that he talks about the odiousness of landscape comparison and yet cannot avoid it. There is always something reminding him of something else. Even his declaration of the difference of the forest ends up in a description of it as a Cathedral, which is understandable, given that a certain kind of Cathedral architecture is inspired by the forest, yet limiting. Despite all this the real wonder of the piece is that he manages to capture something of the spirit of the place and its evocative power was such that while reading it in my minds eye I was once again walking those blissful hills.
ReplyDeleteMuch of Kotgarh is as described in the letter but looking at Shimla the way cement and concrete have changed its look one fears the same may happen to K and other towns and villages - its visible on the other side in the populated parts of Kumarsain.Lets hope for the best.
ReplyDeleteMadhu - Case in point: more money >> improved living standards >> affordability >> new abodes/new houses. It's inevitable. I am hoping against hope.
ReplyDeleteIn an ideal world people would introduce more housing in Kotgarh in a way that is more sympathetic to the environment and the history of the area than they have done in Shimla. It is possible to combine modern comforts with the best of traditional architecture. This creates a landscape that is rooted in its past, environmentally friendly and is plea sent to live in. The problem is that it involves more thought, time and possible finance than throwing up a concrete block. I really hope that K can be developed sensitively.
ReplyDeleteThe Thanedhar valley is all the more charming.
ReplyDeletejuat saw the team members. dear dheeraj bhaik, nice to see U there as U happen to be my collegefellow and also a colleague at the indian Express. Have just started blogging in hindi and english. Get some time to visit jagdishbali.blogspot.com and jaggibali.wordpress.com. See U. dear.
ReplyDeleteValid point raised by Jonathan here. In modern times, we can sustain and preserve environmental riches, but requires heightened conciousness, discretion in utilizing limited resources & a will to execute these thoughts into action. Passing the buck to perils of modern life will not suffice. Modern life requires a totally new approach and willingness to adapt to changed circumstatnces.
ReplyDeleteLet's see if we are genuinely ready to accept our share of responbility or shall we become victims of modernization ?
Valid point raised by Jonathan here. In modern times, we can sustain and preserve environmental riches, but requires heightened conciousness, discretion in utilizing limited resources & a will to execute these thoughts into action. Passing the buck to perils of modern life will not suffice. Modern life requires a totally new approach and willingness to adapt to changed circumstatnces.
ReplyDeleteLet's see if we are genuinely ready to accept our share of responbility or shall we become victims of modernization ?
I am longing to be there
ReplyDeleteajit