Scandal Point

No resident of or visitor to Shimla can afford to be unfamiliar with the place called Scandal Point on the Mall , in the heart of the town. The name has stuck to the place because of a supposed incident of elopement of the Maharaja of Patiala with a daughter of Viceroy or perhaps the Army commander in the late nineteenth century, which version though handed down to generations over the years, no longer seems true , factually or historically.On the other hand some research on the incident has rubbished the claim that there was anything scandalous about it. That Ms. Manju Jaidka, Professor of English, Punjab University has come up with a novel called Scandal Point , with this place and Patiala as the basis and the backdrop, should go well particularly with the Shimlaites or those who love Shimla , for whatever reason. Irrespective of the negative connotation of the word ‘scandal ’ , scandal pe milenge is the common refrain of the Shimlaites., as the Scandal Point remains the most convenient place to pinpoint as a meeting place , the other one being the Naaz or presently Sher-e- Punjab Dhaba on the other end where the Mall and the Lower Bazar meet. Scandal or no scandal , the name has come to stay.