Grand Parenting Couple of days ago, I was taught a lesson. Having been brought up in a world where routines, schedules, and orderliness ranks very high in the order of proper behaviour I was trying through a learning activity to instill such values in my three year old grandson. I was stumped when he, a […]
GB’s Blog No 13
My 73rd Birthday. Do you remember your birthday? I do, but not individually, yearly. When I was in primary and lower middle school, I used to look forward to my birthday; the annual family gathering when I knew I would be gifted philately, that year’s music recording (on 78 rpm vinyl discs), followed by a […]
Guestly notes 4
Guestly notes 4 Are you the Gardner? I was thrilled and honoured to note that two guests from the north west coast of Europe were impressed with the garden we had developed at Svanir, our homestay. “We like the mix of conventional flowering plants within the overall ambience of wilderness”, one of them said. There […]
GB’s Blog No 12
The Zen factor of our model of wilderness homestay. All these years, after observing eco tourism sites including homestays, I had come to believe that its success boiled down to something very mundane and impersonal – conventional marketing and advertising, proficient staffing and a lean management structure that would generate a well balanced account book […]
Guestly Notes 3
One of my favourite times at Svanir is when guests gather around in the evening under the shady canopy of Karanja and Neem to share stories about their life and travels. Recently one of our guests Deb (Debapriya Dasgupta) shared a humorous story about his father, Debashis. He tells us that after completing his graduation […]
GB’ Blog 11
Homage to the green world. Svanir is our “Sacred grove”. I believe in my heart of hearts that many benign spirits of the plant kingdom live here. Since we have always sided with the trees over bricks – often to the chagrin of civil engineers and contractors, the benign spirits will caution us of danger […]
GB’s Blog No 15
What’s in a name? I could never fathom why naming the guest rooms of our homestay had to be shelved for so long. After my initial attempt to arrive at a consensus I, like a typical bureaucrat, postponed the decision. Yet, I am convinced that every family abode needs a name, an identity. Whenever I […]
Guestly notes.
Guestly notes 2 While wilderness lovers are happy to be in the midst of nature, others staying at Svanir for other reasons often ask, “What are the activities available”? What they actually mean are the indoor activities. A family from Germany, while having breakfast became curious about an item leaning against one wall of the […]
Guestly notes 1
Guestly notes “Hullo! I am a mother travelling with my teenage daughter. I need to find a safe place to stay. Can you provide this assurance at your homestay”? Indrani assured the lady and allotted a cottage very close to our home and dining-kitchen wing. On the day she arrived and rang the bell, Indrani […]
GB’s Blog 10
After a…. l o n n n g … gap The Covid pandemic has caused widespread loss to lives, livelihoods and the mental well being of most people. The travel and hospitality sector has been battered. We at Svanir suffered immensely – health, finance and business wise. We wondered just how long would we have […]