I have visited Dharamshala twice. First time as a kid with my parents in the year 2000 and the second time in December 2019. The first time we went there, I was completely mesmerized by this little village. Yes, back then it was a village. That trip holds a special place in our hearts as we were fortunate and blessed to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama. It was a time when Dalai Lama held public audiences. He not only met people but also shook hands with them and talked to them for few minutes. We had queued up in the line to have a glimpse of him and those few minutes indeed lasted with us for a lifetime. We do not have a photo memory of it but it is etched in our hearts forever. At that time itself I had decided, I would visit this place again. And so we did.
Years back when we visited Mcleodganj in 2000, I wondered if Tibet indeed looked like this - Simple, beautiful, peaceful.
Back then, it was a small village on the slope of hills, abound with monks in maroon robes going about their daily routine. One could frequently hear chants of hymns and prayers; Fragrance from essence sticks filled up the air.
A few Tibetan houses opened their kitchens for tourists and welcomed them with freshly cooked, piping hot, flavorful Tibetan food. Occasional restaurants had also found it's way into not so bustling markets of Mcleodganj. I vividly remember gorging on the delicious Tibetan feast - one of the reasons I was itching to revisit Dharamshala. But so disappointed I was - it doesn't have a single kitchen like that anymore. The food is however still very delicious but completely misses out on that simplistic charm.
The three lane market area that we visited nearly 2 decades back still looks somewhat familiar yet very different. The number of shops, cafes, restaurants, boutiques, street vendors has increased enormously. Monks huddling around the market area in the evenings then is now replaced by hordes of tourists. Mixed aromas of food have replaced the fragrance of essence sticks and the sounds of hymns and prayers of the monks are replaced by clamoring tourists.
Free Tibet Movement that was visible through numerous hoardings, signs, pamphlets seem to have taken a backseat or atleast is not as visible as it was to the tourist eyes two decades ago.
Dharamshala - Macleodganj has changed from an empty town before arrival of Dalai Lama to bustling city full of Indians, Tibetians, tourists and people on pilgrimage.
The Dhauladhar range, the glory of Dharamshala, has silently witnessed it all and will also be a spectator to the current government's aspiration of 'Smart City' Dharamshala - whether it will be a happy or disappointed spectator, we will perhaps never get to know.
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