Dehradun, April 14 -- Nilanjana Singh Roy

By: Ganesh Saili

'Jaffar Hall.' That's what half the hill station calls the place. Little did I know that Zephyr Hall was named after the gentle breeze that plays around it-on a knife's edge, along the spine of Mussoorie above the Mall, where to the south spreads the valley of the Doon and to the north lies the vista of the Himalaya.

This tale dates to July 1982. At the local courts, I was there to get some documents attested when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw an old man shuffling around, trying to catch anyone's attention. Trying to be helpful, I sat him down on a bench. His application, addressed to the SDM Mussoorie, was titled strictly private and confidential:

'I, as the only son of...