holding fort

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/Holding+fort/1/21122.html

 UNUSUAL ENTREPRENEURS—TRAIL BLAZERS

It was in the late 1970s in Rajasthan that Aman Nath and Francis Wacziarg saw the splendid remains of a fort, standing tall, atop a hill. Looking at the fascinating ruins, Nath thought, “What a waste.

After all the energy and funds, masons and materials, love and planning that goes into a building, it just crumbles.” It was this thought, the desire to bring the Neemrana Fort-Palace back to life, that became the start of a journey that has, over 20 years later, translated into 14 heritage properties painstakingly restored to their former glory.

The beginning, like all entrepreneurial ventures, was a challenge, though it didn’t deter Nath and Wacziarg, co-chairmen of the Neemrana Group.

The thought of giving up never crossed their mind. Not even when, Wacziarg remembers, they had to get 45 permissions to open a hotel in Rajasthan. Acquiring the fort was not a problem. The raja was willing to sell it. It’s just that there had been no takers for 40 years. No one wanted ruins. It seemed a liability. Not for this duo.

The idea too, says Nath, was not considered novel at that time. But he adds, “In order to be an entrepreneur, it is important to understand that you don’t walk along the dotted line. Of course, there is constant challenge, like from the government, which teaches the Indian entrepreneur to be persevering.”

Nath and Wacziarg acquired the fortpalace in 1986 and took a year to clear the rubble and five more years to restore it before opening its doors to people.

“The raja of Neemrana, Raja Rajinder Singh, came for the opening and said he had never thought he would see life in his ancestral fort,” Wacziarg remembers. Now, 22 years later, what used to be three acres at nine levels has become six acres built at 11 levels.

From left to right: Francis Wacziarg (66) and Aman Nath (57) co-chairmen Neemrana Group has a turnover of Rs.25 crore

"I think when people say, ‘Boy, you have become a maharaja, you have so many palaces,’ they miss the point completely. It’s not about possession. If that which you touch and don’t improve, that which you inherit and can’t add to, that decides if you merited it in the first place,” Nath says.

Given his family came from Lahore as refugees, and that Wacziarg became an Indian rather late, he says, “It was almost like a new start for both of us. Perhaps the lack of a past involves you. When you don’t have something, you want it and value it more.”

That’s why they also decided to develop the Neemrana name into a lifestyle experience. So, when they realised that the fruits from the orchards were being wasted on the Ramgarh property, they used it to manufacture jams.

The tea plantations in Coonoor are used for a special Neemrana blend. They also plan to open their own coffee blend from the property in Coorg.

At the same time, Wacziarg says, they would like to use their Neemrana and Puducherry properties as places of culture. Which is why, they have formalised The Neemrana Music Foundation.

With nearly 200 properties on file, they get at least three to four proposals every week, says Wacziarg. “But the most extraordinary of all projects is the Tijara Fort in Alwar, Rajasthan. It is a spot you can’t create. It’s a mixture of nature’s magic and man’s madness,” says Nath.

And there’s always a story behind a heritage property.Take Villa Pottipati, the ancestral home of a Reddy family in Malleswaram, Bangalore. Nath remembers when a USbased woman contacted them after staying at their Puducherry property.

Success mantra: Don’t waste time when it comes to turning your dreams into action. Biggest obstacle: Needing 45 clearances from the Rajasthan government for a hotel. Key to innovation: Every property is unique, so reinventing is the way to go about it.

She told them about her ancestral home which she didn’t want to sell or convert into a multi-storied building. “It was lovely, doable and small. We have put old portraits of their family on the walls. It’s a part of their past and for everyone who lives there, it’s a privilege to be part of their family,” Nath says.

It isn’t about “modernising” a place, says Wacziarg. “It is a blend of keeping the past alive, without being sad or just nostalgic about it.” he adds.

That is the spirit behind the group. It isn’t just restoration. But restoration for re-use, says Nath. After all, “you can’t live in the 21st century with 15th century amenities”, he adds.

That is why they have stuck to their concept of a non-hotel hotel. It isn’t about jacuzzis, silk-cushioned sofas or pretending to be royalty. Nath says, “What we are talking about is simplicity and experience. It is about seeing parrots on your balcony or a million stars that you don’t see in Delhi. That is Neemrana. It is the cosmos, our planet and about connecting and enhancing ourselves.”

—Chitra Subramanyam

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