Bonding beyond homes and age in Shimla
Shimla: At 85, D.D. Gupta, a retired District Public Relations Officer, had found a new rhythm in life. After losing his wife some five years ago, the quiet solitude of his home had been difficult to bear. His children—two married daughters and son, though happily settled, couldn’t fill the emptiness left behind by his spouse.
Gupta has indeed discovered an effective way to manage his loneliness and find emotional resilience, unaffected by age and physical health constraints.
Every evening, the Indian Coffee House in Shimla becomes a haven for a close-knit group of retired government servants, of which Gupta, like Nanta, Kashyap, Sharma, Manta, Dharupta, Thakur and Chaudhary are part among others. The group, comprising 11-12 former IAS, HAS, state services officers, and a progressive orchardist, are ‘jewels of fame’ for Coffee House staff, waiters and visitors.
As the sun goes down behind the snow-capped mountains and Shimla’s iconic Ridge, they take their usual seats by the window, each one carrying stories of their past. Over cups of steaming coffee, served affectionately, they chat about everything under the sky: politics, history, philosophy, and the latest happenings in Shimla and around the world—Maha Kumbh stampede, Delhi elections to Bangladesh crisis.
Once masters, in their own spares of life and work, pouring-out their toil at a young age, this vibrant group—between 58 to 85 men, find a great solace in each other’s company. The evening gathering, in a corner table of the Indian Coffee House, is primarily moments of joy, love, bonding and togetherness.
The light-hearted banter and occasional serious talks about critical issues on social media and newspaper reportage form an unbreakable bond in the warmth of the place they create here.
Established in 1957, the Indian Coffee House, one of the oldest in India, reminds of the colonial era and has always been attracting who’s who, arriving Simla (the old name) beside being an excellent place for networking, that’s how Simlites have typically been. Two of the prominent Indian Prime Ministers, Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru and incumbent Narendra Modi have been here, besides Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishan Advani. Former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai also was nostalgic about it.
For this G-12 group, the Coffee House is more than simply a charming spot to hang out in the evenings. It’s a lifeline.
“So many visitors, writers, journalists and foreigners, who come here, instantly reach-out to us and have themselves photographed as a gesture of appreciation for our camaraderie” says Gupta.
Similarities in their thoughts is something quite rare though sometimes they differ in views on certain hot topics, in discussions. But, no one takes it to heart, if contested by other members.
“Whatever we talk or argue over in the group evaporates with us the moment we step out of the Coffee house for home. It lights up our minds. We go home with better energies with the promise to reconnect back next evening with refreshed thoughts,” says D K Manta.
Similar to Gupta, some of the other important group members, such as H N Kashyap, a former Shimla Municipal Commissioner, have their own private vehicles that they use almost daily to Shimla from Shoghi, a 15-kilometer-away suburban town. He too lost his wife and is yearning for a life free from dependency.
B.M. Nanta, a retired IAS, and B.D. Sharma commutes to the mall on foot or even by public transportation. Some people, including retired IASs Rajinder Singh Thakur and Rakesh Sharma, don’t mind taking public transportation, a part of their simplicity.
Coffee House’s seasoned waiters -- Baghi Rath, Suneel, Gabbar Singh, Gaje Singh, Naveen Kumar, Laxman, Yadav Chand, and Puran -- affectionately serve hot grilled sandwiches, pakora, and steaming cups of coffee to them and their guests, sharing their table.
Naveen Kumar says: “They are not just customers for us, they are our family, our pride.”
Their bond with waiters, some of them serving Indian Coffee House, for years, is also emotional. Last year, when Dharupta did not turn-up for coffee for over a month, are more since had gone to see his son abroad, Suneel could frequently ask about his wellbeing and arrival schedule.
Why Indian Coffee House for nurturing their bond of love, when asked Kashyap says: “One of the strongest reasons is about this being one of the oldest hang-out places and its vintage location in the centre of the city. Its cozy ambiance and polite staff”.
