BAROG, A QUAINT HILL STATION IN HIMACHAL INDIA

We were looking for a place where we could find some peace and solace from the city hectic life in Delhi. We did some quick online research and zeroed in for a place called Barog in Solan District Himachal Pradesh India. It is small and quaint hill station with a tiny railway station for that lies on UNESCO World Heritage Site Kalka-Shimla Railway.

We took a cab on a Friday morning from Delhi and headed towards Barog. We drove for about 6 hours and reached Barog at about 2pm in the afternoon. On our way to Shimla we were confused on where to stop for Barog Railway Station as there are no clear sign boards. We had to stop at several places and enquire with the locals. At the point on highway we stopped there was a little hutment and parking space for only around 2 cars. We had to leave our car on the highway.

We had booked Railways Officers Guest House at the Barog Railway Station. We called our contact person at the station and he organized a person who came up on the highway to receive us. We had to climb down around one kilometer from the highway to reach Barog Railway Station.

Soon, we were shown our rooms. These were old and unmaintained rooms but very spacious. We quickly got ready for lunch as we were very hungry. We went to the Railways canteen. Choice of food was not too many. We had to settle with whatever was available. Food was expensive too compared to the quality being served.

Post lunch, we took a stroll around the station. It was truly a beautiful station tucked away in the hills surrounded by tall Pine trees. We sat and watched the toy trains halting, people coming out for refreshment, again boarding the train and leaving. It was a sight to be remembered for life.

Though we went there in summers, the climate was salubrious. We interacted with the local people in the station and surroundings and heard several stories about Barog.

Barog is named after Colonel Barog, an engineer involved in building the railway track in 1903. It used to be an important stop in the early decades of the century when the Kalka-Shimla toy train stopped here for an hour while the sahibs and memsahibs enjoyed a lavish lunch. Once a stopover to Shimla, it has now turned into an independent destination. Some private hotels and camps have sprung up. Several families from Delhi-NCR were staying in the Railway accommodation. It is not very far from Delhi and is situated at a height of 1600 meters. Climate in winters we were informed becomes very cold. Snowfall occurs but rarely.

Barog has the longest tunnel on Kalka-Shimla rail route. Barog, the engineer, designed the tunnel near the railway station. Sory goes that he commenced digging the tunnel from both sides of the mountain, which is quite common as it speeds up construction. However, he made mistakes in his calculation and while constructing the tunnel, it was found that the two ends of the tunnel did not meet. Barog was fined an amount of 1 Rupee by the then British government. Unable to withstand the humiliation, Barog committed suicide and was buried near the incomplete tunnel. The area came to be known as Barog after him. Barog Railway Station is immediately after the tunnel. It took around 3 minutes for our train to cross the tunnel.

Evenings got very pleasant at the station. We played badminton in the adjoining court. Nothing to do after 8 pm, we took our dinner at the same canteen and went to bed early.

Again the next morning those beautiful toy trains started bringing hoards of passengers on the station. Once the train left, the station again looked deserted. We enjoyed the calm and tranquility around. We took a toy train ride from Barog till Solan and back. It was a beautiful ride indeed!

Sunday afternoon we headed back from Barog with beautiful memories and recharged.