The Oaktree House

For long decades, there was a 'hawaghar' where "The Oaktree House" now stands. With a wooden railing and a couple of benches, this ‘house of the winds’ was a shelter from the rain and snow. This was where a weary walker could rest. This was where one could pause for a moment and let nature, heal and soothe and teach. If you sat long enough, the breezes could gently rest on your shoulder and share a secret or two. On a long quiet path, the 'hawaghar' was the only manmade structure between the hub of Simla, the grand ‘summer capital’ of the British Empire in India, and the suburb of Bharari. Around and ahead, were little villages with mellifluous names like Pabo, Kamiana and Bhonth. These were places where the rhythm of rural life had remained substantially unchanged for centuries. All across these hills were open grasslands and woods of deodar (Himalayan cedar), pine and oak.