I belong to the beautiful Shimla hills from the Narkanda / Kotgarh area. Narkanda in Shimla hills is a popular ski resort and Kotgarh is famous for it’s apple farms. I manage my apple farms at Narkanda and the serene Kotgarh valley. My full story is available here
This is my abode in Shimla hills, India where I live a simple rural lifestyle. My interests focus on mind, body, spirit, nature and relationships. I read, I travel, I write. I am excited by technology, and what it can do in influencing and creating social contexts. I believe in building foundations. With a good foundation one can make excellent things.
I had the ‘honor’ of logging to the internet back in 1999, when Internet was launched in India, Surfing used to cost Rs. 80/ an hour. I created my first E-mail id on hotmail, not knowing whom to send my first mail as no one used to have an E-mail address then!
My cyber life escapade is available here.
I spent first nineteen years in Shimla, in the lap of Himalayas. Growing up in the mountains gave me a fascination for the hills. I studied in Patna and Kolkata and have worked in Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Indore and Ahmedabad. I have worked both within the public and private sector. I was in London for a month in November 2005. Farming and traveling have been mine passion. Once I convinced myself, farming was my career I left the corporate rat race and moved back to the hills.
I was crowned father to a baby girl on Lohri in 2007, the best ever Lohri gift I have received in my life time! Since then my life has been revolving around her. I was blessed with a baby boy in April 2009. That completes the family then.
Well that is about it.
Meanwhile, be well, do good work, and keep in touch.
My email is embedded in the following image so as to make it just a bit challenging for spammers.
@nityin
I also blog on:
A Taste of Life 
🙂
Hi,
i am looking for buying an orchard. was wondering if you could help.
would you know of any near shimla , up for sale.?
Regards,
Vishesh Tewari
Hi Vishesh
To buy agriculture land in Himachal you need to be a bonafide Himachali residing in Himachal. Are you one! If you are then there won’t be a problem.
Hello!
First of all allow me to congratulate you on your excellent blog. I have a question to ask and a favour to seek. We(my and little daughter) are planning to take a year’s break and plan to spend this year in serene surroundings. I am looking towards renting a 2 bedroom house/flat, the rent not exceeding 10,000 p.m.
Can you please suggest a place (colder the better) and how I may go about renting a residential house there. One pre-requisite is internet connectivity.I was looking at Shimla and surroundings, Palampur, Manali etc. Any advice?
Hi Santosh
Thanks for writing. Lucky you, you can get away for a year! Shimla, Manali, Palampur are all great places. Choose your ideal place by a) How often you will be traveling back to the plains. If you will be traveling often then Shimla and surroundings are suggested as it is the nearest to Chandigarh/ Delhi. If traveling is lesser then you can consider Manali and Palampur. b) Would your daughter would be going to school? If so then Shimla and Palampur have better schools. Manali, there is just one DPS school.
Internet connectivity is not a problem here. BSNL broadband is available in almost every where in state. I am writing from 9500 ft in the Himalayas with a seamless broadband connectivity here.
My personal preferences in the order are Manali, Palampur and Shimla. Shimla city is more crowded but around Shimla, Kufri, Chail, Narkanda and even Kotgarh are pretty good. If you can adjust to the laid back life style of the hills.
With 10k for a house you will definately find some good places.
hi nityin!!
was generally doing a search on google ’bout chinese aggression and happened to land up at ur page. ur blog has certainly given an overview to the scenario of 1962.
my name is pinkie and i’m from guwahati. in assam when people talk about step-motherly attitude of central govt. towards the North Eastern states of India, reference of Pd. Jawaharlal Nehru’s broadcast “My heart goes out to the people of Assam” when Chinese troop started marching towards assam often comes up.
it will not be an exaggeration to say that assam to the date, after 62 years of independence, suffers from the similar kinds of threat due to total disinterest of delhi…
leaves us to wonder at times if blaming each other to put a curtain up on one’s misdeed is all that big people like nehru and menon left behind as legacy to the center which is religiously being followed.
Regards
Pinkie
Thanks for dropping in. In fact it is the entire Himalayan states which have this feeling of getting ignored. I guess in a democracy it is the numbers which counts and this has been a dis-advantage of the smaller states. Himachal sends just 4 MPs so you can well imagine where it lies on Delhi’s radar. Still people have made it by their own grit and determination and we are a proud bunch of guys here in Himachal.
Hi, Nityin ! Yes, it is the numbers that count in a democracy. The poet Iqbal said long long ago:
“Jamhooriat woh tarz-e-haqoomat hai ki jismein,
Bandon ko gina jaata hai tola nahin jaata .”
and how right he was.
Let me make things more clear. To purchase land in Himachal Pradesh , besides being a bonafide Himachali, one has to be an agriculturist of HimachaL Pradesh, as per section 118 of the H.P. Tenancy & Land Reforms Act, !972. The Act ibid contains the definition of agriculturist as well.
Thanks for updating the info. There is a lack of information regarding buying property in Himachal Pradesh. Property dealers have been spreading false information on this issue. I will try and find some information and post it here.
Nice!
My Father-in-law has an agricultre land in his name in Una.Can his daughter purchase land in Himachal or how can her daughter purchase agriculture land or buy a cottage somewhere serene?
Otherwise can her father transfer the land in her name?
Your help is much appreciated.
Daughter has right to buy land in Himachal if her father has agricultural land in Himachal in his own name. The procedure which she has to follow is to procure a special form which is available with the patwari, fill in that form and to get a agriculturist certificate of her father. Secondly, If father transfers land in her name, then she can buy land like any other agriculturist in Himachal.
However, pls check this info with a lawyer 🙂
Hi,
My father once owned agriculture land in Solan (Himachal) which he sold in 1982.I am living in Delhi but want to buy agriculture or non agricultire land in Himachal now.Can I do that?
Rajesh
Check your family land records in local ‘patwari’ office. Is your family, father still staying in Solan? Do you have other family members still holding land in Solan? Do you still have some property like a house etc in Solan? Do you have a bonafide Himachali certificate with you? This may help you in buying land in Himachal even if it won’t be agricultural land.
hiiii nitiyn
i am a delhite and i need a land basically for residential purpose in narkanda or any other area which is a good place in himachal pradesh to settle in… i am not a bonafide himachali… so please suggest me and help me to get a land in himachal
Hi Rajat
You will have to apply with the SHimla District Collector for approval to buy land in Himachal for “Residential” purpose and if you are lucky you may get one. This being an election year in Himachal, chances are very less for approvals as these are quite sensitive issue. Otherwise the present BJP govt has been quite liberal in giving sanctions if you know the right people. Wait till elections are over by Oct / Nov and then you can proceed.