Organic indulgence
the edge of the Rajaji National Park i n Uttarakhand, within 21 acres of mango and lychee orchards, Vana, Malsi Estate, is creating an organic concept that is as humble as it is grand. A one-of-a-kind spa destination that’s bringing together several schools of alternative healing under one roof, the retreat is founded on the principle of creating an environment where every aspect of holistic rejuvenation is addressed. From therapies and cuisine, to décor and even the clothes worn, the 69-room property is the newest name in health and wellness. For Veer Singh, the 30-yearold scion to the Max Healthcare family and founder of Vana, wellness has always been serious business. “I can’t stand fluff, and sometimes spas can be breeding grounds for fluffy nonsense,” he says.
At Vana, he has combined ayurveda, yoga, and Tibetan medicine to form the traditional pillars, with other popular therapies. To ensure that the treatments are pure, he has also selected his staff with utmost care. “My head of ayurveda has over 15 years of experience, and the head of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has 20. These doctors are used to treating cancer and neurological disorders—Vana is a cakewalk for them.” A session with Dr Jitendra Uniyal, who heads TCM and is also chairperson of the Acupuncture Cam Therapy Institute in Dehradun, confirms this. After a four-minute pulse check, Dr Uniyal was able to point out the ailments that I always suspected in myself but never confirmed (allergic to lemon?). And his acupuncture, one of the best in the country, resulted in a deep three-hour slumber. Other interesting treatments include the ayurvedic abhayanga massage to unwrangle every nerve, and Ku Nye, the four-handed Tibetan rubdown with dried-pea powder that works like a full-body scrub.
A typical day at Vana includes yoga twice a day, guided stretching, meditation, cooking lessons, and organic herb gardening. And the ambience of the retreat only furthers this sense of wellness. “Nowhere in the world has bamboo flooring been used as much as it has been at Vana, instead of an endangered species like teak,” says Singh. The lobby is made with the Indian eucalyptus and paved with Dholpur stone. “For me there are two parts to wellness. One is the offering, while the other is everything else that surrounds it, meaning ambience, food, flooring.” In keeping with this, the culinary experience at the retreat uses organic produce, made by Chef Kuntal Kumar, author of the award-winning The Original Organics Cookbook.
Taking the ecological aspect several notches higher, all staff clothing are 100 percent organic cotton, designed by the Spanish label Cortana, and produced by Lecoanet-Hemant in India. Designers Abraham & Thakore have designed four types of robes and the guest attire. While Singh projects a year for Vana to be in the physical shape that he wants, and another year for it to be therapeutically perfect, it hasn’t stopped him from planning two more properties that will be situated outside the country. “Vana is a physical manifestation of my beliefs as a person. I started this to make it the most iconic spa in the world,” Singh adds.