“Architecture is a visual art, and the buildings speak for themselves.”
There is a specific kind of silence that descends upon Shimla just as the sun begins to dip behind the mountains. It isn’t the silence of emptiness; it is the silence of history holding its breath.
Standing on the terrace of the iconic Clarkes Hotel on Mall Road, looking out at the view captured in this frame, I felt like a time traveler. The red corrugated tin roofs in the foreground aren’t just shelter; they are the last surviving pages of a colonial diary.
The Grand Old Dame
Clarkes Hotel isn’t just a building; it is the cradle of Indian hospitality (it was the first property owned by M.S. Oberoi). Walking through its corridors feels like walking into 1920. The wooden floorboards creak with the weight of a thousand stories—of Viceroys, summer balls, and whispers of an era gone by.
In a world obsessed with glass facades and modern minimalism, places like this remind us of the warmth of “Old World Charm.”
Chasing the Golden Hour
As a photographer, Shimla challenges you. It refuses to be captured in a hurry. You cannot just “click” Shimla; you have to wait for it. I waited for this exact moment—the “Golden Hour”—when the sun paints the entire hillside in shades of amber and fire. The chaotic jumble of houses on the hill suddenly looks like a coherent masterpiece. The red roof in the foreground glows, contrasting with the deepening shadows of the valley below.
Mall Road: The pedestrian Paradise
There is a romance to the Mall Road that is hard to explain to someone who hasn’t walked it. Perhaps it is the absence of vehicles, or perhaps it is the lingering ghost of the British summer capital.
Here, time slows down. You don’t walk to get somewhere; you walk just to be.
To the dreamer visiting Shimla: Don’t just look at the view. Look at the shadows. Look at the architecture that has withstood snow, rain, and time. And if you can, catch a sunset from the Clarkes. For a few minutes, the modern world fades away, and you are left standing in the golden glow of the past.