Lansdowne: A hill station worth its name

News Snapshot:

The proposal to rechristen Lansdowne, a cantonment town in the Pauri District, as Jaswantgarh, is being done with a brusqueness reminiscent of our colonial past. The Lansdowne Cantonment Board proposes to rename the town after Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat who received the Maha Vir Chakra for his role in the 1962 war against the China’s People’s Liberation Army. To most people, especially those of Garhwal, the name Lansdowne evokes images of Himalayan snow-capped peaks, avenues lined with Himalayan oak and blue pine, and the proud history of the Garwhal Rifles with its origins in British rule. A change of name...