library home in sainj valley

Singh Sahab’s Home In Sainj Valley – A Hidden Wonderland

We all have our dream-places where we want to travel to some time and we all picturise them too. This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is one of those experiences where you get to have a face-off with that dream. It happened to us on a trip to Shangarh in Sainj Valley of Himachal Pradesh where we discovered ‘Singh Sahab’s Home’ – something of sorts that we dream and fancy about.

KNOW ABOUT THE THINGS TO DO WHILE YOU ARE IN SAINJ VALLEY

By the looks of it, it is a typical small wooden house located at half an hour hike above Daggara Village above the Shangarh Meadow. Although, at the time of writing this post, we share with all of you the loss of a man who would say – “I do what I do” with the essence of every word speaking through his eyes. Mr. Virpal Singh or the Cow Boy, as the Indian Army used to address him as in the invitation cards, breathed last on August 7, 2018.

Singh Sahab portrait from Sainj Valley
Singh Sahab reciting Omar Khayyam for us!

Mr. Virpal Singh was among the first cadets of the inaugural batch of Indian Army in 1949 at Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. He served the Army till Indo-China war and then moved to Kolkata to work for a shipping Corporation there. He married Ms. Tara Singh in Kolkata around the same time and later moved to Delhi’s Vasant Kunj.

Wondering how all of this is related to Singh Sahab’s Home in Sainj Valley?

Singh Sahab with his wives in shangarh, sainj valley
Singh Sahab with boh his wives at his home in Sainj

Well, Mr. SIngh, an avid traveler, cyclist, adventurer, and a crazy arms fan, came to Sainj Valley and probably never went back. He built this home and married a native charm Ms. Leelawati (we call her Leelawati Kaki) here. Until August 2018 before he passed away, Singh Sahab lived with both his lady-loves here.

Singh Sahab’s home was no less than a discovery for us. Without much ado, take a look on your own:

The Wall That Knows It All

library home in sainj valley
Singh Sahab’s living room is actually a library on the right when you enter

Inside the house, this wall of the living room is a classified library. It comprises of a large variety of books ranging from Literature, Languages, Medicines, Engineering and many other fields of study. And on the opposite side, there are some…

Musings Of The Past

Singh Sahabs Home In Sainj Valley is a must visit place in Sainj Valley
The Cutlery Shelf on the Left

This wall displays souvenirs of the Victorian aristocracy. A collection of original cutlery from the Victorian time that shows its logo if you look through the base against the light. There are lamps (Aladin) that date back to the late 1800s.

And Then Comes The Music

Beethoven’s original Symphony LP

By the cutlery shelf, a corner is dedicated to music. You get exposed to a collection of original LP’s of old Jazz, Rock and Metal bands and artists. An original copy of Beethoven, Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell ‎– Symphony No. 6 In F Major “Pastoral” is just one from the collection. The Gramophone is attached to speakers and amplifiers that would actually take you back in time.

One That Literally Amplifies It All

The metal Speakers in Singh Sahab’s Living Room

Trust us you, listening to Metal on these speakers teaches you a thing or two about Metal Music. We know, you will not believe if we tell you that this is a fully functioning speaker cum base tube.

Anyway, This Is How It Looks From Mr. Singh’s Couch

Living room as seen from Singh Sahab's couch
That’s how it is – from his couch!

Wait, There Is More

A mummified tiger mummy in Singh Sahab’s Workshop

Mr. Singh loved arms – from the legends of arms to the making of the latest ones, we had conversations with him listening about several of them. So, the second room – actually the workshop from where the entire world of Mr. Singh runs, has this mummified Tiger that he killed on one of his trips to Assam.

So, This Is Where It All Started

The workshop

And, That’s How It Is

Museum Home in Shangarh, Sainj Valley
Singh Shab’s Home

This house speaks so many stories from the past which consciously-subconsciously takes you into a distant time and space. The time which is gone back and space which is far.

Did you also get to meet folks like Singh Sahab on your travels? Do tell us in the comments below!

Read about THIS SECRET VILLAGE NEAR THE PUNDRIK RISHIK LAKE IN SAINJ VALLEY

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