Basunti, a private lakeside yoga retreat near the Himalayas, Himachal Pradesh, North India

Kind acrostics from Sheila Baker’s yoga group – much appreciated by all of us at Basunti…

izzyadmin — Sun, 20 May 2012 18:19:20 +0000

For David and Izzy

With many many thanks for making this special place possible, here are few acrostics to show how touched and appreciative we all are.

With love, from the yoga group (images by Steve).

Here are just a few of them -

Beauty surrounds at Basunti

As far as the eye can see

Stillness, stunning scenes and spectacular views

Uniquely visioned and lovingly made

Nature beckons and stirs me within

Treasure revealed, memory to hold

I leave inspired and restored.

Elizabeth.

Before our time

A valley carried soldiers and

Settlers, in cultural waves

Until the flood

Nature then reclaimed the high ground

Till only row boats travelled

In the rocky inlets of the lake.

Mary R.

Bring only your Self silently

Abiding in nature bountiful presence

Surrendering to the myriad sights, sounds and smells that bombard the senses

Unravelling your anxieties, letting this sacred place

Nurture you deep within

Timeless

Instilling essential essence that is Basunti.

Jacs.

Brilliant

Atmosphere to

Study yoga

Understand ourselves

Nourish body and soul

Touch ancient soil.

India!

Sheila B.

Best beetroot

As well as

Sensational surroundings

Unending care and attention

Nothing spared

Transforming tired travellers

Into lighter beings.

Sheila B.

Beautiful

Ancient

Soil and stories

Under starlit sky

Nourishing

Treasure in a small corner of

India.

Liz

Interspecific Feeding of a Himalayan Bulbul chicks by an Oriental White-eye

dave — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:58:17 +0000

One of the after effects of the storm is that any birds that had built their nest in an exposed location, found it completely trashed the following morning. The Oriental White-eyes build tiny, delicate, little nests. This one must have taken a direct hit from a very large hailstone as all three eggs were smashed and the remains of the nest were on the rocks under the bougainvillea.
The distraught parents spent about half an hour searching the bush and then decided to adopt the Himalayan Bulbul chicks that had just hatched in the same bougainvillea. This has caused some consternation amongst the Bulbul parents as they were really not sure what was going on. A nightly tussle ensues between the two females about who is going to sit on the nest at night, which at the moment is being won by the legitimate parent.
The chicks are loving it and are growing enormously fat on an endless supply of grubs and insects. They spend their time lying on their backs, mouths open, stomachs extended, waiting for the next tasty morsel to be presented to them by both sets of parents. Not sure how this is all going to end up, as the chicks are already the same size as the White-eyes! What is going through the White-eyes’ minds about the sudden arrival of giant babies, I am not sure, but it is truly fascinating to watch.

A perfect solitary Sacred Lotus…

dave — Sun, 13 May 2012 09:11:08 +0000

May is the storm season in this part of India, when the plains heat up and the hot air collides with the cool air coming off the Himalaya. Yesterday was hot and sultry with a very hot breeze coming from the Punjab. I knew we were in for something special as what was coming in was of biblical proportions.
Having moved all the furniture and made sure all the doors and windows were shut, went to bed feeling slightly apprehensive, to stay the least. The thunder and lightning started at around midnight with a spectacular sound and light show. Then of all things, a gentle rain began to fall, couldn’t believe my luck, as Basunti has been bone dry for over six weeks. This was all too good to last and after five minutes the hailstones came accompanied by a howling wind. These were no ordinary hailstones; the majority were the size of marbles with the occasional golf ball sized one thrown in for good measure. They were hitting with such force that they were breaking some of the roof slates.
Woke up this morning to a scene of total devastation, looked like someone had loaded a shotgun with ball bearings and just blasted everything in the garden. The ponds were especially badly hit, but amazingly, amongst all the damage was a perfect unscathed Sacred Lotus…

Basunti to the Barot Valley in search of Wild Brown and Rainbow Trout

dave — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:31:45 +0000

Day 1.

Decided to treat the next few days as a road trip with fishing thrown in. It was with great anticipation that we departed Basunti early in the morning and headed of, driving the back roads to Barot. About an hour from Basunti we were rewarded with the bizarre sight of a man dressed as the God Shiva, strolling down the road in the middle of nowhere. By the time we had realised what we had seen and decided to go back for a photograph, he had disappeared, all very strange…

The journey, including a stop for lunch, took about seven hours. Travelling in and around Himachal Pradesh, you never get bored; there is so much to see and marvel at. The scenery going over the pass and into the Barot Valley is stunning; dense forests of Cedar, Oak, Rhododendron and Chestnut with remote villages and their steeply terraced fields growing Barley, Potatoes and Onions. This is all very beautiful in itself but when complimented with the Himalaya as a backdrop it becomes quite magical.

Arrived at Barot early afternoon and checked into the Negi Home-stay; Spartan, to say the least, but reasonably clean with western style flush toilets. Barot, at two thousand metres of altitude, was a bit overcast by the time we arrived and felt cold to us as Basunti was immersed in 30 degrees when we left earlier in the day. Put on winter woollies and drove up as far as we could go on the road that follows the Uhl River – this in order to check the flow and clarity of the water and also find possible access points that we could use the next day.

Went back to the Negi and walked down to the barrage to try and land some Rainbows for the evening meal. Eight fish later, with a combined weight of two and a half kilos, we headed back for the evening meal of fried trout and Barot Jeera Potatoes. This was enjoyed by us, the driver and also the family that owns the Negi.

Day 2.

Cold morning but clear and once the sun came up reasonably warm. Had breakfast and drove up to the same point we reached last night. On this particular day I had decided that I would be the photographer and Andy could get the most out of the river using the Fly Rod. The fast flowing, crystal clear water made for some really exciting fishing, nothing huge, but great fun for Andy and lovely to watch in such spectacular surroundings.

We decided to call it a day at four in the afternoon and by that time Andy had landed fourteen wild Brown Trout, all of which were returned. Went back to the Negi for a much needed cup of tea. After a short rest, we walked back down to the barrage to catch the evening meal of Rainbow Trout. One hour, with six trout in the bag, we headed back for a much anticipated supper.

Day 3.

Left Barot early as we had every intention of driving all the way to the Gobind Sagar to check out the Mahseer fishing. Once we came back over the pass we realised that this was possibly not a good idea, as the temperature had soared in the last few days and was now topping over 36 Celsius. Decided to drive back to Basunti via Dehra and check out the Beas River which flows into the Maharana Pratap Sagar.
Stopped at the Dehra bridge and walked two kilometres up stream, to a rocky outcrop known as the Viceroys Spoon. Below this is a fast run of water going into a deep pool, which has in it some of the biggest Golden Mahseer I have ever seen. The Mahseer are all waiting to go up the river when the first monsoons rains start, which is still nearly a month away. It is impossible to catch these fish as the river is full of weed, although I have to say it did not stop us trying. Was impossible not to, as some of these beasts must have been topping the twenty kilogram mark!
Arrived back to Basunti in late afternoon and decided to see what was taking in the lake. After half an hour Andy landed a Mahseer of approximately one and a half kilos, which we returned. Walked back to Basunti and enjoyed a much needed swim in the pool.

Spotted while in Barot: Spotted Forktail, White Throated Dipper, Crested Kingfisher and Black throated Tit. These will not be going in the Basunti Bird Book as we have decided to only include birds spotted within the Kangra Valley.

A Day at Basunti – Fishing For Sol (Spotted Murrel)

dave — Mon, 07 May 2012 08:36:13 +0000

Having noticed over the past few weeks a distinct reduction in the number of Golden Mahseer in this part of the Maharana Pratap waters, we have decided that from now on all Mahseer will be on a strict CPR (Catch, Photograph and Release) basis at Basunti.

This decision made, we decided to spend the rest of the day Sol fishing. Tried our luck at the Canyon of the Half Moon before moving on to Bomb Bay. No luck at either place although they both looked like ideal locations for Sol. After a couple of hours spent thrashing the water, I left to do some gardening and Andy went on to Sandy Point to see if the fish were feeding in the Gulley. Just before lunch Andy returned with a beautiful 2.7 kilogram caught off Sandy Point. He was really elated as this was the biggest Sol he had caught so far.

After lunch and a siesta we took the canoe out and started fishing the gullies towards Lalwana Village on the ridge opposite Basunti. The first hour was completely dead, with no action at all, although this was ideal Sol territory. Casting along a rock wall the rod almost bent double and we realised we had hooked into a real beauty. These fish can really fight, after fifteen minutes of being dragged all over the bay Andy finally managed to bring the fish to the surface. It still took another five minutes before it would let us bring it into the canoe. Andy was beaming, a Sol just under 4.5 kilograms. After taking the photographs we released the fish, which swam away the moment it hit the water.

That evening we dined on Sol fillets, baked in the oven with a little lime juice, salt, pepper and some olive oil, along with mashed potatoes and pickled Beetroot.

Spotted in the Basunti gardens in the last few weeks: Asian Bird of Paradise, Baya Weaver, Common Hoopoe, Asian Brown Flycatcher and Black Shouldered Kite. In the Basunti area: Yellow Wagtail, Eurasian Thick Knee, Greater Thick Knee, Grey Francolin, Jungle Mynah and White Tailed Eagle.

A Holiday Retreat for Film Lovers at Basunti, in the foothills of the Himalayas

izzyadmin — Sun, 06 May 2012 16:06:58 +0000

12^th-19^th October, 2012

Following the success of CinemaXanadu’s Film lovers retreat in October 2010, Basunti is looking forward to their return in 2012. CinemaXanadu is a film club based in a small privately owned cinema in London. The club focuses on films that are outside of the mainstream tradition.

Films will be shown in the open-air shala during the evenings, followed by leisurely discussions lead by Professor Howard Jacobs. During the day, guests will be free to exclusively enjoy Basunti facilities, swim, go on walks, do a spot of birdwatching, fishing or canoeing. There will be opportunities to arrange day visits to nearby places of interest, have massage treatments local style or use our Yoga facilities for your own practice.

The Films

The programme, chosen By Professor Howard Jacobs who will lead informal presentations and discussions, includes films by Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Mani Ratnam and Louis Malle.

For more details, or if you want to join us for a week of fun, relaxation, excellent food, wonderful films, in the company of other film (and nature) lovers, please contact us via our contact page or email us on info@basunti.com.

Restorative and Revealing – Yoga retreat, Sheila Baker.

izzyadmin — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 15:27:58 +0000

The retreat at Basunti was even better than dreamed or imagined. It was a larger, three dimensional and vibrant version of the pictures on the Basunti website – a walk-in photo shoot with all senses awakened.

It felt that the yoga was restorative with ancient techniques practiced in the land of their origin. Certainly the environment, the care of a fantastic team of staff, the amazingly deliciously nutritious food, the surrounding sense of history, the numerous creative and relaxing pastimes (or time to pass), the sunshine and utter peace, the great group energy, the wild life and glowing gardens ……. all combined to relax, restore and revive us all.

The revealing element was more subtle, equally delightful.

The magnificent grandeur of the snow-covered range of Himalayas remained tantalisingly hidden for our first week. No complaints as we were surrounded by mountains, the lake and the green jungle! But when the mist lifted, avidiya cleared, and the magnificent, unbelievably high, brooding, unchanging yet ever-changing, ancient range of mountains revealed themselves there was a surprisingly emotional response. Our own place in the universe was certainly revealed.

It seemed that many beautiful things revealed themselves. There was an endless list of daily wonders, bits of magic.

But other highlights were when the Dalai Lama drove by us in Mc Leod Ganj and smiled and waved. Something seemed to touch everyone in a surprising and unexpected way.

The sunken temples at Bathu also revealed themselves from the heat-shimmering sky and lake, like an ancient mirage, dramatic and full of history and stories to tell. Yet more magical, and somehow auspicious, treats were presented to us.

On our final meditation session Dave let us each hold, feel, explore via our senses some of his collection of ancient coins found in the ground that supported us. Each small vibrant piece of metal revealed yet more feelings and stories that helped to connect us to man’s ancient lineage. Yet another reminder of our own place in history.

There were many wonderful experiences that touched each person differently.

India changes you. Basunti certainly changed us all too. (by Sheila Baker, April 2012)

Landed Two Golden Mahseer as the season starts in Himachal Pradesh

dave — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:35:54 +0000

The last yoga group of the spring season departed on the 15th April, hopefully everyone left feeling happy, relaxed and well fed.

After contemplating my four and a half coming months of total freedom, decided to spend the first few days in the garden giving everything a much needed watering. Also started preparing all the vegetable beds for the new salad crop and planted lots of chilli and flower seeds.

This done it was time to dust off the fishing rods and head down to Mahseer Island with Tommy, to see if we could catch the evening meal. First cast and I landed a beautiful 800 gram Golden Mahseer, could not imagine a better start to the season. Half an hour later I hooked into another beauty and landed another Golden Mahseer of just over one and a half kilograms. Both fish were caught using a seven gram silver Toby.

Having caught enough to feed us all we headed back to Basunti and I prepared the fish. I marinated the Mahseer whole in a sauce consisting of olive oil, lime juice, soya sauce, garlic, ginger, fennel, lemon grass, chopped onion and tomato with some salt and black pepper. Placed the dish in the fridge for six hours before baking in a pre-heated oven for twenty minutes at 200 degrees Celsius. Four of us managed to eat over two kilograms of fish!

For the benefit of Alison (Alison L, as she points out), who joined us on Sheila Baker’s magical yoga retreat in March-April, new additions to birds spotted in the Basunti gardens include: Blue Capped Rock Thrush, Yellow Billed Blue Himalayan Magpie, Golden Oriole, Brahmini Starling and Pied Flycatcher.

Basunti Spuds straight from our gardens

dave — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 11:31:37 +0000

Raju and our organic crop

This year’s potato crop was planted early in November last year. The seed potatoes, which I had pre-ordered, came from the Barot Valley. This valley is renowned for its potato growing and discerning potato eaters buy the crops in advance from the farmers, so very little actually gets to the market.
I have harvested the potatoes some three weeks ago and was rewarded with a bumper crop. Each plant was producing about two kilograms of lovely looking spuds. A few of them were real monsters weighing in at around 500 grams each. The first few groups this year are in for a treat, nothing like home grown local produce to tantalise the taste buds.
Really looking forward to this evenings meal. Plan on having mashed potato, grilled Golden Mahseer steaks and Beetroot and Wild Rocket salad. Everything organic and from the garden, except the Mahseer, which was caught in the lake early this morning.

In preparation for the Golden Mahseer season in Northern India; fly tying and new techniques, by Andy Trewin

dave — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:46:15 +0000

Tying the 'Mahsunti' Fly

With temperatures beginning to rise in the Western Himalayas of India, I have started devising some strategies on how best to catch that elusive monster, Golden Mahseer. The water level in the lake is dropping fast, which means the water temperature will also be rising. This is so important for a good fishing season, as last year the water levels stayed very high due to a heavy monsoon and good winter rains in the rest of India. This made for a difficult season with the Golden Mahseer, with the catch being well down on previous years. Respectable amounts of fish were landed but it did make us realise just how important the shallower, warm water was to the number of fish taken.

The upside of the higher water levels last year was that our Sol (Snakehead) catch rocketed and we spent a lot of time perfecting new ways of catching what is quickly becoming my favourite Indian sport fish. The most successful new technique was using a canoe, one person quietly paddling up the gullies with the other casting from the front, parallel to the banks. This has to be done with pin point accuracy, as the Sol are easily spooked and any noise or strange movement quickly drives them into deeper water. The bigger fish tended to be in the shallow water at the top of the gullies and once we mastered the technique we were landing up to six decent size fish in a two hour session.

The Mahsunti fly

The signs for this year all look very good with the water levels already lower than they were in May last year. This is fantastic news, as it means fly fishing will be so much more successful, with the Mahseer herding the fry into the shallower water, which will give the perfect opportunity to fish sub surface fry patterns.

For the last few weeks I have been tying flies in preparation for the new season; fry patterns are the most successful and I have tried many variations. The best of these is still the”Mahsunti” which I first tied on the veranda at Basunti two seasons ago. Hopefully this coming season will be the first that we can also catch Sol on fly. Bouncing the fly of the banks before letting it drop back into the water is going to be tricky, but definitely possible. This was the method we used a lot with a lure and the results were very rewarding.

Every year we try different techniques. Last year we gave braid a good try, but the short, sharp casting techniques we used made it tangle constantly. We are now back to using mono with a few new stronger, more supple types to try. We also had a lot of trouble with fly line connectors so this year we are only using lines with welded loops and lots of quality backing. I will be taking a lot of new Rapalas to test but so far we still have not found anything that the Mahseer like better than silver number 2/3 Mepps.

Some completed Fry patterns

Having written this, I feel that April just can’t come fast enough. Angling in India has so much potential and each visit makes me realise just how lucky I am to be fishing in this most beautiful, unspoilt area of the world.