Ashish Godara and Kriti Bisht didn't know they would end up marrying and starting a homestay in the hills away from their lives in Delhi when they first met in Rajasthan. "When I left my job in 2015, I took up travelling, and I did so extensively," says Godara. He narrates how his travels took him to places where he would sometimes volunteer and take odd jobs to sustain himself. Then, he finally decided to stay in Bundi, Rajasthan for a while.
"I had been running a small cafe there for the past six months, and that's where I met Kriti," says Godara. "She was running a travel company then and wanted to take a group to Bundi. Since the cafe I was working at was part of a guest house, she found me on Instagram."
The couple started dating and married in 2019, the same year they decided to move to Basgaon, in Nainital, Uttarakhand. It took three years for them to build the stone house in the village, and in 2022, they finally opened their doors to guests. The stone house is a beautiful structure built in the Kumaoni architectural style using insulated materials and building techniques to keep temperatures in control.
Brick and cement usage was kept to a minimum. Bisht and Godara collaborated with local masons to construct the home using sustainable materials such as dry-stacked stone, mud, and lime. The home is characterised by conscious design elements. Pathways are illuminated using solar energy, while room curtains are crafted from indigenous kala cotton and dyed with pomegranate peels. Four rooms are spread across two storeys, the abode offers sweeping views of majestic oak trees, the stunning sights of Mt. Trishul, and the incredible Panchachuli peaks in the distance.
"My wife is a natural dyer, and she has a studio on the property where she conducts sessions for guests as well," says Godara. Bisht also manages their sprawling Ayurveda farm. The food at the homestay is all vegetarian and simple, with most ingredients sourced from their farm. The couple have been practising permaculture farming to attain self-reliance and become a part of the local community.
"When we first moved here, we felt like outsiders," says Godara. "Neither of us is from here, so warming up to the locals and our neighbours was a challenge. But it's been five years now, and this is not just a business but our home too, so we have slowly but steadily succeeded in building good relations with the people here, and we now feel like a part of the community."
Address: Village Basgaon, Suyalbari, District Nainital, Uttarakhand
Website: slowness.in