The interview and reporting for this story were carried out in November 2024.
“Maybe I really want to be near the river.”
Depi Chaudhry (56) had no idea that this mood would turn into his dream in the early 2000s one day: “Aasraya on the ganga”. The host family is alienated from the cacophony of Rishikesh, and the AQI (Air Quality Index) is an outlier who is at 4 p.m. on October 24, 2024, in contrast to the statistics of northern India, which are 200 borders.
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For Depi, a multi-hyphenate- “I am an enthusiastic trekker, an engineer, a homeowner and a father of three girls”- the host family was a consequence of the sustainable life that he had imagined for his daughters with older daughters. “I thought that [the cottages] Would encourage them to spend more time outdoors. “
He left us why he wanted to live near the river Ganges and remembers one of his many trekking expeditions. After moving from Bengaluru's family to Gurugram in 2002, Depi was busy finding his rhythm as a father at home. His day, who started to arrange three Tiffin boxes properly – guessed which snacks enthusiastic about his little girls – often ended by preparing for wasteful dinner in the evening after homework. When his daughters moved to boarding school in later years, the empty nest brought pain for society that Depi found in nature.
“I started to walk through the Himalayas. Before this step we were always in Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru or Hyderabad. I wanted to take advantage of being in northern India,” he explains.
However, this winter also brought a realization: trekking through the snow was not as easy as he suspected. He needed another escape, and as he finally discovered, River Rafting proved to be an excellent alternative. In the country on which 'Aashhraya on the ganga' ', the rafting business “Real Adventures” from Depi was organized in 2003.
Aashhraya on the ganga: a festival for nature lovers
The host family has three Cottages – Alaknanda, Bhagirathi and Ganga – a love letter from a father to his daughters Aishwarya (29) and the twins Aditi and Anisha (28). Each house contains a double bed and two single beds, while the 'Frangipani Cottage' offers a double bed and a private garden. With sustainability in every gap, both on the host family and in their surroundings, the houses for those looking for an eco-stay are a good escape.
The hosts Depi and his daughter Aditi repeat their commitment to make nature a core of everything they do in Aashhraya. The proof of this lies in the green palette, the thousand trees that border on the host family, so they feel that they have just entered the soap opera of nature.
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Aditi, an architect, recognizes Aditi, the architect, now recognizes how he was ahead of the curve when it was about sustainable practices in front of the curve to grasp her father's ideas in order to grasp her father's ideas. Depi loves to treat his guests with these stories. A nomade, as he describes himself in response to my question, where he comes from, has lived many lives on the Indian map. Its adventures – and maybe that Chai He bride – his guests hang on every word during this storytelling sessions.
Fair warning: no two Cuppas are the same. The flavors are enriched by souvenirs that have been brought back by his travels through India- rhododendrons from choppa in Uttarakhand, seabuckle leaves made of Ladakh and Wild Hibiskus from the property. Everything has a story in Aashhraya, from tea and food (an epic experience experience) to architecture that celebrates local materials – dry stone and wood from a maruti showroom.
A coolness devours every guest who enters the property and comes from the roof, which is padded with recycled Jute bags. To mention unnecessarily that the electricity consumption is minimal. The father-daughter duo proudly divides that they use sunlight and meet their electricity needs through solar.
Luxury does not have to come at the expense of sustainability
On the idyllic journey that the cottages have seen – one that developed in parallel to the life of the girls – Depi said. A life.
The guarantee of sustainability that was taken into account in every decision was a matter of course.
Nothing is a waste at Aashhraya. The kitchen water goes through a simple addition, which it flows into a series of ponds by further clarification into a series of ponds while it hinders the food feed particles. This water is then used for gardening. Similarly, food waste is converted into compost by a shredder. Traditionally, this process takes 28 days, but Depi smiles when he shares that the Aashhraya method shortens the time: “It only takes five days for crap to be finished.”
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A stay in Aashhraya is comparable to booking a short vacation in another area in which the usual metrics of the time do not apply. Routines here are guided by the rhythm of nature. But while they are trying to romantize the remote place of the host family – 45 km from Rishikesh – Depi warns that the route is Rau.
“Here is a beautiful, one-hour, moderate Drek, which leads you over a river bridge and then through a forest and a village. A good fitness level is required to walk this route comfortably. Our employees are given to you at the starting point of the hike and help you to try guests.
But he quickly adds that the wonderful views compensate for these efforts. Aashhraya has been cut off the city and has adapted to its own needs. The work of this universe of self -sufficiency was not easy, as Depi explains.
“It was a slow and lengthy process that built for many years. In the first fifteen days of my stay I ate the same meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Often Depi felt alone on the way to building this harbor in Rishikesh. But even in these moments of loneliness, nature offered him help if he needed it.
“You know shortly after the three cottages were finished, a woodpecker began to visit us and pack it with impressive intensity. We would shed it away, but it would return and switch from one house to the next.” After several days of the attempt to get rid of the bird – Depi laughs that they even kept a carpenter at hand to repair the damage caused – he stated that the woodpecker tried to send a message. There were termites in the wood! After treating the wood with medication one day, the woodpecker stopped visiting Aehraya. His job was done.
Depi estimates how nature has always intervened to ensure that it stays on the right track. This is shown on his journey, the once exceeded country to regreen, which now offers oranges, Brinjals, guaves, pumpkins, mangoes, dragon fruits, puddard apples and cherries.
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Aditi and their sisters, although they are currently living in different parts of the world, emphasize that Aashhraya always felt at home. “We grew up here. For us it is a place that reminds us of our parents and our childhood. It is a place where we want to be closer to nature,” says Aditi. I can almost feel the sigh of her father's relief; The cycle of his intention is complete. Proud that his daughters feel that way, says Depi. “At the end of the day, nature has all the answers for us. It has the solutions we need.”
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Published by Arunava Banerjee