Revisiting the days of the Raj

Established during the British rule, this antique shop is a veritable museum.

Shobha Ram and his brother, originally from Muzaffarnagar, came to Mussoorie in 1928 where they established a departmental store in Landour Cantonment. Known as Vinod Kumar Art now, this wasn't any ordinary departmental store.

It housed, besides other items, expensive cloth, hardware, timber, stationery and even paintings. The clientele was exclusive and the store catered to the British living in Mussoorie.

"It was one of the first stores run by an Indian that kept everything the British ever fancied," says founder Shobha Ram's son, Vinod Kumar.

Sometime during the 1940s, Ram and his brother expanded their operations at a bungalow which was built in 1860 by the British officer, Fredrick aka Pahari Wilson.

"He married a local girl and built this bungalow for them. Where you are standing today, in fact, is what was once the living room of the officer," says Kumar.

Kumar continues to house some of the unique artefacts that have been passed on from his father's time. Thanks to his personal interest, he has also added lots more to the collection.

"After the British left, houses were emptied out and most of the expensive furniture, books, lithographs, maps, porcelain, paintings and other handicrafts were just left lying on the roads. We kept them and continued to house and sell them," he adds.

Even today, a lot of members from erstwhile royal families come to buy or restore exquisite artefacts that were popular during the British Raj.