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Raaja Bhasin
When Shimla leapfrogged over 91 other cities in a single year to emerge as the ‘most liveable city’ according to the Government of India’s Ease of Living Index (EoLI), many were surprised. Among those, somewhat nonplussed, were also the people and authorities concerned in the town. A journalist friend from Delhi sent a message, “How did this happen? What are the great changes that have taken place in a single year?” Somewhat airily, I replied, “All the other places slipped.” On a serious note, how did Shimla leap and clamber past a host of the 111 participating cities?
As Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri’s statement sent some into a tizzy and others into a state of euphoria, a couple of incidents came to mind. A few years ago, I met a young couple from Mauritius whose ancestors had gone to that island as indentured labourers from Bihar. They had heard stories, obviously passed down a few generations, of what a w