• PAGE ONE
• INDEX
• HOME

The natural preference

Anjali Prayag

Going places is nothing new to Jinendra Sancheti, Managing Director, TNT India Ltd. But what especially keeps him going are trips amidst the natural environs with his family. Nature, in fact, is a family favourite with wife Ranjana, son Saurabh (16) and daughter Riddhi (13) too having similar tastes. Being based in Bangalore for the last four years, they have naturally turned to local offerings for their periodical breaks from routine.

``We seek nature and we go wherever we get it,'' says Jinendra. The rain forests, particularly those that abound in neighbouring Kerala, have enticed them again and again. ``We are particularly fond of this jungle resort at Vyathur in Wynad district. It' s totally unspoilt and we have been there three times now.''

Jinendra's love for rainforests took him to Australia a few years ago, but his subsequent visit to Kerala made him realise that there was no need to go far. He was charmed by the tree houses in Wynad built 150 feet above the ground. ``It gave us the tast e of adventure that we always wanted. But, unfortunately, none of us gathered enough courage to spend the night in the tree house.''

Jinendra likes to talk of his favourite retreat. ``To reach the two-bedroom cottage, you have to climb either on the rope bridge or hoist yourself up from a lift made of coir. The pulley is powered by the force from the water in the stream nearby. Can yo u get more natural than that?'' he asks.

The Sanchetis may have reservations about going to the same place again but Wynad is an exception.

Jinendra does not believe in indulging in photography when holidaying ``because it spoils the mood of the holiday''. He explains, ``You'll get obsessed with getting a good picture and completely forget the reason for taking a holiday.'' He believes the s tory of a holiday can be captured in a single picture. ``There need not be a whole album of photographs.''

The Sanchetis' next favourite holiday was a river rafting adventure at Dandeli in North Karnataka. ``It requires a lot of guts to jump onto the raft and start rowing. But once you get in, there's no getting out.''

Though the family loves adventure sports, Jinendra asserts they are not the macho kind going off on backpack holidays. ``We are no hard-core environmentalists. We love nature and don't much really care for organised holidays.''

The Karnataka State Tourism Department-owned Jungle Lodges at Dandeli offers these adventure sports. River rafting is conducted by a professional British rafter. ``We were one of the first families to test the tracks. Initially, they train you for an hou r. This is the safety drill. It was a scary experience, because they suddenly say, `Now jump!'''

Till you reach a comfort zone with the rapids, you are a bit nervous holding on for dear life, says Jinendra. Then you start observing the surroundings, swamps, crocodiles, et al, and that's when you don't want to end it all. ``It's a very very exciting experience. Initially we opted for 45 minutes but extended it to three hours.'' Jinendra however says: ``Though all of us are holiday freaks, Ranjana needs a lot of goading to get into the spirit of things. We take 3-4 holidays a year and this kind of na ture break at least twice a year.''

Glitzy and glamorous places are a strict no. ``It should be a free flowing holiday. We don't plan to the last tee,'' says the man who heads the Indian operations of a Fortune 500 company.

Pic.:An all-time high amidst the rapids in Dandeli.