Rajpur Road - The Pride of Dehradun

By Preeti Bhutani

From the hectic and boisterous life of Delhi, I was destined to live in the stillness and serenity of Dehradun.
In a striking contrast to the polluted atmosphere of Delhi, Dehradun is a clean city with comparatively less pollution. Due to a dearth of greenery in Delhi, one gets enthralled by the sight of lush greenery which surrounds this beautiful valley.Rajpur Road can be called one of the cream places of Dehradun. A morning walk on this road is a 'treat for nature lovers' as one can relish the beauty of Mussoorie hills and the lovely climate of Dehradun. Even if one is walking alone at night on this road, one doesn't feel scared because of the newly lit street lights which illuminate this majestic road.
This road is a 'shoppers paradise' with various shopping outlets (mostly shops of branded garments) exhibiting the fashion statement of Doonites. Most of the eating joints on this road have good interiors, offer delicious food and also serve as a rendezvous for young lovers who have a gala time dating in and outside these joints. While 'Dominos' serve hot and palatable pizzas, 'Anandam' offers mouth-watering sweet and spicy dishes for the people of Doon. On Sunday evenings, one can also see people hovering around the famous tea stall of'Sardar Jee' at Rajpur, serving delicious pakoras and tea.
A journey through this road can also be called a pilgrimage, as one can halt and pay homage at various monastic ashrams, Sai Babaji's temple, Ramakrishna Mission etc. One of the glories of Doon is the 'National Institute for visually Handicapped', situated on this road, which is a boon for the blind people. This road also takes pride in the fact that it has an array of luxurious hotels comforting the various tourists from outside.
A drive to Mussoorie through this road is like a drive through paradise with nature at its best and thus this road finally takes us to 'Mussoorie' which is also called the queen of hills. This hill station boasts of its splendid beauty of mountains and lovely climate refreshing the tourists with fresh air and cold breeze coming from Deodar forests.