Restless and belligerent from its Himalayan odyssey, the Yamuna River bursts out of the hills in the Jaunsar-Bawar region in the Doon Valley, to continue its travels across the great Indian plains. The young, bubbly, crystal-clear stream is a far cry from the sullen, withered creature you encounter in Delhi or Agra.

Seven folds of emerald hills, mist-scarved and woolly headed high above the emerald quilted banks fill the frame… Stretched out below, a gaggle of rooftops punctuates the verdure… A red-bricked dome structure catches the attention, but the roar of the river diverts you as it gurgles and foams its way into the panoramic horizon. Greenery reaches out in hiccups to the canal-lined road before leaping the boundary wall in an even spill of hedges, manicured lawns, flowering beds and graceful trees …all from my window frame.

Little known Kalsi slumbers on the banks of the writhing Yamuna. Once an important little township in the Jaunsar-Bawar region, it faded over time into a quiet little village. In earlier days it marked one of the furthest limits of the dominion of King Ashoka. Today this tiny hamlet by the Yamuna shoulders its historic lineage with quiet ease.