Coimbatore recedes rapidly, like a film in fast forward, the effect almost preparatory since my destination is the Isha Yoga Center at the Vel­liangiri foothills, and it takes a goodly hour and a half to get there from the airport. The city soon gives way to a lush countryside full of coconut groves as we hit the road to Siruvani, the beloved waterfalls and reservoir that supply sweet water to the lucky city. Closer to the headquarters of the Isha Foundation, a non-profit engaged in spiritual and social welfare, the road turns to rubble, the landscape becomes more densely forested and the Nilgiri biosphere, of which the region is a part, drops the temperature by a few pleasant degrees. The setting held great promise till I discovered, alas, that roaming outside the Isha Center was not allowed without per­mission from the authorities responsible for the reserve forest that cradles it.

The sense of leaving modern civilisa­tion entirely behind would be strong but for the diligently maintained environs of the Center. There are security check posts, neatly organised parking areas, and rarely does an automobile disturb the masterfully planned internal layout of meditation halls, residential buildings, artful waterbodies, temples and gardens. It sprouts over 150 acres, almost out of nowhere (the foundation’s home school is a separate complex ten minutes way; visits are organised). Finally, just as I was quite certain that I was about to get giddy with hunger, we arrived at the white bougainvillea-fronted reception of the Nalanda Conference Center — guesthouse was what I ended up calling it; the accom­modation within does not appear to have been given a separate name. The desk is managed by volunteers and visitors have to fend for their own luggage, as we would if we were travelling in the western world. There were other firsts. Rooms on the ground and first floor are arrayed around a sunny courtyard of well-tended grass, se­curity tags that say ‘guest’ or ‘participant’ must be worn if you decide to get some air (the minders are gentle but persistent) and keys have to be surrendered every time you step out of your room. It’s not a hotel, clearly, although were it one, it would probably fit the ‘affordable luxury’ standards of hospitality rather nicely. The air-conditioned rooms are large, the upkeep is conscientious, someone comes by in the evening to straighten things out and float fresh jasmine in a stone lamp, the linen and towels are spotless, and Isha’s range of toiletries is kept handy. The Isha Rejuvenation Center offers Ayurvedic massages, mud baths and therapies at an additional cost.

Conceived as a venue for executive meetings and social gatherings, should you choose to conduct your own event here, Nalanda also hosts Isha’s customised corporate management programmes and ‘inner engineering retreats’. The AV equipment is top-notch but there are typically only two meals to be had in a day, and there’s no food available after 7pm (visitors arriving late are advised to finish their dinner at Coimbatore). You are welcome to stay even if you want to spend a few days as a lay visitor getting his bearings, or sign up for one of their wellness programmes, which range over a weekend to 21 days. The genteel sophisti­cation notwithstanding, monks in saffron robes and residents with prayer mats glide quietly about their lives whilst an army of sevadhars tends to the upkeep with admirable devotion. I would have easily believed I was in a superbly aesthetic yet fairly austere yoga resort (where every comfort is provided but it’s not five-star decadence) except for the footwear you leave at the door, the plates you clear your­self, and the worshipful precincts of the Dhyanalinga temple complex dominating the Isha Center. I was clearly somewhere unusual in my travels.

I arrived much after noon to discover that the community’s morning meal had already been served at 10am. At times like these, the centre’s all-day café-restau­rant, Pepper Vine, comes to the rescue. It’s a bustling open-air hangout dispens­ing delicious tiffins and standalone dishes like kollu (horse gram) rasam, kuzhi paniyaarams, parotta-kurma and mushroom biryanis, all affordably priced. There’s also a counter for beverages, and another for homemade biscuits and cakes. The craft store nearby sells beauti­ful and expensive stuff.

I did not know it then but food was to become a very enjoyable part of my stay. Guests at Nalanda are served buffet meals in its spacious dining area by the grassy courtyard. Unlike the brunch the rest of the community partakes, they get an earlier breakfast starring a savoury dish like ragi santhagai (string hoppers) or idli-sambhar, with thick chutneys and big bowls of cut fruit as asides. The main meals at Nalanda are also simple but they have hot dosa counters, unusual delicacies like a black rice sweet pongal or a light kambu (pearl millet) payasam, though there may also be a more conven­tional dessert like melty gulab jamuns. They even plate up mid-evening snacks like yummy cutlets and dry fruit laddus.

I would still suggest you make time for at least one meal that residents take at the Bhiksha Hall — a cavernous, brightly lit venue for the community’s two daily meals, the first at 10am and the second at 7pm. Diners help themselves, sit on the floor, eat in mandated silence, and clean their plates afterward (you only give them back at Nalanda); identical spicy and non-spicy menus are served in separate sections. The food is even more wholesome and nutritious here — hot and soft ragi dosas served with a perfectly cooked raw jackfruit curry, fresh moong sprouts and a piquantly flavoured fruit and vegetable salad, a green leafy pulao prepared with brown rice, three different porridges, boiled corn on the cob. Only vegetarian food is served anywhere at the Isha Center and you may eat as much as you want. I found the meal-time disci­pline and health consciousness inspiring. No doubts at all — the food is divine.

The information
Location Isha Yoga Center, Velliangiri foothills, Semmedu PO, Coimbatore (35km and 90min from the airport; 30km and 75min from the railway station). Pre-paid taxis cost Rs 900 from the airport and Rs 550 from the railway station There are buses roughly every half hour to and from the Gandhipuram terminus (14D or 14G; Rs 25).
Accommodation 76 ‘standard’, 6 larger ‘family’ and 3 suite-style ‘residential’ rooms at Nalanda 1 and Nalanda 2; 106 ‘standard’, 23 ‘family’ and 20 ‘executive’ cottages.
Tariff Rs 3,500 (‘standard’ rooms), Rs 5,000 (‘family’ rooms), Rs 7,000 (‘residential’ rooms) at Nalanda 1 and 2; Rs 750–1,300 (‘standard’ cottages), Rs 1,700–2,400 (‘family’ cottages) and Rs 1,400–1,800 (‘executive’ cottages), the lower and upper range for non-AC and AC, respectively. All rates inclusive of taxes and two meals, that is, brunch and dinner.
Contact  0422-2515345, ishafoundation.org





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