Shimla (Himachal Pradesh): Although the Indian Coffee House in Shimla is not a political place per se, it has always managed to strike a chord, in the hearts of all political stalwarts ranging from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the first Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
Established in 1957 the Indian Coffee House is known in the country for the excellent taste of its coffee. The Prime Minister makes frequent references to it and often gets nostalgic speaking about it.
During an election rally in Shimla on April 27, 2017, the Prime Minister spoke about the Coffee House. Not only did Modi share his memories of the Coffee House with journalists there, but also during the swearing-in ceremony of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur in December 2017, he had stopped his convoy there and sipped coffee.
The Coffee House had been a special place where Modi used to chalk out strategies to fortify the BJP in Himachal Pradesh during the 1990s, when he used to hold meetings with party colleagues as the BJP-in charge of Himachal while sipping coffee.
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"Narendra Modi used to come here daily like a common customer, but at that time perhaps no one had thought that he would become the Prime Minister," said Atmaram, the manager of Indian Coffee House.
He also said that it was a matter of pride for the Indian Coffee House, Shimla, that the Prime Minister still relishes the time he spent there. He said that BJP stalwart LK Advani also had coffee there, adding that even Nehru had sipped coffee there when it was established in 1957.
Atmaram said that Shyam Negi of Uttarakhand and AK Nayyar founded the Coffee House in 1957 and since then to maintain its historical significance, the waiters working at the Indian Coffee House wear traditional uniforms. Till now the structure of the coffee house has not been tampered with.
