Dehradun, Aug. 3 -- In the evenings, the lights of Mussoorie twinkled in its forefront - a glorious uninterrupted view - no buildings were high enough to block them. During winter months one could see the Himalayas powdered in snow trying to kiss the blue skies. Lovely birds chirped throughout the day, and I have never seen so many butterflies and "jugnoos" in my life. The entry of our house was lined with rows of sweet peas, pansies, roses.

That was Guro Bhavan (the name of our sprawling bungalow). Its original name was Anchorage, completed on 14 June 1948. When my father bought the house on 15 October 1960 - he renamed it "Guro Bhavan".

Guro is an unusual name and has multiple meanings. In Filipino, it directly translates to "teacher"...