CrepeGinger a Paradise

CrepeGinger is a family getaway located near the sleepy village of ‘Bomlapura’, 98km NW of Chikkamagaluru in Karnataka. It’s been a week since we ended our eight days break at CG, but it continues to occupy my mind. I really find it difficult to figure out exactly why we liked this place so much. I have travelled extensively, both abroad and in India, and stayed at excellent properties, but CG somehow is in a class by itself.

Suba and Samar are the proud owners of CG. Suba admitted that she has always liked to spend time amidst nature and greenery. While her childhood years were spent in Chennai, she later moved to Bangalore, Delhi and New York for work. All along, she knew that at some point in her life, she would like to live amidst nature. They started looking around for a property to settle down in and make a new beginning. In their quest to locate the right property, they travelled across Karnataka and Tamilnadu. A friend of theirs suggested that they look up a three-acre property near Bomlapura. They found that it was not a well manicured coffee plantation or a farmland in the traditional sense. It was just a semi wild piece of land with trees and shrubs. Standing there, she felt a wave of positive energy emanating from the place. Some instinct told Suba topick it up. After that, there was no looking back, they decided that was the place and purchased it. She says that they did not think of what was to be done next, how to go about things, where the money would come from or a plethora of such thoughts which would normally have accompanied a random and impulsive act. They went ahead and converted that patch of wilderness into a paradise. That was 2012.

Suba had no previous experience in managing an estate or for that matter in constructing a house. She then devoted her entire time to studying architecture, building, design and interior decoration. She also studied landscaping and arboriculture. Passion and a desire for perfection were the driving force for the next three years. Soon after, she thought of sharing this getaway with other like minded people. That was the genesis of ‘CrepeGinger’ as a Getaway.

She relied totally on local talent and expertise. She says it’s ‘extremely important to carry the immediate community with you’. Unlike many ventures the ‘Getaway’ is a living project requiring support and well-wishers. She invited the entire village for the opening ceremony to appreciate their contribution. This gesture was deeply appreciated and the villagers welcomed her into their midst. During the construction she was staying in a temporary accommodation. One night a very violent storm struck the property, shaking the very foundation of their small cottage. Terrified, she went and spent the night in their neighbour’s hut. The old toothless lady who sheltered her that night continues to work in the getaway doing odd jobs with an unpretentious smile. She calls her Ajji-ma. Recently CG was occupied by a group of boisterous youngsters who disrupted the peaceful night air with raucous noise. Sound travels extremely fast in a forested area. The villagers woke up and were greatly alarmed at the racket. A few of them came immediately to CG to check on Suba. Such is the support and concern they have for CG. Suba is very cautious about admitting people to her property. She says, ‘I like renting the place only to people who love nature, respect the environment and enjoy peace and quiet. This is certainly not a party destination.’

CrepeGinger is a 4000 sq ft bungalow with four large bedrooms with attached bath and a very large drawing room. The ceiling has been kept high which creates a sense of space and keeps the house well ventilated. The drawing room has an inner court yard .The entire set up is elegantly decorated with utilities, objects d’art and matching furnishings. Suba has personally selected each item in the house. The large veranda is supported by tall columns giving it a very colonial and stately appearance. The kitchen, pantry and dining area is located outside the main bungalow. CrepeGinger takes you back to a bygone era.

The day starts with a sumptuous breakfast personally supervised by Suba. While the cook affectionately called ‘Uncle’ is preparing the BF, Suba engages us with anecdotes of CG and life at CrepeGinger, the Getaway. We then retire to the veranda or the gazebo to catch up with a little bit of reading. Anusha and Pushpa, her able assistants bring steaming Chikkamagaluru decoction coffee to the table. The atmosphere can be totally alien to us city dwellers. Devoid of any external man made sounds, the CG opens your senses to the soft rustling of leaves and the soughing of the wind as it brushes past dried leaves. There are plenty of birds to keep you company, especially the constantly chirping Black Billed Magpie and Warblers.

You are jolted out of your slumber when Hanumantha the Gardner announces that a table and some chairs have been set up in the nearby stream. To sit in a stream sipping beer and listening to the children playing newly invented games, whilst one is reading a book or just lazing and staring at the bounties of nature, gives one a sense of euphoria.

Lunch is announced. Suba’s carefully chosen menu, treats us to a combination of cuisine from Chettinad, Mangalore, Mysore, Nagaland and Manipur. There is a spread of veg and non veg dishes to choose from. Incidentally the lunch is served on a banana leaf and one is tempted to taste and relish all the fare. Suba is a keen observer. She has specially prepared a paneer dish for one of the children. She experiments a lot. Be it cabbage salad with orange, cauliflower peanut and apple salad or wild berries jam tempered in jaggery the menu provides a much needed variation. Her young daughter Ria often helps her mom. She baked us delectable cakes and fudges. It was very heartening to see a young girl sharing her mother’s passion to the fullest. Truly a remarkable trait.

After a siesta the girls, A and P lay out the evening snack called ‘Thindi’ in Kannada. Each day, Pakodas, Aloo Bondas, Mangalore buns, Bhaji or Bombay pau would be served to whet our appetites.

Children kept themselves busy reading or playing a variety of indoor games, hide and seek, throwing a boomerang, archery and mini golf. We hardly saw them.

Prior to dinner, H sets up a bonfire. We gather around the fire to beat away the chill of winter. There is a lot of reminiscing, dumb charades and staring at the flame and cinders. Only the moon is a witness to all this.