They Had Soliloquies In Alasia
The Alasia Hotel in Kasauli is a relic from the past. There was a time when it served roast beef and bread and butter pudding. These days it caters to hordes ascending from Chandigarh with entirely different taste buds. Until 1966, it was run by Major Robert Hotz and a number of films were shot here, including Staying On, based on Paul Scott’s novel, and James Ivory's Shakesperewala .
David Lean, the director of epics like Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago, stayed here and fell in love with Hotz’s daughter Sandra when she was 22. She became the fifth of his six wives and appeared briefly at the end of his A Passage to India. She still has a house deep in the cantonment. Footnote: David Lean’s fourth wife was an Indian beauty from Hyderabad, Leila Matkar, who left her husband and two children for him. She died lonely, in a suite that was her home in Grosvenor Hotel in London.
Lean Returns
“There are some people who shouldn’t be married and David Lean was one of them,” said Ann Todd, the actress and his third wife.
A former UN official, Bhaichand Patel is an author and columnist. His first novel will be in stores next summer.; E-mail your diarist: bhaichandp AT gmail.com
The Alasia Hotel in Kasauli is a relic from the past. There was a time when it served roast beef and bread and butter pudding. These days it caters to hordes ascending from Chandigarh with entirely different taste buds. Until 1966, it was run by Major Robert Hotz and a number of films were shot here, including Staying On, based on Paul Scott’s novel, and James Ivory's Shakesperewala .
David Lean, the director of epics like Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago, stayed here and fell in love with Hotz’s daughter Sandra when she was 22. She became the fifth of his six wives and appeared briefly at the end of his A Passage to India. She still has a house deep in the cantonment. Footnote: David Lean’s fourth wife was an Indian beauty from Hyderabad, Leila Matkar, who left her husband and two children for him. She died lonely, in a suite that was her home in Grosvenor Hotel in London.
Lean Returns
“There are some people who shouldn’t be married and David Lean was one of them,” said Ann Todd, the actress and his third wife.
A former UN official, Bhaichand Patel is an author and columnist. His first novel will be in stores next summer.; E-mail your diarist: bhaichandp AT gmail.com
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