UNSEEN INDIA: LANDOUR

ABOUT KM FROM the city of Dehradun and driving distance from Mussoorie, is this charming town of Landour in Uttarakhand. Many of us may know it as the home of popular Indian author Ruskin Bond. Born as a cantonment town, contemporary Landour is painted with quaint paths and beguiling beauty that has not surprisingly inspired many authors and poets around the world. The region is carpeted by forests of deodar cedar and Himalayan oak that turn Landour into a mystical paradise during the monsoon and winters, when it snows here. Colonial-style hotels and modern cafés make it quite an alluring destination for the traveller with alternative preferences.