H P Forest Department

H P Forest Department is based here in Sanjauli, specifically at Flat No 14 in Block No 15 of the Hphousing Board Colony in Shimla. Being up here, the weather really dictates how our day goes. When it’s cold or snowing outside, everything moves a bit slower, but we still have to keep things running. This isn't a main office building downtown; we are tucked away in the housing colony. It’s a bit of a walk up the stairs, and the hallways can be a little dim, but it’s where we handle the forestry business. We have maps and records spread out on the tables. Sometimes the heaters don't work as well as they should, and we end up wearing our coats inside. People from the department come in and out with reports from the field. It’s a lot of administrative work, checking boxes and filing away papers from the different districts. We aren't here to impress anyone with a fancy lobby. It is a government space, so it has that functional, slightly worn-out feel to it. The view outside toward the hills is nice when the clouds clear up, but mostly we are looking at stacks of files. We just try to keep the paperwork organized so the foresters out there have what they need. It’s a quiet kind of work most of the time, just the sound of the stapler and people talking quietly. We keep our coats on and drink our chai.