Gothic Cool

Mostly,everybody who lives in Manali runs a hotel or a guesthouse. A walk through this quaint and incredibly beautiful hill station now fills me with dread because I have witnessed the deterioration of the lush green mountain paradise of my childhood into a depressing third-grade town,spewing smoke,ugly Baroque villas and general dereliction. The Beas,majestic still,reeks of garbage and decay,the narrow lanes choked with traffic and fumes make a walk down the street during season (May-June),almost impossible.

So I don’t feel particularly kindly towards hoteliers who’ve contributed to this sprawling mess,the popular legacy of urban India. After lunch,Mohi invited us to his hotel,200 metres away from Il Forno,on the road to the famous Hadimba Temple. Tucked away on an obscure bylane lined with 100-year-old pine trees,we suddenly stumbled upon a stone gray structure,built in the Victorian Gothic Revival style. The cobblestone driveway led us to a grand entrance,flanked on either side by huge cannons (Mohi had to get permission from the Indian Army before purchasing them). Turrets at the top of the building reminded me of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies,and the sweeping staircases highlighted the chessboard pattern of flooring,copied from an ancient Roman building in Pompeii. “The buttresses on the side transpire into a groin vault,” began Mohi,seriously explaining this building to our speechless audience.

Over lunch,Mohi hadn’t struck me as a regular,hotelier kind of guy or somebody with the temerity to build a castle. Our common friend,his classmate from St Stephen’s College 20 years ago had joked that his only work in the last decade was getting married. (Mohi’s been married thrice,and he laughed the loudest at the ribbing.) But by now we all took him very seriously,especially after a walk in his garden,blooming with daffodils and tulips,overlooking apple orchards,a heated swimming pool and pristine,snow-capped peaks. Mohi’s mother is Himachali,so he spent summer vacations between Shimla and Manali growing up. He used to walk between Viceregal Lodge and Scandal Point in Shimla every evening,consumed by the beauty of every heritage building on The Mall Road. “Every building there has a story to tell,but in a 100 years all those monuments will vanish,” he says. After he finished hotel management school in Cesar Ritz,Switzerland,and a three-year internship with The Hyatt in the US,he and his brother Bobby,decided to develop their mother’s ancestral property in Manali.

“This was a fantasy but now it’s real,” says Mohi,who has spent nine years building The Himalayan Resort & Spa. The Delhi architect they hired didn’t work out,so he and Bobby decided to undertake this task themselves. They bought books on castles and Elements of Style,a book specifically on Victorian furniture and aesthetics. The dining room has coffered ceilings,there’s a wine cellar and a tea parlour,and every room has a fireplace. Most importantly,the Mohis haven’t wavered from the Gothic look,and have managed to make the building look intimidating,more than inviting. Even their cat,Toby,is a wild black cat,with yellow bloodshot eyes. While reclining on a chaise lounge Mohi told me he explored the idea of bookcases opening into secret passages,and doors leading to nowhere,but reluctantly shelved it because of lack of space.

Last week I was in Manali and I popped by The Himalayan Resort & Spa,open for its first season. Mohi says the work is far from over. Gothic drama can’t be complete without a spectacular graveyard,he tells me,adding,half seriously,he’s already chosen the symphony to be played at his funeral.

While I was leaving,he mentioned how he’s planning a daily high tea. “Next time you come,we’ll have cucumber sandwiches,” he grinned. “Don’t forget the buttered scones,” I added.

For more information,log onto http://www.thehimalayan.com.

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