raja bathil, a historian on the subject of shimla, and rakash barasut, the barrister. >> so much history> that's quite understandable, actually. you've got 100 years of very, very intense history funneled into a very small place. >> this house used to house the secretary of state. to the crown. >> this is eggs florentine. ♪ >> oh, that's good. >> this was a small town. >> small town with a very, very big government. >> shimla enjoys the unique distinction of having been the summer capital of india and surprisingly, it was the capital of burma during the war days. >> you have this tiny little village up on the hill connected to the rest of the world by a narrow mountain path and they rule, approximately a fifth of the human race for eight months every year. in today's context it would almost seem bizarre. >> mulligatawny soup. a classic example of what we think of as indian food in the west but not at all. this was originally a soup made by indian chefs to accommodate british tastes, is that correct? >> it was something what you would call halfway between a regular daal, a lentil, which y