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Drive into Thanedar through a sea of apple trees, all lacy white
against a backdrop of blue hills while here and there a
mustard field flaunts its dazzling yellow. The area is
incredibly peaceful. From dawn to dusk and dawn again,
it's the birds that make the most noise. Don't be taken in
by appearances, though Thanedar is a very important place
for this is where the apple story was born.
The apple saga began at Thanedar, a charming little
village at over 8,000 ft and some 82 km from Shimla, for
it was here that Stokes began experimenting with apple
saplings he brought from America some 80 years ago. Scion
of a wealthy Philadelphia business family, Samuel Stokes
(1882-1946) came to India in 1904 to work at a leprosy
home near Solan (50 km from Shimla). Soon, however, the
young American became increasingly drawn towards Indian
philosophy and culture; he turned away from the foreign
missionary community and became a Christian fakir, living
in a cave for a while, then married a Rajput Christian
girl, bought land in Thanedar village and took upon
himself to improve the lot of the local hill people who
lived then in abject poverty.
After experimenting with wheat and barley, Stokes decided
to try apple farming in his land. He acquired apple
saplings from America in 1919, and after growing orchards
in his land, distributed saplings to the local farmers. By
the late 1920s, apple orchards were bearing fruit all over
the neighboring hills and the poor hill people of the area
were suddenly growing unbelievably rich.
Thanedar has a quaint little bazaar with tumbledown
teashops where the kettle is only marginally sootier then
the walls. But tea is a great way of getting people to
talk. So you order a glass and ask the shop owner what is
there to see around the place. "Orchards”, he will tell
you. "Mountains, the farthest of them perpetually covered
with snow and the beauty of nature." You nod in agreement.
"And what is the best place to see it from?" As likely as
not his answer will be, "Harmony Hall, at the top of
Barobag Hill. But you can't just walk in there. It is the
Stokes’ family home, so you must first obtain permission."
Armed with the permission, you climb to the top of Barobag
and find that the teashop owner was on the dot. From the
crest of the hill, at 8,000 feet, Thanedar unfolds as a
magnificent panorama of mountains. The farthest of them
are cloaked in snow, others are deodar clad or draped in a
soft blue haze. In a gorge, some 6,000 feet below and
clearly visible to the naked eye, flows the river Sutlej.
The slopes of Thanedar (part of Shimla hills) are studded
with apple orchards. Apple trees are absolutely everywhere
and prosperity via the apple is legendary.
The orchard farmhouses are double storey affair. The
ground floor is one large stall meant for the livestock
and for reserves of fodder. The rest of the house,
comprising large rooms and a deep verandah, stand complete
with carpets, elegant furniture and fittings, a TV and
VCR, certainly provide the picture of not only the
architecture but also prosperity. In these parts apples are not only eaten fresh off trees, but slices of apple are also dried on rooftops
to be munched as a sweet in winter. Every year lakhs of cases of apples leave Thanedar & Kotgarh for different
parts of the country and abroad. Which accounts for the
unbroken line of trucks that ply these roads during
harvest time, from July through September.
There are mustard fields to explore too. When both apple
blossom and mustard are done, bees turn to wild flowers
for nectar. The local bush chichiri (also known as sainj)
with its small white flowers is an excellent source of
nectar, yielding paper white honey.
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