As the beautiful “lake city” of Nainital gets ready to turn 175 on November 18 , a film has been made on the picturesque Raj Bhawan of Nainital which is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful buildings not just in the country but in the entire world.
Tiled “Raj Bhawan, Nainital : A legacy of Excellence”, the film has been made by Rudy Singh, an independent film maker.
It was on the initiative of Uttarakhand Governor Dr K K Paul that the film on Raj Bhawan, Nainital was made. His personal interest in the film gave it final touches and enabled it to express fully the restoration and renovation of this heritage building . Each minute detail of the restoration has been narrated in the twenty minute long film .The imposing chandeliers , the wall papers, the roofs, the stones and the furniture have been restored and replaced carefully without taking away from the original look of the imposing edifice.
Talking to The Pioneer, the Governor said that the film had been shot mainly from April to July this year to catch the beauty of the Raj Bhawan after it was restored to its former ,exquisite glory by experts. He said the film has placed on record the history and restoration process which has been implemented at Raj Bhawan, Nainital. “The film has been posted on the Raj Bhawan, Uttarakhand, website,” he said.
The construction of Raj Bhawan was started in April 1897 and it took two years to complete. It is built like a Scottish Castle. The Raj Bhawan estate is spread over 205 acres with a Golf Course in 45 acres. In the pre-Independence era, Nainital served as the summer capital of United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh) and this building was christened as the "Government House". Raj Bhawan was built by the British as the residence of the Governor of then North West Province.
It was on November 18, 1841 that Peter Barren, a British businessman, “discovered” Nainital and only after that did it begin developing when the British made it their summer residence. Till Barren came to Nainital, the town had only a religious significance. Down the centuries, it has acquired the status of an important tourist destination the world over.
The Raj Bhawan estate is spread over 205 acre of area with a Golf Course in 45 acre of land. The Golf Course of Raj Bhawan, built in 1936, is one of the vintage golf courses in India. In the post-Independence period, Sarojini Naidu , the first Governor of Uttar Pradesh , was the first occupant of this historic monument.
Dr KK Paul has been taking great interest in promoting Nainital as a world class tourist destination across the globe. The Governor’s Golf Cup tournament and the Governor’s Gold Cup sailing Regatta were organised this year and last year besides a school level Golf Championship at the Raj Bhawan Golf Course. The Regatta was held on the lake and was organised by the Nainital Yacht Club (NTYC), one of the oldest clubs in India. It is also known to be the highest sailing club in the world. The Club is over a100 years old now, and harbours a rich heritage and tradition. Besides promoting this great sport of Sailing, the NTYC is also majorly responsible for promoting tourism in Nainital, by providing the thrill and experience of yachting to tourists coming from all over the world. These yachts with their colourful sails are widely used in the promotion of Nainital as a lake destination. It was after a gap of about 40 years that the regatta was held in 2014.
The film shows us in detail the Rajbhawan Golf Course which was developed in the year 1926, during 'RAJ' days as a part of the Raj Bhawan estate . In the year 1994, the course was opened to the public. In November 2000, after the creation of Uttaranchal (now Uttarakhand), the Golf Course became a part of residence of the Governor of the new state.
The course itself is a connoisseur's delight. It is a short par 61 course with the regulation 18 holes and 18 Tees covering a distance of about 3.2 kms.
Set in a lush and pristine mixed forest, the course is also a nature lover's delight with many rare and endangered species of flora and fauna in residence. Rajbhawan Golf Club is located in the Reserve Forest area and club house, which was the forest guard house, called "Van Chetna Kendra" renamed as "Vora Pavilion", popularly known as club house.
This film covers and explores the ecological, historical, architectural and aesthetic dimensions of this great heritage building that has fascinated people from the world over with its splendor and dignity.