Life in Bist Gaon



Nalini has lived and worked all over India and decided to settle here in this village with her parents. It is the first home they have ever owned. it sits on roughly 780sqm and the house consists of 1 bedroom, dining and living room and large kitchen downstairs plus a half bath. Originally, budget constraints forced Nalini to have a small bedroom and bath built upstairs where she and her son Imran could stay.
After we married, we decided to expand the covered sit out upstairs and build walls with large windows, a very small kitchen and a dining/living space. It is very small, but the South orientation and the huge windows facing North towards Mussourie flood the interior with light and provides heat during winter days, at least from the South.
We also added a small storage for the washer and for various equipment, like an air cooler, to be stored. We are quite happy with the low maintenance, the bright interior and the magnificent views.
The garden downstairs is our dog JoJo's domain and he has a couple of dogs next door to run up and down with in addition to the tiled terrace upstairs which he also likes since he can supervise his cows next door.
Nalini and her parents were the first outsiders to buy land in the village and build a home here. She has been superseded by others who have built enormous mansions in the village, since good home sites are almost impossible to find in and around Dehradun. Despite that, this still has a small village feel and we know almost everyone quite well.
I moved here 13 years ago and suprisingly, have been welcomed as an Angres who doesn't speak much Hindi, but understands more than he shows.
Nalini has lived in Bangalore, Calcutta, Pune, Delhi, Mussourie and Dwarka, so she appreciates the clean air and water and the jungle right next to us even more. I grew up in small villages in Austria and suburban and mountain areas in North America, so we share our appreciation for the slower pace and community of a village.
We are 5km from the main North/South road in Dehradun with its attendant shops and conveniences, but we also buy locally whenever we can to keep the business in our area.
We were sharing the cottage with Nalini's parents until their deaths in 2018 and 2019. Nalini's son Imran had died of a brain hemorrhage in 2011 when we were living in Dwarka, Delhi. That sadness caused us to return to Dehradun.
During this lockdown period, we appreciate this village life even more, because we feel sorry for those of our friends that are cooped up inside and don't have the advantages that we have.
We have drop dead beautiful views from some of the local roads 10 minutes from our home and you can be surrounded by wildlife and jungle within a very short car ride or walk.
We have seen 1 tiger, leopards, foxes, asian bear, blue bull, brown deer, jackals, pythons, cobras, giant lizards and a plethora of smaller game right around our house. They don't bother humans and we don't bother them.
We love living here and if you want to visit after the Lockdown, call us.

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