We are all aware of this “not so dreamy” city anymore that’s located at the foothills of the Himalayan range and is a valley.
My family roots in this town dates back to 1940s when my grandfather came to this town as a senior scientific officer with the DRDO.
He narrated some beautiful stories about Doon, specifically of the Raipur area which was dotted with beautiful trees and the warmth of the neighbours he enjoyed.
After his retirement, we settled at a place called Dalanwala. It was full of greenery and my grandmother loved gardening. And so, we had all the trees and flowers at our beautiful home—roses, plum trees, litchi trees, guava trees and the like. My grandmother nourished the plants with her own hands and eventually she taught me a lot about gardening.
Doon is also known for its schools and I studied at one of them named “Convent of Jesus and Mary”. The nuns were very caring; they taught us to value the blessings of the lord and we had weekly sessions about praying for each other.
We had many places around to go for picnics and one of them was the hills of Mussoorie. It was just 45 minutes from our town and every time we visited the place, it was a matter of great joy for all of us girls. Why won’t it be? We could eat exclusive chocolates made at Mussoorie, take pleasure in shopping at the Mall road, enjoy horse riding and have a lot more fun.
Mussoorie also reminds me of the famous author Ruskin Bond who has always been in love with Dehradun. His books on Dehradun are a great hit and he has never left this place. In fact, he went to London, didn’t like it and returned. Currently he is settled at Landour which is very near to Mussoorie. He is always nostalgic about the dreamy town that we all miss.
I also want to mention about the bakeries of Doon where we often went with friends and family to enjoy some homemade cookies, tarts and the list went on. Ellora bakery has to be mentioned here for their products such as biscuits, pastries, stick jaws, cookies and the like. Thankfully, Ellora is still there and that is an emotion.
Rajput Road was not so crowded then and we enjoyed long drives. My dad used to take all of us to enjoy the fresh Breeze and lovely trees. We crossed the Mussoorie diversion and had some fresh Pakoras (hash browns), which were freshly made then and there. My dad has always been fond of photography and he always had a camera with him in order to click photographs of these beautiful scenes. The residents were marvellous and ever ready to lend a hand. Going for long drives with them, enjoying a good chit chat and singing old songs as we drove down was enthralling. My mom used to make it even more fun with her happy-go-lucky nature.
This was my Doon. It reminds me of the song by John Denver “Country Roads Take Me Home”. And, no matter where I am, Dehradun will always be a real home for me.
About the Author
Clips and Pages 