The British journalist Malcolm Muggeridge once prophesied that the last Englishman would doubtless be an Indian. Long after the sun set on the Empire, long after the sahibs had packed their colonial bags and headed home, he reckoned, the natives would cling to Raj remembrances and perpetuate ‘the English way’.
Preparing for a tour of colonial-era bungalows and estates in Kumaon which today serve as hotels or guesthouses, I quivered with Anglo-anticipation. I dreamt of places called Flowermead or Oak Lodge and repasts of porridge and scones and pudding and pie; and I learnt, by invoking the Hobson-Jobson linguistic code, to say "There was a banker" when I wanted doors shut...
And, sure enough, I stayed in a red-roofed, English-style stone cottage with ivy creepers clinging to the walls; and I had generous doses of porridge and pudding—and single malts. So much so that, at the end of it all, I began to feel a good bit like that last Englishman. For there are quite a few Raj-era estates and bungalows in Kumaon that, having been restored and renovated, offer today’s traveller a bit of colonial history—and a great deal of comfort. Here are five for the road.
THE COTTAGE, Jeolikot. Just past Kathgodam on the road to Nainital is Jeolikot, a cosy little town as enchanting as its name suggests. And just off the highway, tucked away in an eight-acre orchard and a garden of floral delights, is The Cottage. A part of what used to be the Vergomount Estate in the 19th century, it was acquired in 1994 by the graceful Ms Bhuvan Kumari, who renovated her "dream house" in her own image, so to speak, and offers high-end home-style accommodation. It recommends itself as a luxurious launchpad for those heading further up the Kumaon hills—or as a weekend getaway in itself.
The Cottage is a symbol of the aesthetic amalgamation of quintessential English characteristics—red, sloping roof; ivy creepers on exposed stone walls; a profusion of bright-red poinsettias; sheesham wood floors with herringbone patterns —and distinctively native elements—exquisitely carved, antique Kumaoni wooden doors and window frames retrieved from demolished houses; a brass bell slung at the front door. The five rooms, and much of The Cottage itself, are at various levels; the height of the beds is designed to afford the most spectacular view, which in turn is framed by the window.
But more than any of these, what distinguishes The Cottage is the at-home atmosphere it exudes: the quietly efficient service staff have directions to treat guests like family—not immediate family, with whom one might take liberties, but like in-laws in a traditional home, with respectful hospitality.
Mellowed by an exquisite Continental dinner, we sat around the fireplace, watched the twinkling lights of nearby Nainital and delighted in the antics of Aao and Jao, the two resident jet-black kittens...
THE RAMGARH BUNGALOWS The next morning, we headed for Ramgarh, about 35km from Jeolikot. The twin bungalows at Ramgarh—the Old Bungalow (built in 1830) and the Writers’ Bungalow (1860)—served as a colonial outpost after the British occupied Kumaon in 1815. Officers involved in surveying, administering and developing the area were housed in these bungalows.
Today the bungalows, leased out to Neemrana Hotels, are bordered by a line of chestnut trees which catch the afternoon light just so. We sat on the sun-drenched lawns and wolfed down a late lunch. Perhaps it was the banana-chocolate dessert, perhaps I’m just slothful, but the next few hours, initially allocated for a walk along one of the many trails, were spent in lambent dullness, staring in amazement at blue, blue skies. At night, a thunderstorm broke; in the English room, I fell asleep to the crackle of a fire and the comforting warmth of two quilts and a hot water bottle.
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