Michael and Devanshe, who run the Himalayan Orchard homestay, quit a cosmopolitan life in Japan to live in her ancestral village in Himachal Pradesh. They tell us about the challenges and opportunities the move unfurled for them.
A steep and narrow road that skirts the precarious hillsides dotted with apple orchards takes you from Gumma, an industrious market town, to the hamlet of Rukhla, perched at an altitude of 6,500 feet above sea level. This is the sort of place where people still attend gatherings to seek the council of the local deity, sometimes perform animal sacrifices for issues like rainfall and enjoy close community bonds attending weddings and funerals of all the town’s folk.
This is also the pristine setting for which owners of the Himalayan Orchard, a farmstay in Rukhla, quit their life as teachers in Japan for. “The orchard and farmhouse had fallen into a state of neglect after my parents lost their son, my brother, in an accident. My sister and I worked overseas and my parents lost all interest in the farm,” said Devanshe Chauhan Lidgley, explaining the shift that she, 53, and her husband Michael J Lidgley, 64, undertook in 2016.
Renovation of the farmhouse started in 2012 and continued in stages during the couple’s visits to India. Finally in 2016, Michael and Devanshe left their cosmopolitan expat life in Japan and moved to rural India to become farmers, offering to share their farm house with guests who would appreciate a rural and remote farm lifestyle, and help sustain an otherwise wholly agrarian economy.
“This side of Himachal has so far not been on the tourist map and is relatively unexplored, but farm-based village tourism is on the rise. Over the last few years, tourism agencies in Shimla have begun to promote this area for its apple orchards, quaint Himachali villages and temples, and unexplored mountain passes and valleys,” said Devanshe.
Also Read: 5 unique homestays across rural India
Himalayan Orchard is a third generation apple orchard begun by Devanshe’s grandfather in the 1930s. It is situated on the left bank of the Chagaunti river, which runs south from the slopes of Hatu Peak to meet the Giri River at Gumma, just west of Kotkhai. In the 1930s the only motorable road was the Hindustan-Tibet Road, which crosses the top of the Chagaunti valley at Baghi, where there is a British-era rest house. The road was widened and levelled from the 1850s onwards, but follows an ancient trading route via Rampur-Bushahr and over the Shipki La pass into Tibet.
“Each village in the area has its own devta (local deity) housed in its own temple. These idols are regularly taken out when their presence is requested at some ceremony or festive occasion, most commonly a kheen – when someone provides lunch for the local community, which often includes goat mutton, the goat or goats having been decapitated as sacrifices to the deity. The lunch is preceded by the arrival of the devta on a ceremonial palanquin carried by two men, accompanied by traditional live music and sometimes the singing of a song celebrating the deity’s life. The oracle, known as a gaur, goes into a kind of animated trance and allows the devta to communicate with his people via the shaman,” explained Michael.
Qualified in environmental sciences, Michael has some experience working on an organic farm before he became a teacher in the UK, where he comes from, and then Japan. He is a self-taught welder, glazier, plumber, electrician and gardener.
Regarding the challenges that they face, Devanshe talked about the village politics and its socio-religious and cultural norms. “People are friendly and helpful but are also conservative, tied up to their old patriarchal and traditional ways, and suspicious of outsiders or new ideas. The caste system, especially for Michael, is perhaps the single biggest challenge.”
Also Read: Rural homestays for solo, offbeat travellers
They also found a big challenge in trying to establish a waste disposal system and involving villagers in village and forest clean ups. And getting farm workers and household help. Not many want to live in a remote village with no shops nearby. “Cleanliness, time, personal space and privacy, work ethics are highly valued in Japan. It’s taken some time getting used to living in a place where these barely exist,” lamented Devanshe.
The coin has two faces, and living at Rukhla also offers many advantages. “The fact that Rukhla is located 12 km off the main highway, next to a forest makes it an ideal environment to live in – especially if you love nature, peace and pleasant weather almost all year round. We rely quite a lot on our farm produce and know that although it’s limited in choice, it’s at least seasonal and healthier than what you might find in an urban supermarket. It has been very satisfying and rewarding,” she admitted.
The Himalayan Orchard homestay offers a variety of rooms, some with detached toilets since the house was constructed in a different era. During the renovation, the couple left the main structure as it was with its traditional 2-feet thick dry stone and mud walls, wooden floors and ceilings.
Also Read: Homestays open doors to Kashmir’s final frontier Keran
They have four en-suite bedrooms and two basic singles which were converted into bedrooms from a large, old stone-walled water storage tank. There’s also a self-catering wing. There are wood-burners in the main sitting lounge and dining area. The wood supply comes from the orchard.
Being a mountain farmhouse, the bedrooms are on different levels and in different buildings, connected with staircases. They vary in size, decor, colour and history and are named as such. Some, like the Big Blue or the Old Kitchen, seem luxurious compared to the simple ‘Monk’s Cell’ or the ‘Stone & Mud room’.
“The guests eat with us. Our open-kitchen-dining-living room plan allows everyone to mingle freely. Guests can help themselves to tea or coffee anytime and lend a hand in the kitchen or garden should they wish to,” said Devanshe.
Dinner is usually prepared by her, and most of the ingredients for the meals are locally sourced or foraged from the forest. They also make their own jam and preserves, cheese, sausages and wine.
Nearby attractions include the Kotkhai durbar, Kiari temple and the Sararu pass, which was the site of the Gurkha defeat, described and painted by JB Fraser, the famous Scottish travel writer and artist. Other than sightseeing, guests can participate in activities like nature walks, mushroom foraging in season, apple and pear grading, cheese-making and sausage making (both on prior notice).
Bookings can be made through the website www.himalayanorchard.com
Room tariff varies from Rs 2,000 to Rs 4,500 per person per night, including breakfast and dinner.
The nearest market is at Gumma, 12km (40-minute drive) away. The nearest railway station and airport is at Shimla, 70 km (2.5-hr drive) away.
Also Read: Live like a tribal at these Bastar homestays
The lead image on top shows Michael J Lidgley and Devanshe Chauhan Lidgley at their property at Rukhla village in Himachal Pradesh. (Photo courtesy Himalayan Orchard)
Smriti Mukerji is a Delhi-based journalist turned freelance writer.
