Dehradun, May 9 -- Culinary Chronicles

The Bottled Fortune of Shangri-La, Mussoorie -

In the early nineties, securing a five-rupee profit per bottle was a phenomenal windfall for an eleventh-grade boarder.

Our school cafeteria was the evening epicentre, serving up steaming soups, noodles, confections, patisserie, beverages, et cetera. It nestled within the school premises, away from downtown amidst the sky-kissing pines, with the rugged slopes of Abbey Hill on the side. During the biting winter months, lucky onlookers caught the rare glimpse of a leopard basking over some rock during the day.

The cafe manager authorised us to take the glass bottles of aerated drinks to the dormitories, charging a five-rupee security deposit above the ...