Polish for the SOUL

The business class coach on the Shatabdi to Haridwar may not conjure visions of its counterpart in the air, but this is really as good as it gets on rail in India. I am on my way to Mandarin Oriental's Ananda, The Himalayas, India's first spa resort, that I have been told is an experience I will not forget.

I must confess, however, that as a writer having covered a few spa resorts in Asia, I do take all this enthusiasm with a sprinkle of scepticism. And sure enough, as though pre-ordained, the shorter road to Rishikesh is blocked by striking employees of a public sector company! Charan Singh, my chauffeur, says he will take me up the better way, past the game reserve.

This is Haridwar, so I decide to give into the serenity of the land. Thanks to the roadblock, the oft-bumpy, potholes road is exciting as I look out for the tigers and elephants that Singh informs me can often be seen here; a claim that I cannot corroborate and suspect is an ingenuous strategy introduced to occupy the extra hours of travel.

As we close in on the town of Rishikesh, the birthplace of meditation and yoga, I know this is special. Faces from coffee-table glossies make perfect pictures, at tea stalls, in deep thought or walking, sitting under a tree, gazing... As the climb to Ananda begins, the villas on the serene hills of Narender Nagar make a gradual appearance.

I am soon in Ananda, checking in at the unconventional antique writing desk in the palace of Maharaj Manvendra Shah of Tehri Garhwal which sprawls over a 100 acres of sal forests.

My cleansing starts almost immediately. I find that I am smiling a lot as the warmth of the people around me infuses me with well-being. I have a lot more to smile about as I check into my room. A luxurious bathroom offers full window-views of the Himalayas. I could stay here forever. This is whole new way to beat the concerns of contemporary urban existence.

There are no compulsions in this abode of health and fitness. There are, however, daily schedules for those interested: from morning yoga and exercises in the lush open gardens to art and culture workshops. Dabbling in clay, creating sculptures that would make people in the profession envious, does the soul a whole lot of good.

To try and bring some of the fizz back to my jaded frame, I decide to go the spa way, the reason why I am here. A young, clean-shaven ayurvedic physician, Sanjay Khanzode, who is also an allopath, talks animatedly about the spa and its treatments.

The vast spa has 21 treatment rooms and over double that number of treatments. Sanjay explains that this is a place to detox, destress and look inwards. "Our spa is about pleasure, beauty and wellness, a cure-all for stress, lack of exercise and pollution," he says.

I opt for the phonetically exotic Papaya Polish. Strains of soothing music fill the room, and my senses, as lissom fingers massage the tension from my body. The masseur administers rebalancing through acupressure points; lymphatic drainage in the face leaves me lingering for more. I am in a magical realm.

As I jump into a high-tech contraption called the hydrotherapy tub, jets of water invigorate stressed muscles. Even as the aroma of lavender touches my senses, I am well on my way to that elusive state of wellness.

The choices are immense. One could opt for a sea-salts scrub or wrap one's body in a pack of mud and sea weed. For me, the rose polish emerges a definite winner.

Aromatherapy, works twofold according to Sanjay. "These aromas, when inhaled, have an essence which is processed in an area of the brain that controls emotions. They penetrate the skin to get into the bloodstream and the immune system to work in a physiological method."

The 21,000 sq ft wellness centre offers a mind-body-soul approach for those on a voyage of imperative discovery. A typical day begins with a yoga and meditation session, followed by therapies at noon. The yoga teacher demonstrates how to stretch and balance employing ancient postures, or asanas, of trees, a cobra, and even a cowface! Evenings are reserved for stretch-and-tone exercises.

A recent addition to yoga is a choice of different schools. So, whether one opts for the Bihar yoga, the gruelling Iyengar school or power yoga, one thing is for certain, the experience is authentic. There is a growing consciousness of the need to adopt a healthy lifestyle and develop a balanced exercise programme, points out Ingo Schweder, managing director of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.

This, of course, by no means insinuates that one needs to starve. While the spa does not follow an extremist approach to health food, happily permitting elementary sins such as wine and desserts, the philosophy is to eat in moderation. Food, there is plenty.

I did attend a cooking class on low calorie cuisine and appeased my conscience! In the evening, I head for Rishikesh to an ashram. As the sun dips in the horizon, the temple bells and aarti cast a calm, the ultimate exhilaration.

I place brightly lit diyas in the serene Ganges along with many others. As I watch my diya float away into the folds of the water, I know I have achieved wellness and experienced true (joy) Ananda.

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