Nostalgic trip to Mussoorie

A Boarders' Nostalgic Trip to Mussoorie

The last trip to Mussoorie was great as we were able to take a guided tour of the building that housed our school. This trip was made possible as Ajit Jatania was going through a Chaar Dham Teerth Yatra (Holy pilgrimage) and had planned to skip one step of the tour. Tarjeet made it along with his wife Kanwal from Bangkok. Well she was also a student of Shishu Niketan before migrating to Waverley Convent  School (pure girls school). On 11.05.2012 from Delhi Jaspal along with his wife and daughter, Jagmohan came alone as his wife has some knee problems, while I was accompanied by my wife. I had hired a cab while Jaspal drove his own vehicle. Jagmohan was with us but he returned an evening earlier than us by train to attend office.

There was not much to do except walk around the town. On 12.05.2012 we went up the Gun Hill in a cable car. It was shocking to see the place raped like hell by such unplanned shopping sheds around the flat area shutting down all the beautiful view one could see for one the highest points that looks down towards Dehradun and other side of the mountain range where one could see snow clad mountain range on a clear day. Any way the day was not clear as it should have been. Spent some time and came down when there was some thunder with possible shower, though it did not take place.

Me and my wife Alini wanted to buy some toys for our little angels (grand children) and walked towards Kulri side. There is a Cambridge Book Depot where the author Mr. Ruskin Bond the famous Mussoorie resident sits on some particular days giving autographs on his books. There are people who interact with him. Saw a lady discussing a manuscript of her children's book with him, that she left with him to read later at leisure. There was another who, later on came to know was a film maker and was planning some film on Mr. Ruskin Bond.

I had been out to a hill station, Mussoorie in Uttarakhand, India with ex-students of a school based there. This school no longer exists there fore the nostalgia is great and we are never tired of visiting Mussoorie.

One had come from Nairobi, another from Bangkok, 3 of us from Delhi while one has been running a hotel by name and style Raj Deluxe Hotel. It is our natural choice for stay.

The rest of the friends had gone visiting the grand daughter of our bangkok friend. I really did not want to go as I wanted to meet a local photographer who has been an active trekker. Exchanging notes amongst photographers I am sure is very common around the globe.

We were engrossed in exchanging notes when one of his friends shouted for him to get the camera out while pointing at the sky right above us. Wow it was a magnificent sight here to never ever seen by me and most of the folks in the city where we stood. I was carrying my camera and took 7 frames at different exposures. I tried to get under as best as possible. It was tough as well looking directly at the Sun through the view finder. I may have captured more frames but I called up my friends to get out the cars and look up towards the Sun before the rainbow vanished. All the 7 frames I am sharing in here.

This lasted for a few minutes and I feel lucky to have captured this unique (at least for me) phenomenon.

Please note this is not a lens flare, as some photographer thought it to be

Taken using Canon 5D Mark II - Lens 24-105 mm f-4 on 13-05-2012 roughly at 12:30 Noon time