I personally feel that Covid-19 was nature’s way of telling us to pause and reflect. There’s only one planet to live, and we have conveniently chosen to forget this fact. The pandemic was a panic button pressed by nature, to revive our intelligences towards ourselves and the nature at large.
My three days stay at Viveda, helped me connect back to my being. Since, I was actually very impressed with this place, I reached out to the GM of Viveda Wellness Village – Dr Rejith Daniel to know more about this wellness haven. And I was pleasantly surprised to learn the nature friendly initiatives.
Earth Conscious
Spread across 7 acres of land, the resort has 31 rooms & suits. Each of these rooms are constructed using local Haldu wood, and handcrafted Basalt Stone Rock – both these materials are locally sourced, hence more conducive to the weather conditions of this region. Especially, during extreme weather conditions like summer, monsoon & winters. Similarly, roofs of the rooms are hatched with Chatai and Kelu tiles, which also help moderate the inside temperature in rooms by 4 to 8 degrees. Thereby reducing the need to use air conditioning and electricity.
Save Blue, Live Green
Viveda is India’s only IGBC certified resort, in the platinum category and this not an easy feat. At Viveda, 82 percent of the total landscape is covered with green plantation. And the water requirement to maintain this green cover is met from within the resort using waste water management techniques like Reed Bed Technology and Rainwater Harvesting. Even the water requirement for domestic use is met with very efficient rainwater harvesting system managed from the well, which is situated inside the premises. There is a separate drinking water plant where fresh water is purified through RO filtration, and filled in glass bottles for usage in rooms and the spa area.
From Starvation to Nourishment
Most often, health food is confused with bland & boring recipes. It’s not the case here. An elaborate six course menu is whipped three times in a day to satiate your soul and nourish your body. As told by Daniel, “even our relation with food should be sustainable. We follow recipes, which one can cook in their kitchen too. Our main idea was to make sure that our food is Satvik, yet toothsome.” Curated by celebrity Rakesh Talwar & inhouse Chef Hemant, it is a global menu replete with healthy recipes like spinach and beetroot whole wheat breads, ragi pancakes made with coconut sugar, wellness cakes, green smoothies, fresh juices, and fruit bowls. I also, figured out that most of their ingredients are sourced from hand-picked local village farmers. The food served here is local, traditional, seasonal, organic & Satvik. What’s more, the team is always happy to share their recipes with guests so that they can continue their journey to good health even from their own kitchen too.
Home-grown ingredients
A modern wellness center is as good as it’s treatment menu. At Viveda, the ingredients used for the treatment are grown inside the premises. Barring some essential oils and massage oils, all other ingredients are grown here and freshly used. Hence, there is no preservative used in any of their treatments. And the treatment ingredients are matched to suit their skin and body type.
Spa for your soul
Viveda is located in Beze village in Trimbak area in Nashik. The locals believe that this area was home to saints in ancient times. These saints would chant here regularly. It is considered till today that the air, land and water of this area is blessed with the power of those age-old rituals. And somewhere this remains in the aura till date.
Just 3..5 hours away from Mumbai, do add this place to your travel list!
– Princy Jain