Rudyard Kipling, born 160 years ago, spent formative years in Shimla, India. After being left in England as a child, he returned to India at 17 to work for The Civil and Military Gazette in Lahore. His experiences during his seven years as a journalist in India, before leaving at 23, heavily influenced his collection of stories, 'Plain Tales from the Hills,' which is set in and around Shimla. Many acquaintances and places from this period appeared in his writings.