Ramgarh: The Valley of Joy

We heard excitedly as the waiter said, "this is today's fresh juice and is made with the apricots plucked from the orchards of the village below." Saying this, he poured the thick, yellow liquid in our glasses.

Fascinated we were as we tasted the lovely juice sitting in the dining hall of the Neemrana Ramgarh Bungalows.

But then, everything about Ramgarh seemed fascinating. Be it the intoxicating silence of the hills, the chilly breeze, the red cheeked pahari children or the beautiful view, just about everything was so out of this world.

The road less travelled

Why Ramgarh? That seemed to be the question on everyone's mind as we were about to depart to the place. After all, we were travelling to Uttaranchal, a state which boasts of being home to some of the most popular hill stations like Nainital, Mussoorie, Almora, Ranikhet.

Well, the only thing that prompted us to make our trip to Ramgarh was the place where we chose to stay. In the photographs we got to see on the Neemrana website, the Ramgarh Bungalows looked like a fairyland. With the seemingly decades old bungalows atop the hills, the place really drew us.

Our journey was surely no fantasy drive. After waiting for one and a half hours on the Anand Vihar bus stand and sitting sweating in the bus for another half an hour, we finally dozed off with a resolve never to step into a Hina Travels bus.

However, when the bus finally started moving, the cool breeze from the window dried the sweat off our face.

Reaching Nainital on a hot June morning was no consolation. After walking almost half a kilometer with our luggage, we finally managed to get a taxi to go to Ramgarh for a price which didn't sound outrageous.

Even in the short 45 minute drive, I couldn't keep myself awake as the Avomine tablet kept lulling me back to sleep. My husband however thoroughly enjoyed the beauty of the unwinding roads up to Ramgarh.

Our retreat

6000 feet above sea level. This is what the little board stuck in front of our room said. A cosy den called English Bungalow was where we were supposed to spend our next two days.

We were already refreshed by now just by inhaling the fresh, unpolluted air of the mountains. And by the time our luggage was settled at the English Bungalow, we were engulfed by a magical feeling.

After all, we were few thousand feet above the scorching Delhi heat and away from the ever-honking cars ... magic it surely was. For us, landing in Ramgarh was like putting an emergency break on an accelerating vehicle.

Just to think that all we had to do at this place was enjoy the fresh breeze, eat and sleep seemed to drive away the all our blues. Supposed to be one of the oldest possessions of the Neemrana Ramgarh property, our room had a heritage feel about it.

The high wooden bed, the fire place and the high ceiling- everything seemingly belonged to another century.

After digging into a heavy breakfast of mouth watering poories subji, milk, cornflakes, eggs and fresh juice, we made ourselves comfortable in the two easy chairs kept right outside our rooms. As the chilly breeze caressed our faces, our mind and body felt miraculously at ease.

Sleeping at such a place felt like a crime. Considering the ambiance and weather, it felt as though we just had no right to waste a single second on sleeping.

So we decided to to look around the place and see the other bungalows. As the place slowly unveiled itself, we kept falling deeper and deeper in love. With British style bungalows built overlooking the hills, the place was truly a paradise.

Fortunately for us, all the rooms weren't occupied so we felt as though the whole place belonged to us. We made ourselves comfortable in two of the rocking chairs kept outside a suite. Red, green, violet, white ... our eyes were being feasted on the flowers of countless varieties.

The wall in the veranda was adorned with an array of butterflies and insects as we continued to cradle in the lap of nature. We found ourselves wondering how would life be living in a place like this?

At least as of now, the concrete structures didn't seem to have invaded the green blanket on the hills. Of course we knew that it wouldn't be the same a few years from now. Already, things are changing ... the beautiful land is being coveted by people from cities like Delhi who probably see a great future in this place.

"Yeh to dev bhoomi hai madam," was what one of the hotel workers told us when we told him that Ramgarh is one of the most beautiful places we had ever seen. Elated, he went on, insisting that this place is so good that's why in these hills are written so many of our ancient mythologies.

Room after room was examined by us, the curious couple from Delhi who seemed so awestruck by everything here.

My husband discovered a huge tree, overlooking a beautiful view of the valley, under which he said would be perfect to sit and meditate. And surprisingly, we did sit, closed our eyes and soaked ourselves in the glory of our surroundings.

The location was perfect and at the same time, we found ourselves marveling at the intelligence of the hoteliers. With the tagline 'Non-hotel Hotels', they somehow know exactly where this concept would work.

The supposedly 'British era' rooms were no luxurious suites. Taking cue from the antique structures of the rooms, the hotelier has customised the furniture accordingly.

So we found ourselves staring at a high wooden bed, antique chandeliers and a full wooden furniture at Ashok Vatika, one of the latest Neemrana Ramgarh Bungalow under construction.

The workers informed us that all this furniture and raw material is being especially purchased from Chandni Chowk in Delhi and some procured foreign countries.

That there is no cell phone network connectivity here except BSNL doesn't seem odd at this place and the absence of a computer at the reception didn't even strike us.

At Ramgarh, being close to nature almost came naturally without any extra effort. So when my husband suggested that we should take a small walk on the hills, I winced at the thought. How can we walk in the middle of the day? But miraculously we did and I found myself enjoying it, forgetting the the strain of the journey.

We returned, fresh and ready to gobble down the entire lunch spread out which included mutton, cabbage, paneer, dal, chapati, rice and the pahari raita made specially after my request ... bliss.

Blessed land

As we spent more and more hours at Ramgarh, we realised that the place is truly blessed, not just by the bounty of nature but also by the good hearted citizens. It was a pleasure talking to each and every person there, whether a part of the hotel or not.

Everyone seemed to have so much time to be polite, to stop and listen, to explain. Life was moving at its own pace here and the people there were in no hurry to speed it up.

So it was hardly surprising when we talked at length to an old lady here without realising that she is the mother of the person who owns this and the 10 other Neemrana properties.

Aman Nath's mother, addressed as mataji by the hotel staff came across as an unassuming, dignified old lady. Managing her 6-year-old granddaughter, the lady chatted away to glory with two people almost quarter of her age.

Never even for a minute was the conversation boring as mataji told us about the Neemrana hotels, the time when she, along with a friend of hers stayed at Ramgarh and stitched curtains for the rooms with their own hands.

And yet, even though she said she was 80 or more than that, there seemed to be no sign of fatigue. Yes, the body looked fragile but the enthusiastic spirit seemed ever active.

We were taken aback when standing in her small two room set in the hotel, she told us that she wishes to embark on a journey to the hills, to discover more about the interiors. Well, probably that's what keeps them going.

Nature's bounty

It was exciting to know that the jam and juice-making unit was located in this Neemrana property. Using the fresh fruits plucked from the Ramgarh village, the jams and juices, apparently were made without any preservatives.

A heady smell of apricots was tingling our noses as we were being guided to the jam making unit. Our guide stopped in front of a small room as we shot a questioning glance to him ... Surely, this room can't be where all the jams and juices of Neemrana are made? Well, apparently it was.

Astound, we looked around. The so called jam making unit consisted of a small area of total three rooms. One compact space, full of shelves was where all the jams and juices were kept lined up for storage. This room led to the main room, where all the preparation was done and finally a wash cum waste room.

We made ourselves comfortable on small stools looking at the jam making procedure. They finely cut the fruits, boiled its pulp with sugar to a certain temperature then poured them into the jam bottles, which were then covered with a layer of wax and let to cool.

It seemed unbelievably too simple to be true. Sensing our surprise, one of the jam makers scooped up some hot jam to a small plate and gave us to taste. Fancy eating a hot jam! But that hot jam indeed was yummy. Equally exciting was to taste the sweet, juicy apricots, fresh from the Ramgarh village orchards.

But days later, sitting in Delhi, as we munched on to those apricots we carried all the way from Ramgarh, the taste somehow seemed to have faded.

After travelling seven hours to Delhi amidst an air full of pollution, honking cars and the ever running city people, the apricots had lost its feel ... Well, we have to go back there again, to taste the fresh fruits, to inhale the fresh air, to taste the lovely fruits, and ... to meet the people.

It reminds me of our last moments in Ramgarh when our car prepared to move out of the hotel, we saw the whole staff, queued up with hands folded to see us off. We had left a family behind and we had to go back to visit them again. Our fairyland is calling us back.

Peacock dance at the Tiger's den

There was a special host greeting us on our arrival at Nawab Pataudi's Palace. One of the most beautiful creations of nature, the peacock gave us a spectacular welcome. Their blue-green wings spread wide in a circle, two peacocks were dancing away to glory as our car wound up to the entrance.

Frankly, I had never seen a peacock dance. So, for me, this was one of the most enchanting sight. Well, quite a royal welcome, I thought as I got down from the car.

But the bird turned out to be quite smart and immediately recoiled its feathers even before we could take out our camera. We are sure there will be many more here, we consoled ourselves as we offloaded from the vehicle.

Tiger's Palace

Such was our fascination towards the bird that we did not even bother to examine the place where we were supposed to shell out so much cash just for a day and night stay. So, after the peacock resumed its daily chores, we finally found the time to look around.

The Pataudi Palace is a huge white structure overlooking a large expanse of greenery. The double-storeyed marble like building has a distinct touch of heritage.

The white pillars all around reminded me of Delhi's good old Cannaught Place. Could someone ever had stayed in this huge palace, I wondered! Well, apparently the Pataudi couple now visit the palace rarely was the information provided to us by a maali who was busy pruning the garden.

Before the Neemrana group took over in 2005, the palace was run like a hotel by Nawab Pataudi's family. The lobby of the palace is adorned with beautiful antique chandeliers.


Photographs of Nawab Pataudi with his pretty wife Sharmila Tagore are all around the place. Decked up in the seemingly Nawabi style, Sharmila makes for a beautiful picture even in those black and white frames.

There were also photographs of Patuadi's cricketing days which gives you a glimpse of what the Tiger was all about in his hay days. Interestingly, there were no photographs of Saif and Soha, the star son and daughter, after whom the family is now known.

According to me, the beautiful garden which nestles the palace was the main attraction. It was unbelievable that a place which is just 75 kms away from Delhi could be so peaceful. The well kept garden was bustling with activity when we reached. About 5 to 7 gardeners were busy watering the lawn and pruning the plants.


Apart from the peacocks, the palace was home to many different species of birds. Even in the scorching sunlight, we couldn't resist a small walk in the garden. Flowers were in all bloom and there were all kinds of birds surprising you from the bushes.

We would surely take a longer walk in the evening, we promised ourselves. Little did we know that just one day is not enough for this wonderful place.

Play time

From my school days till now, I have never been able to learn any sport. So when my husband said he wanted to try a hand at snooker, I immediately decided to shift my focus to the TV.

A few hours had to be passed before we could check in to our room. So while my husband burnt his calories in the provided time, I decided to be a couch potato. The TV lounge in the palace was quite a cosy place.

While the billiards board occupied most of the space, a small TV was kept in the corner with comfortable sofas right opposite. But I couldn't concentrate for long on the movie Kashmir ki Kali, in which Sharmila Tagore incidental made her bollywood debut, as I was thoroughly enjoying the game of pool between my husband and a kid from Holland.

The kid of course was much smarter than us as he tried to teach the nuances of the game to my husband. "You also join us," the Dutch boy told me passing on the cue stick. I was just about to plunge when I read a sign saying a damage to the board would cost Rs 40,000 to any guest. Well, I was instantly back to my movie.

We yearned to take a dip into the swimming pool in the middle of a garden but without proper costumes it was not possible. So, we tried to distract ourselves with a game of table tennis. Frankly, I tried very hard to gently hit the ball but whenever I would lift the racket, the little ball would zoom past me. Sports can never be a part of my hobby list, I realised.

Our haven

Ayesha Sultana. Does the name sound familiar? It happens to be the name adopted by Sharmila when she married the Nawab. Sharmila seemed to follow us even when I could'nt give her the attention she deserved in Kashmir Ki Kali. Ayesha Mahal was the room allotted to us.

In terms of size, it wasn't a mahal but for us, this peaceful den was no less than a paradise. Our room was compact with two large single beds. The window had yellow coloured glass which kept our room lit up through out the day.

The high ceiling gave it the perfect ancient touch. Once inside the room, we were in our own small world, oblivious to the happenings around us. The long spells of silence were broken by the occasional cry of a peacock. This was the room which gave us one of the best night's sleep in ages. I was curious to explore Saif Mahal but never got a chance to do that.

This was our second experience at a Neemrana property (also read A date with a 14th Century Fort) and this time too, we found it a gastronomical delight.

The appropriately titled non-hotel hotels of Neemrana are masters at personalising services. So the three meals of the day were served at three different places in the palace. While lunch was a typical tasty North Indian meal, it was the dinner that we found was worth every penny.

Served at the poolside, this was one of our best candle light dinners together. I indulged in the yummy cheese and spinach rolls, according to my husband, the chicken was the best he's had for ages.

Enchanting feathers

My husband was a restless soul at the Palace. The camera forever in his hand, he was constantly on a lookout for the beautiful bird which refused to be captured dancing in the frame.

Peacocks were in abundance at this place (about 50, according to a worker). Surprisingly, there seemed to have been no attempt made to familiarise them with the human face.

A peacock, which would be busy dancing would immediately fly away the moment we went near. So initially, we decided to be silent spectators. Just when the bird thought the human being was away from its territory, its wings instantly spread out.

Delicate and lovely, the dancing peacock was a magnificent sight. We spotted another one right next to it, hastening to join in the dance. I looked up at the sky but there was no rain.

Just then I chanced on a female pea hen standing seemingly unaffected by the dance. Oh ... so this was the wooing time! At least I could not make out any difference between the two dancing beauties since they both looked so out of this world.


So now we knew how so many songs and poems are written on the peacock. I was also itching to take out a pen and paper and document that beautiful sight.

I couldn't understand how can someone have the heart to kill or pluck away its beautiful feathers? I can't imagine it looking good at any other place except the peacock's back.


As the two danced away to impress their lady love, they were quite unaware of the two humans enchanted by their astounding beauty.

Farewell

We rarely feel sad when we head back home after a holiday. But while we left the place, we had a compelling feeling of getting back to Pataudi Palace soon. The peacocks, the garden, the swimming pool, the snooker table ... everything was calling us back. There was so much more to discover, so much more to talk about ... Yes, we will come back.

A date with a 14th Century Fort

To say that we had become sick of our daily routine when we decided to take a break would be an understatement.

The daily chaos of our respective offices had probably got us to a stage of crashing. But to avoid any tussle with our bosses, we decided to keep it for our off day.

One day break it would be, we decided. And the fact that it was the Valentine’s Day eve added the romantic element!

Our decision to explore the Neemrana property at Alwar was the result of my husband’s hours of web search and then finally on instinct.

The Neemrana Fort Palace was already booked and only a suite was available which was to cost something above 6000 per person per night. Well, that sounded little too extravagant.

Our holiday plans almost got shelved when my better half discovered this another Neemrana property near Alwar. Another call to the Nizamuddin office of Neemrana and we found out that there’s a room available at the Hill Fort, Kesroli costing Rs 3,500.

Again extensive Internet research and we found the fort palace quite attractive. The hotel phone lines were not reachable we didn’t want to make any advance booking at the head office.

So after hours of discussion we finally planned to take the plunge and just embark on our journey in the morning, hoping to get the room.

Off we went at sharp 5. The road instructions written in my untidy handwriting in my diary and some unreachable phone numbers were all we were armed with.

To make the beginning even more filmy, heavy rainfall and an overcast sky greeted us when had just about reached Gurgaon. Trying to keep a steady conversation with our cab driver, Sujith was keeping his fingers crossed. The huge blanket type shawl I decided to keep came quite handy as we wrapped ourselves in it.

It was sensible not to stop anywhere but of course the driver had to have his tea break and we stopped at a shady looking place midway. It was freezing outside and that kind of increased our excitement for the trip. We started approaching our destination at around 8.15. The diary instructions did come handy as the ever helpful Rajasthani people guided us to the place.

The Hill Fort, Kesroli

12 kilometers away from the city of Alwar, the drive up to this fort turned heritage hotel seemed like a chase to no man’s land. As the car chased a narrow path in a seemingly thinly populated village we wondered if there can ever be a hotel in such a place.

But there was and we found it standing proudly a few meters away in the road we took. It looked quite dilapidated and a far cry from the beautiful photo we found on the Neemrana website.

It didn’t seem quite as dilapidated when we came to know that it is the oldest heritage hotel in the country. Well, this 14th century fort has surely stood the test of time, we thought.

Our driver was given instructions to wait since we were not even sure of getting a room.

A steep staircase led us to the hotel. There was no well groomed receptionist greeting us at the reception there. Instead a kuta pyjama clad, graceful looking man approached us. Out came the big fat register to check the status of the rooms available. But in the ancient ambiance, the absence of a computer didn’t even strike us.

Yes, a room was available which was to cost us Rs 3,500 for a day and night. The food charges were separate of course. The atmosphere had already enamored us and we were ready to shell out the cash. Payment made, we were ready to check out our room.

A twin bedded Papiha Mahal was what we zeroed down on after rejecting a double bedded Tota Mahal. The name was a little deceptive considering the size of the rooms.

At least the two Mahal’s we saw weren’t too big. But one step into the mahal, and we were transported into a different era. Everything from the walls and the furniture had an ancient touch.

The only sounds to be heard were the chirping of the birds, the cow and the tractor. But there was not too much time to sit and marvel as our stomachs growled for food and we rushed to the breakfast buffet.

With huge cane sofa like chairs, the dining space was quite cosy and comfortable with birds giving us company as they kept descending every five minutes to check if there’s something worth pecking.

We filled ourselves to the brink with break rolls, fruit cake and omelette. Nothing traditional about it, the breakfast like a meal cooked by a loving mother.

A selection of tea leaves from the Neemrana tea gardens were there to choose from. Refreshing, the tea seemed like a perfect end to our hearty breakfast.

This time when we went back to our rooms, it dawned on us that here there is no television set to keep us occupied! So, it was just the two of us and the rustic surrounding for company.

Bath can wait, it was more important to discover the place, we decided. Three of us-- me, him and our camera set out to discover the place.

As we explored the property, we found that we were probably the only Indians staying the place that time. All the rest of the place was occupied by people the goras who seemed to have been enjoying a long vacation there in the Indian countryside.

On our little exploration spree, we finally climbed on to a place that gave us a view which is still etched in our memory. Perched on a slightly balcony of the fort, our eyes were treated to an expanse of a lush green field. On the left side was the village Kesroli whose menfolk were now in the field with their cattle.

For us, fed on a daily diet of an air mixed with every toxic element in the atmosphere, this sight almost seemed like a dream. Cattle was the Maruti 800 here and the tractor the luxurious big car!

Well, what else can one ask for? Of course we know that this is not how the place would look like in two months from now. The lush green field would be replaced by a parched land and there would be an ever present look of thirst in the faces of the happy villagers now. It will surely be easy on our pocket, we were told by the waiter later.

But it was the parrots which caught the fancy of my husband who went wild clicking one after the other. Oh yes, I was also obliged to be in some of the frames with the parrot seemingly sitting over my head!

Not his fault of course, in Delhi, parrots can only be found nicely locked up in their cages being trained to imitate the cruel human conversation. But here, they were freely flying around, unaware of the luxury of the freedom they have.

After the photography session, we retired to our room where the elaborate hot water bath soothed our nerves.

No fuss over dressing, we marched for lunch almost in our night wear. Forget a candlelight dinner, we’ll have an open air lunch was what we decided.

The food shall be served in our favourite balcony, we ordered as we sat marveling at the quiet around us.

It was no ordinary lunch as we devoured our chapattis with broccoli, paneer, potato, chicken roast, baby corn, cabbage and dal. A little rice and curd for our south Indian taste buds and we were sure that we’ve had one of the best meals in a long while. The cream caramel and payasam ended the meal perfectly.

And now, our only thought was how fast can we hit the bed. Time moves surprisingly slow at such places as it was only 2.30 when we drifted into our sweet slumber.

When my eyes opened, I wondered where I was. It was probably the best afternoon nap, I’ve enjoyed in years. The mobile phone told me it has been three hours since I’ve been sleeping.

Wondering if I’ll be able to sleep at night, my husband was woken up. how sleep starved we were, I discovered later in night!

Since Alwar was just next door, we thought we should at least pay a visit once. Moreover, my mother had ordered me to buy a sweet which is the specialty of that place. What sweet it was, it was left to me to discover.

The 12 km journey was not pleasant as the chaotic roads gave us a trailer of what awaits us in Delhi.

The market was all shut but thanks to the eager-to-help people, we discovered the most famous sweet shop.

Kalakand, the sweet was we discovered that the place has a street dedicated to this sweet which is called Kalakand market.

We found out and reached the 60 year old, famous shop. With the suggestions of the unassuming owner, we bought small boxes.

Curious to find out the reason behind closed shops, we probed further and were told, “It is Tuesday, the day when the shopkeepers go to Sadar Bazar in Delhi.”

We longed to get back to the quiet of our fort, after all, it was just a one-night luxury for us! Night time, the fort looked beautiful. Illuminated with lots of small bulbs, it was a lovely sight.

But now, for the first time, we felt the place was too quiet and some company would have been welcome. The firangs, it seemed felt none of this as they happily downed bottles of wine at the dinner table.

The dinner was not something to boast about but soothing it surely was. It’s probably 12 or something, we thought when we reached back to our room, but it was actually just 10 pm.

We settled in our beds and chatted till what seemed like ages, but it was only 11 we discovered. Surprisingly, we again had a dreamless sleep and got up fresh at 8.

We didn’t feel nostalgic about leaving but we were full of sweet memories of the one day we spend at The Hill Fort, Kesroli.

After another photography session, it was the payment time. Some amount was paid in cash and the rest we were to pay by our debit card. I was having a cheerful conversation with a British lady who wanted to know where was Fab India in Delhi, when I overheard the hotel manager saying we can’t accept a debit card because our phone line isn’t working.

Ah, now we know why no one picked up the phone when we called from Delhi. But here was another problem at hand. The American Express card came as a boon as it saved us a 24 km drive to Alwar to find an ATM. The security check they asked for was only our mobile number. Well, talk about trusting a person!

After checking out the well stocked but over priced Neemrana Shop, we were on our way back to Delhi, dreaming of staying in the Neemrana Fort Palace on the next chance we have.