By Alok Joshi
This is the story of two childhood-friends-turned-couple, Amit and Shipra, who one fine day decided to quit their high-profile corporate jobs to follow their heart.
Amit used to work as an investment banker with HDFC and Shipra was an advertising professional at Outlook magazine. They both were MBAs with promising careers ahead of them. But they dared to dream and took a leap of faith.
After hearing their inspiring story, I decided to take a road journey from Dehradun to Lansdowne to meet them in person. In some ways, their story resonated with mine. They had the guts to change gear and walk out of their comfort zone, which most present-day youngsters hesitate to do.
Passion sounds great. Following your heart sounds even more romantic. But to suddenly abort a smooth journey and take an unclear path full of uncertainties can be precariously risky. They were not meant for a monotonous nine-to-five routine for making a living. Luckily, both had common interests – nature, forest trips and food. They wanted to do something of their own that could amalgamate their real interests.
Far from Madding Crowd
With dreams in their hearts and without a backup plan, they moved from the bustling noise of Delhi to the quiet, natural beauty of Lansdowne (which was founded as a military garrison under the British Raj and is the headquarters of Garhwal Rifles).
They were clear in their minds to create something unique and contribute to the local community in their experimental endeavour. They did not belong to this area but were happily willing to make Lansdowne their home. They have been supporting, training and employing the raw local youth on the verge of migrating to other cities for work. Their love for Garhwal and its people is unflinching and hopefully the authorities in power continue to recognise this and offer them all support and encouragement.
The journey begins
Amit and Shipra initially started a small souvenir shop in 2013 and hired a young local who had packed his bags to find employment in another city. They put in their entire savings to buy an old mule shed in Devikhal, about 50 kms from Lansdowne, to start their shop. They continued with their jobs in Delhi and travelled to Devikhal on weekends with supplies. A friend casually suggested to them to open a cafe and brought his sandwich maker. They turned it into a small cozy cafe named ‘Lansdowne Trip Travel Cafe’ which served only green tea and sandwiches. There were no customers for the first six months!
Gradually, the cafe’s popularity soared and visitors started pouring in. Word of mouth spread like wildfire. Online reviews flooded. Quite surprisingly, they served only the selected continental dishes to minimise wastage and did not add popular Chinese or South Indian food. The local staff was trained to cook pizza, pasta, wraps and serve milkshakes.
Devikhal to Lansdowne
In 2017, they relocated their cafe to Lansdowne amidst beautiful natural surroundings to give a unique experience to their guests. A piece of land, away from the main market, was leased out to them by the Cantonment Board. It is not the usual cafe one would expect to see. The moment I stepped in, the decor enamoured me with antique pieces of furniture, wall hangings, pictures, classic books, music albums. All these invaluable artifacts are personal belongings of the couple, which they brought from Delhi.
“If you are in a hurry, give us a miss”
That’s the tagline of the cafe nestled amongst British era heritage buildings and adjacent to St. Mary’s Church. It is not an on-the-go cafe. They invite you to experience the beauty and live the moment in their cafe. I felt at peace in that serene environment, quietly experiencing a journey through time.
Every day is a new challenge
It is not easy to run a cafe in a laidback place like Lansdowne. Everything is DIY. Amit told me he has become a plumber, electrician, mechanic, chef – all in one. They have 3-4 staff but, when crowded, Amit works inside the kitchen and Shipra attends to the guests. The biggest challenge is to manage the supplies and handle the drainage system without destroying the environment.
“Satisfaction is self-defined”
With a twinkle in her eye, Shipra proudly shares that their café has won the Trip Advisor’s Travellers’ Choice Award for the ninth year in a row. It has become a popular destination for tourists as well as army personnel and their families. Sometimes they request guests to make advance bookings. They believe that satisfaction is not dependent on the way the society perceives them. It is self-defined.
Tanvi the Great
Parts of Anupam Kher’s film “Tanvi the Great” were shot in this cafe. I was amused to find chairs with name plates of actors like Boman Irani, Jackie Shroff, Anupam Kher, etc. Apparently, these were their favourite seating spots.
The Hand-Written Menu
It was sweet to find a hand-written menu that adds a personal touch. The first page introduces the history of this community- based cafe, takes pride in hiring untrained local people, does not provide plastic water bottles, straws, etc. They don’t have a genset (because the noise disturbs the local birdlife) and if power goes off, delayed orders are served free of cost. I dined for two consecutive nights and the nachos, pizzas, pasta, momos were simply delicious. They have planted a variety of local flora and set up a special birdbath that attracts local species.
In addition, the couple also conducts guided trips to the neighbouring mountains and hidden gems like the Kalagarh Tiger Reserve National Park and Jim Corbett National Park. They also promote local women entrepreneurs by selling their products in the cafe. These artisans are paid in advance so that they don’t worry about their products being sold.
Jim Corbett Wildlife Lodge
Amit is currently busy giving finishing touches to a wildlife lodge near Jim Corbett National Park, which is their next dream project. They have designed it themselves and like the cafe, aims to give a distinctive experience. It is planned for an October opening later this year.
“Love what you do”
This amazing couple is as different as their cafe. Money is not their priority. Their shared passion, and its pursuit, matters most. Both work through their respective strengths and enjoy what they do. Their only regret (if at all someone asks them) is they should have made the move much earlier.
This Lansdowne trip will remain special to me for two reasons. One, it reminded me of my late father who had spent his early childhood in a small village, barely a hundred miles away from Lansdowne. I recalled his stories of how he had to walk several miles to go to school bare foot on icy waters. And secondly, for making new friends like Amit and Shipra who reinforced my belief that one should listen to his/her heart. Because the heart is on the left, but it is always right!
I was fortunate to meet and interact with two most important people at the helm of affairs in Lansdowne:
-Brig Vinod Singh Negi (VSM)
Commandant GRRC Lansdowne
- Saquib Alam (IDES)
CEO – Lansdowne Cantonment Board
By their efforts, Lansdowne has won two deserving awards:
a) Best Clean & Green Station (cat. 3) Award for 2025.
b) In Swach Survekshan, 2024, Lansdowne Cantonment Board secured 1st rank among all the cantonment boards in Uttarakhand and 17th rank among 61 cantonment boards nationwide.
Alok Joshi is former Director (HR & Marketing) PetroChina (CNPC); Head, HRD, GNPOC, Sudan; Head, HR, Mumbai High Asset, ONGC; Civil Services probationer; author of three books and has over a hundred published articles to his credit.)
