City Lifestyle
Shimla Ice Bar Lounge – One-of-its-kind bar in Himachal constructed entirely of ice
SHIMLA- After the Johnnie’s Wax Museum, Shimla has another cool attraction for tourists in the ICE BAR LOUNGE opened at the Pine View Hotel, Kaithu. The bar lounge constructed entirely of ice is a minus 15-degree igloo worth enjoying a glass or two of refreshing alcohol.
Himachal Watcher had an opportunity to visit this one-of-its-kind bar in Shimla and the experience was astounding.
The Ice Bar Lounge (first ice bar north of Delhi) is in the premises of Pine View Hotel. Post arriving at the hotel’s reception, we were graciously led to the Ice Bar by the hospitable staff members on behest of Mr Yatish Sood, owner of the property.
The Ice Bar Lounge, Yatish tells HW is an interpretation of an ice bar he had visited with his wife in Barcelona.
The lounge has a minimalist entrance – taking a small flight of stairs you are led straight into a room lit with mood enhancing lights, which is suppose to be the acclimatizing room.
With pebbles on the floor, and a few tables laid out, the room reveals nothing of what you are going to witness in the adjoining room.
Everything until here is free of cost. The entry into the ice bar lounge is however reserved at Rs 750 per head for 30 minutes. At the reception here, you make the payment and you will be provided with a special Quechua Jacket and led to the door – you still cannot guess what’s behind this closed door.
There it opens and gushing breeze of chill hits the head. Now, you began to realize there is something different in there.
Eyes gaping, chill seeping into the bones and there you are in a 800 sq m. room of ice. A bar with seating capacity of 15-20 persons has everything just so perfectly placed for amplified ambiance.
The walls are made of ice (floor is pebbled and ceiling is of normal sheets), the counter made of ice, the pillar in the room covered with ice, the tables and chairs and couches everything made with ice. There is so much ice you wonder how on earth is it so perfect!
And just when everything was sinking in with the color changing lights enhancing the mood, we were reminded we had to get over the aura and understand how the ice is kept intact.
We were informed that the lounge is kept dry and room temperature is maintained between minus 5 to minus 15-degree Celsius using a room cooling insulator – and then the eyes went to the only turn down in the room, the air conditioning vents that are placed visibly in one corner of the ceiling.
We had been in there for about 15 odd minutes now – the fingers had begun to freeze and the face could feel the chill. While the torso was well protected in the Quechua jacket, we could feel the knees numbing inside the denims. There was chill in the air, but it was a perfect setting and we were enjoying every minute of our time in there.
Yatish informed, the large blocks of ice for construction have been sourced from Ludhiana, but all the carving and designing has been done on site by Him Chatterjee, head of department of fine arts, Himachal Pradesh University.
The ice bar is a result of 15 months of persistent hard work and dedication and the result is a place worth every buck you spend.
The bar has been operational for about two weeks, but is only serving mocktails and snacks for now. Yatish has applied for a license and the bar should start soon.
After 25 odd minutes inside the ice bar, capturing every possible detail, we were out – bones felt chilly, lenses on the camera and eyeglasses fogged – this was when we realized the importance of the acclimatizing room.
We were asked not to take off the jackets they had provided, immediately. Waiting in the room (acclimatizing) we clicked a few shots of the room and a couple of pictures of the temporary staff off the ice bar. Then took off the jackets after 10 odd minutes and bid adieu to the ice bar lounge.
Shimla-An online facility to place orders of food was launched by the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation on July 21, 2020. It was informed by the HPTDC, Managing Director Kumud Singh. She said the Corporation has introduced a facility to place an online order of food for takeaway and home delivery at its selected properties.
“The public can place orders for a variety of tasty, hygienic and healthy cuisines at their homes by placing online orders,”
she said.
Consumers can place online food orders at these properties by visiting its website (www.hptdconwheels.in). Currently, the orders can be placed from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. The HPTDC staff has been imparted special training to take all necessary steps for prevention of COVID-19, she said. The food is prepared by trained Chefs of the Corporation in safe and hygiene environment, she added.
She informed that this service has initially been started at Hotel Peterhof Shimla, Goofa Ashiana Restaurant Shimla, Hotel Kunzam Manali, Cafe Monal Kullu, Cafe Raviview Chamba and Cafe Satluj Rampur. She said that this service will be extended to other properties in a phased manner.
Photo: Himachal Watcher
City Lifestyle
Fursat Se- Shimla Based Cultural Community to Plant 550 Trees on 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev ji
Shimla-On the occasion of 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Devji, Fursat Se, a cultural community based in Shimla plans to plant 550 trees. The founder of Fursat Se, Amrita Bhasin, is working towards creating safe spaces for promotion of art, literature and open dialogue through the medium of events.
“We invite 550 people (&more) to pledge and plant one tree each and help us initiate a Green Movement by the people and for the people,”
She said.
Anyone interested in this, can pick a local tree sapling and plant it in allowed areas of the neighborhood and pledge to take care of it, and send the information on the same with a picture and hashtag #TreeTalesIndia to Fursat Se. For pledging, volunteering and becoming a part of this initiative you can contact them, and Fursat Se will share the pictures from their social media handles.
The initiative is organized by Fursat Se- A Cultural Community in association with- Swach Himalayas, a Himachal based NGO started by Savitoj Singh, that works towards spreading awareness about various environmental issues, undertakes initiatives like regular visits to old-age homes, orphanages through numerous community driven events and Unbox Himachal valley- a Himachal based start-up by Shivee Sirmauri, working towards empowerment of rural women by providing employment opportunities and reviving old cultural handicrafts.
Shimla: Sachin Sharma, a handsome man of 26, is currently a person who stands in contrast to Himachal Pradesh’s ill-famed youth struggling with drug and substance abuse – a crucial issue that has sounded an alarm in the State. Sachin is the one who joined a gym at the age of 19 – an age at which teenagers are struggling to escape from the jaws of drug/substance abuse, especially Heroin (Chitta).
Sachin, born in a middle-class family of Deha village, Theog, Shimla district, recently appeared in what could be called India’s first fitness reality show “Indian Fitness League.” It wasn’t a bodybuilding show, but the challenge was to undertake tasks designed to check who is the fittest. Sachin was the only one from Himachal to have made through the auditions. He was selected as one of the 40 fittest people of India. He earned the special attention of the hosts of the show as well as among other competitors.
The next episode of the TV show would be telecasted on October 6 on Discovery Sports at 4 PM.
To know more about him, Himachal Watcher interviewed him (Watch Video). We found that his story is inspirational in its own way:
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Far from ill and unhealthy habits, he doesn’t smoke, doesn’t drink or take anything that would toy with his physical and mental fitness. He definitely doesn’t take steroids. Since last seven years, he has followed a strict discipline in diet and habits. He didn’t compromise with his studies either. He completed his schooling from Dayanand Public School in Shimla.
In 2018 he completed his post graduation in Masters of Business (MBA) from Himachal Pradesh University and had procured a placement for himself too.
He wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth so placement did matter for him. His father Mohan Lal Sharma and mother Subhadra Sharma are both serving with the Crime Investigation Department (CID), HP, as Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) and Head Constable respectively. It wasn’t easy to manage an additional expenditure of Rs. 15,000 – 20, 000 on his protein diet for seven years.
At this point, his decision-making ability was put to test. He had to choose one of the two: job placement and passion for fitness. He listened to himself and decided to seek a career in the fitness industry.
Though Sachin’s body is in good shape, he isn’t actually a bodybuilder. He is a fitness enthusiast, who has trained without a professional trainer or a mentor. He made ample use of YouTube to learn. He didn’t take up fitness as his passion because he was inspired by someone. He was his own inspiration.
He first received an opportunity to get on a stage at annual Mr. Himachal competition. Later he won the Maruti Suzuki Devils Circuit held in Chandigarh.
Now, after his tremendous performance at the IFL, Sachin has received sponsorships and was inducted in the TG Athlete group. Opportunities in the fitness industry have begun to appear before him. He believes that someday, he would extend support and guidance to other fitness enthusiasts of the state, which he could hardly receive for himself.
He is an idol for the youth of Himachal, especially because fitness is an antonym to drug/substance abuse and indiscipline. In the majority of cases filed under the Narcotics, Drugs & Psychoactive Substances (ND&PS) Act, the accused are reported to be between 20-25 years. A couple of days back Shimla Police arrested a 22-years-old local boy with a packet of Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) stamps.
