When Aseem Varma and his wife Neetu told me that at their homestay, everything is made from scratch, it rather came as a surprise to me. The duo were true to their word as they created a
ecosystem in the ‘queen of hills’ — Mussoorie, Uttarakhand.
Called the Brigadier’s Cottage, this homestay is a place where time stands still, allowing you to hear your thoughts.
“It is a place where you can run with your kids and experience nature in full glory. We have created an escape from city life and its rat-race so you can experience nature in its raw form,” Aseem, the co-founder of the homestay, shares in a conversation with The Better India.
The homestay is not only made with zero-cement and local wood but also has a poultry farm, a dairy farm, an apiary, and an organic food forest and is pet-friendly. So, whether you are having a cup of tea or a boiled egg, everything is grown on the property.
But how did this couple with Here is their story.
Sitting across in their homestay’s lounge, Aseem, Neetu, and their daughter eagerly share the story of their life’s work.
“We lived in Gurgaon on the ninth floor of an apartment building and felt increasingly disconnected from nature. Both of us wanted to escape the rat-race and provide our daughter with a better life. Every day, we would hear news about food adulteration which deeply concerned us,” says Aseem.
Aseem, who worked as a general manager at ITC, and Neetu, who worked at MakeMyTrip, were already familiar with the hotel industry. “We wanted to create a community and a home where people could come to take a break from city life,” he explains.
The couple was already in love with the mountains and which place was better than ‘The Queen Of Hills’?
“We started to look for places before deciding to move. One thing that we noticed was that the hill station has a lot of big buildings but we did not want that. We wanted to give a break to people from the hustle and bustle of cities,” he says.
Aseem and Neetu Varma
After looking for some time, the couple finally found “You know how as a kid you would draw two big mountains, a river and a home on the side? That is exactly what the place looked like. It was near Kempty Falls and had a river passing through just below. There was a 50-year-old broken down structure which we used as a base for our homestay,” says Neetu.
The duo bought the property in 2015 and Neetu quit her job. A year later, Aseem followed suit.
“When we were constructing the homestay, a lot of locals told us that no one would come to the place as it is not in the heart of the city. However, it was important for us to create an ecosystem, and a self-sustaining place rather than a business,” says Aseem.
“We opened our doors to guests in 2017. We currently have 7 rooms and have hosted over 10,000 guests so far,” he adds.
What lay at the core of the Brigadiar’s Cottage was sustainability.
“Everything — from what we use to make our home and what we serve to the guests — we wanted it all to be as eco-friendly as we could. We did not use any cement in the construction of the house. We used only locally-sourced materials and hired local artists to do the job,” he says.
Aseem continues, “This not only provided jobs for the locals but also reduced the carbon footprint we would have created. Although we cannot use it in the winters, we also have solar power in the homestay,,” he adds.
The couple has also planted 300 trees ever since they purchased the property.
Neetu and Aseem have a poultry farm, a dairy farm, an apiary, and an organic food forest.
Talking about it, Neetu says, “The idea was not just to create an escape for adults but also a space for the kids to explore nature. Today’s kids are drinking milk out of cartons and eating chicken from KFC. The idea was to create an organic space, an organic lifestyle for not only our daughter but for all the kids we could offer it to.”
“Everything that we serve to the guests comes from our farms. We even make our own oil from walnuts, groundnuts and mustard seeds.”
Neetu adds, “We also produce our own honey with 23 bee boxes. We grow turmeric and chia seeds and have our own dairy for milk. Additionally, we maintain a small poultry farm with around 30 chickens for eggs. Vegetables are sourced from local farms as well. Essentially, everything we consume here is either grown or raised by us or sourced from the organic farms nearby.”
also follows a no-waste policy. “We try to use everything that we procure. All the food waste becomes fodder for our livestock. All the cow dung is converted and made into organic incense sticks to be used in the homestay itself,” Aseem says.
“When guests come to stay with us, they usually book a three-night stay. On the first day, they arrive at the cottage by the afternoon, usually post-lunch, after a long drive from places like Delhi or Mumbai. We encourage them to settle down and relax,” says Aseem.
The common dining area, whether it’s in the dining room or the terrace, then becomes a gathering spot in the evening. “During the winter, we have bonfires to enhance the cosy atmosphere. On the second day, we recommend exploring the local sights like Landour and the Mall Road. Guests often spend the day sightseeing and enjoying the local attractions.”
“On the third day, we ask the guests to visit the Benog Wildlife Sanctuary. We have a local guide who is very knowledgeable about herbs and the area. He takes the guests on a trail through the jungle to the waterfalls. Depending on their preference, the trail can be a short one-hour walk or a longer four-hour hike.
The area is also a bird sanctuary, making it a paradise for bird watchers. “Many guests have spotted rare birds such as the blue-throated barbet, plum-headed parakeet, and Himalayan bulbul from our cottage, and even more when they go on the trails.”
After the morning hike and bird watching, guests come back for breakfast and then head down to the Yamuna River.
The cottage offers scenic views of the hills.
“There, they can enjoy activities like river rafting and have a family picnic. We set up tables right in the shallow water, providing a unique and enjoyable experience. Guests often take towels from here to splash around in the river. We also recommend a visit to Chai Sanji, known as the Corn Village of India, to experience more local culture and activities.”
You can book your stay .
(Edited by Padmashree Pande; All Images Credit: Brigadier’s Cottage)
Called the Brigadier’s Cottage, this homestay is a place where time stands still, allowing you to hear your thoughts.
“It is a place where you can run with your kids and experience nature in full glory. We have created an escape from city life and its rat-race so you can experience nature in its raw form,” Aseem, the co-founder of the homestay, shares in a conversation with The Better India.
The homestay is not only made with zero-cement and local wood but also has a poultry farm, a dairy farm, an apiary, and an organic food forest and is pet-friendly. So, whether you are having a cup of tea or a boiled egg, everything is grown on the property.
But how did this couple with Here is their story.
A family affair
Sitting across in their homestay’s lounge, Aseem, Neetu, and their daughter eagerly share the story of their life’s work.
“We lived in Gurgaon on the ninth floor of an apartment building and felt increasingly disconnected from nature. Both of us wanted to escape the rat-race and provide our daughter with a better life. Every day, we would hear news about food adulteration which deeply concerned us,” says Aseem.
Aseem, who worked as a general manager at ITC, and Neetu, who worked at MakeMyTrip, were already familiar with the hotel industry. “We wanted to create a community and a home where people could come to take a break from city life,” he explains.
The couple was already in love with the mountains and which place was better than ‘The Queen Of Hills’?
“We started to look for places before deciding to move. One thing that we noticed was that the hill station has a lot of big buildings but we did not want that. We wanted to give a break to people from the hustle and bustle of cities,” he says.
Aseem and Neetu Varma
After looking for some time, the couple finally found “You know how as a kid you would draw two big mountains, a river and a home on the side? That is exactly what the place looked like. It was near Kempty Falls and had a river passing through just below. There was a 50-year-old broken down structure which we used as a base for our homestay,” says Neetu.
The duo bought the property in 2015 and Neetu quit her job. A year later, Aseem followed suit.
“When we were constructing the homestay, a lot of locals told us that no one would come to the place as it is not in the heart of the city. However, it was important for us to create an ecosystem, and a self-sustaining place rather than a business,” says Aseem.
“We opened our doors to guests in 2017. We currently have 7 rooms and have hosted over 10,000 guests so far,” he adds.
A self-sustaining home
What lay at the core of the Brigadiar’s Cottage was sustainability.
“Everything — from what we use to make our home and what we serve to the guests — we wanted it all to be as eco-friendly as we could. We did not use any cement in the construction of the house. We used only locally-sourced materials and hired local artists to do the job,” he says.
Aseem continues, “This not only provided jobs for the locals but also reduced the carbon footprint we would have created. Although we cannot use it in the winters, we also have solar power in the homestay,,” he adds.
The couple has also planted 300 trees ever since they purchased the property.
Neetu and Aseem have a poultry farm, a dairy farm, an apiary, and an organic food forest.
Talking about it, Neetu says, “The idea was not just to create an escape for adults but also a space for the kids to explore nature. Today’s kids are drinking milk out of cartons and eating chicken from KFC. The idea was to create an organic space, an organic lifestyle for not only our daughter but for all the kids we could offer it to.”
“Everything that we serve to the guests comes from our farms. We even make our own oil from walnuts, groundnuts and mustard seeds.”
Neetu adds, “We also produce our own honey with 23 bee boxes. We grow turmeric and chia seeds and have our own dairy for milk. Additionally, we maintain a small poultry farm with around 30 chickens for eggs. Vegetables are sourced from local farms as well. Essentially, everything we consume here is either grown or raised by us or sourced from the organic farms nearby.”
also follows a no-waste policy. “We try to use everything that we procure. All the food waste becomes fodder for our livestock. All the cow dung is converted and made into organic incense sticks to be used in the homestay itself,” Aseem says.
How to spend time at the homestay?
“When guests come to stay with us, they usually book a three-night stay. On the first day, they arrive at the cottage by the afternoon, usually post-lunch, after a long drive from places like Delhi or Mumbai. We encourage them to settle down and relax,” says Aseem.
The common dining area, whether it’s in the dining room or the terrace, then becomes a gathering spot in the evening. “During the winter, we have bonfires to enhance the cosy atmosphere. On the second day, we recommend exploring the local sights like Landour and the Mall Road. Guests often spend the day sightseeing and enjoying the local attractions.”
“On the third day, we ask the guests to visit the Benog Wildlife Sanctuary. We have a local guide who is very knowledgeable about herbs and the area. He takes the guests on a trail through the jungle to the waterfalls. Depending on their preference, the trail can be a short one-hour walk or a longer four-hour hike.
The area is also a bird sanctuary, making it a paradise for bird watchers. “Many guests have spotted rare birds such as the blue-throated barbet, plum-headed parakeet, and Himalayan bulbul from our cottage, and even more when they go on the trails.”
After the morning hike and bird watching, guests come back for breakfast and then head down to the Yamuna River.
The cottage offers scenic views of the hills.
“There, they can enjoy activities like river rafting and have a family picnic. We set up tables right in the shallow water, providing a unique and enjoyable experience. Guests often take towels from here to splash around in the river. We also recommend a visit to Chai Sanji, known as the Corn Village of India, to experience more local culture and activities.”
You can book your stay .
(Edited by Padmashree Pande; All Images Credit: Brigadier’s Cottage)