Shimla:)

"We're going to Shimla", mom said. 

"NO WAY!", I screamed. But, obviously I strained my voice box unnecessarily because on Sunday we were sitting at the airport waiting to board the flight to Delhi. 

We reached Delhi a couple of hours after noon. We were greeted at the airport by my dad's friend. We were going to Shimla accompanied by uncle and aunty. It takes six hours to travel from Delhi to Shimla by vehicle. The journey was extremely smooth. The roads were so much better than the ones we had while travelling to Gangtok! We also stopped by a "dhaba", just for the experience. While these guys enjoyed tea, I was making unsuccessful attempts of capturing the setting sun. 

After we reached Shimla, we were really tired and straight away went to bed!

Next morning, we got ready and started exploring Shimla. The people were very sweet and helpful. Life's hard there. Climbing the slopes will leave you breathless(literally). Yet, students of all ages travel long distances on these mountains to reach their school. 

That day we visited Kuffri and the view from there was breathtaking. Here, you could see buses filled with tourists from all over India, who had come to soak in the beauty of Shimla. 

We also visited Chail Palace. In the evening, we went to the Mall Road. We saw the Church there, took lots of pictures and also visited The Indian Coffee House. The shops and buildings in that area had a victorian-era feel attached to them (Shimla had been the summer capital of British India). 

We went back to our hotel and I treated myself to a lavish dinner that involved about 5 different kinds of desserts! After that, we retired to our rooms. 

The next day, after breakfast, we started exploring Shimla once again. This was our last full day in Shimla. We visited a temple, which was built in a 'huge' area. Some construction work was still left. So, not many people were there. I felt that's how temples should be! Calm & peaceful. In most of the temples, we are constantly being pushed around and we hardly get to see the idol! 

The best part of the day was the Train ride. It was absolutely amazing. I recommend it to everyone. The train moved with moderate speed as the sun set behind the mountains, the trees partly hiding it from our view. We sang songs throughout the 45 minutes of our journey. We got down at a really small station where the car was waiting for us. 

The next day, we began our journey to Chandigarh, from where we had to board our flight. This trip had been great. We had a great company and that just added to the fun! So long Shimla! :)

Will post pictures sometime soon! 

Fiction reveals the truth that reality obscures

Fiction. Or non-fiction? I haven't got anything against non-fiction. I know that there are a lot of people who like reading autobiographies of legendary people & books on events which have turned the world upside down, who look for motivating & inspiring books at a bookstore. So, yes, I respect their choice and I honestly do feel that some non-fictional books are good. 

But, there is this one thing I don't like and that is that most people hate Fiction. They look at fiction as something which was made for intellectually immature people. And that's not true! 

When we read books we want to learn something from them, to gain something. And I very strongly believe that Fiction is that one genre from which you can learn a million things, if you want to. A certain group of non-fiction lovers(or adults) would probably laugh when I'll say that I've learnt so much from a series like Harry Potter! Yes, I have. See, the truth is, most people look at Harry Potter like it's all about flying brooms, swishing wands, crazy spells and some impossible adventures. They say that they can't digest this much of fiction! And that is where they are absolutely wrong. Harry Potter's about wands and brooms and spells, but it is more importantly about the power of love, friendship and the war against something wrong or evil. 

You can learn so many things by looking at the life of another person and that's what fiction offers you. You get to almost live the life of the character. You get to know how they are feeling and you're like, "Oh my god! I felt the same way when..."

The best part of Fiction is that the characters live with you forever. Their words stay in your head. When someone says, "Always", you'll be reminded of this Hogwarts professor who wasn't liked much, but he was a great person who loved someone very dearly and died protecting her only son! You never cry or laugh or feel respite, anger or other important human emotions when you read non-fiction. You do that only when you read fiction. How many times have I cried while reading a book!

So, to conclude, I would like to say that you can learn so much from Fiction. The characters will become your friends! Their words will remain etched on your mind and heart. So, try and look at a work of fiction like it's an autobiography of a person you've never met. You wouldn't be able to stop yourself from exploring more and more! 

Fiction reveals the truth that reality obscures.