Silence hangs thick in the air. A strange uneasiness sets in as the cab moves up from the hustle and bustle of Rishikesh to the quiet hills of Narendra Nagar. I am on my way to a New Age centre they call a spa. Sprawling over 100 acres of sal forests in the palace estate of Maharajah Manvendra Shah of Tehri Garhwal, Ananda in the Himalayas comes complete with gorgeously landscaped gardens and breathtaking views. It could well be the Pleasure Dome Kubla Khan built in his Xanadu. The attendants greet me with a calm namaskar. The serene smile on their faces never seem to wear off. To my cynical, city-bred sensibility the hush, the happiness and the equanimity seem artificial, like banishment from all that is real, all that is civilisation. The lifestyle is alien and the pace of life too measured. No, this is not the place for me, I quickly decide.
However, just a day at the resort and I start singing a different tune. Its six in the morning. Instead of lazing in my Delhi apartment with no view, I am up and raring to go, admiring the picturesque valley from the balcony with a glass of ginger-lemon tea in hand. Rishikesh and Hardwar spread like a sheet on the bed of green with the Ganges flowing placidly in between. After a walk, meditation and sunrise yoga, I am off for a hearty breakfast of omelettes (made with the egg white, not the yolk mind you), home-made wheat bread and mango jam and then on to a workout and stretch class at the gym. Six hours fly by and I still have the detox papaya body polish, the Thai massage and the Jet lag hydro massage to look forward to.
Strains of soothing music fill up the room. Nimble fingers pound away all the tension from my body, the body polish sloughs the signs of pollution from the skin and the facial massage using acupressure points and lymphatic drainage leaves me refreshed. I jump into a high-tech contraption called the hydrotherapy tub. Jets of water hit the aching muscles that I never knew I possessed. The squirt is gentle first and gets vigorous as the tempo builds. The smell of essential oils wafts across. I throw back my head, close my eyes and as the water laps against my frame, wellness descends.
But like all good things in life, the spa experience too doesnt last forever. Much as I would have wanted it, I dont sustain that glow or energy. Even as I head back towards the Rishikesh highway, a truck slaps a coat of soot on my face. The eyes begin to smart. Good health is something I can only look back at wistfully. Another workaday stress lies ahead in the madness of the city.
