Gods and Goddesses of Nainital

Khurpa Tal, a village few kilometers from Nainital. Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Khurpa_Tal_lake_near_Nainital,_Uttarakhand.jpg T here are so many wonderful spots in and around Nainital for a picnic that it is not a surprise that picnics are a common hobby with friends and family. One only has to walk a few kilometers from one’s home in Nainital to an enchanting spot in the lap of nature to relax and enjoy a picnic in aside from the famed Tiffin Top (Called Dorothy’s Bum by some naughty Europeans) in case one wanted to have company of other families too. I recall my picnic lunches in Nainital and it is the common one for many families, Alu Paranthas with pickle, or plain triangular Paranthas (pan fried unleavened flat bread) with a stir fried meat or vegetable dish, sticks of cucumber, carrots and radishes for salads, hard boiled eggs with salt packed in small newspaper pouches, followed by a sweet Barfi (a sweet preparation from milk). All of these foo