http://www.telegraphindia.com/section/frontpage/index.jsp
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|  |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 cops die in rebel blast | ||
| RAJ KUMAR | ||
Ranchi, Jan. 15: Around 100 Maoists laid siege to a police picket in Gumla district today, killing five policemen in apparent rebuttal to chief minister Shibu Soren's oft-repeated advocacy of a soft line against rebels to lure them into the mainstream. About 175km from the state capital, the picket, under the Bishnupur police station area close to the tourist destination of Netarhat, came under attack around 3pm. According to sources, after a brief encounter in which one policeman was killed, the others sent word for reinforcements. When that did not arrive, and finding themselves cornered, the policemen tried to flee. The sources said they decided to use a bauxite-laden truck to escape, but the Maoists got wind of the plan and blew it up by using a landmine. "After the policemen were cornered in their picket, they asked for reinforcements with the help of a chopper. But before help could reach them, they kept on fighting with the extremists with the weapons they had," a source explained, adding there were only eight policemen in the picket at the time of the attack. By the time additional forces could reach the picket, the Maoists had fled taking with them all the arms and ammunition. The policemen, who reached the picket, the sources added, were still there and had been asked to stay on till next morning at least. Lohardaga SP Subodh Prasad was also sent to Gumla in the evening. State police spokesperson and IG (human rights) V.H. Deshmukh confirmed the incident, but did not agree that there were requests from the trapped policemen to send reinforcements. "The jawans were killed in a landmine blast," he said. "The blast took place when the jawans were returning to their picket on a bauxite-laden truck at around 3.30pm. In the attack, five policemen and a truck driver was killed. Two others were injured, while one is missing." Gumla SP Narendra Kumar Singh and officer-in-charge of Bishnupur could not be contacted for comments. The five deceased policemen were identified as picket in-charge and ASI Shyam Kishore Singh and constables Gangadhar Mahto, Karma Yadav, Alok Rai and Surendra Nath Swansi. Those injured were constables N. Tiru and S. Lakra. Om Prakash, a havildar, was missing. The driver of the truck has been identified as Birendra Kumar Singh. |
| ArcelorMittal pledge to stay on | ||
| AMIT GUPTA | ||
Ranchi, Jan. 15: Steel major ArcelorMittal today reiterated its commitment to Jharkhand, reiterating its plan to set up a 12MT steel mill and assuring chief minister Shibu Soren that it had no desire to scale down the over Rs 40,000 crore project. "We are committed to the Jharkhand project. We met the chief minister, who has taken charge recently, to congratulate him in the New Year. He asked us to go ahead with our plans," M.P. Singh, the company's vice-president (mining), told The Telegraph after meeting Soren and other senior government officials at his Morabadi residence. On land and compensation that had stalled the Greenfield project in the state — as in Orissa, too — Singh agreed it was a critical issue. He, however, promised to abide by the government's rehabilitation and relief policy, besides trying to gain the confidence of villagers. There were fears that the largest steel producer in the world would either scale down or call off its plans in Jharkhand and Orissa after it announced a 6MT project in Karnataka by investing Rs 30,000 crore. But today's meeting with the chief minister and Singh's statement seemed to indicate that ArcelorMittal wasn't abandoning the Jharkhand project that has been floundering in the face of protests by villagers of Torpa and Kamdara, the proposed site in the state. State industry secretary N.N. Sinha seemed relieved and said the representatives of ArcelorMittal did express their commitment towards the proposed Greenfield project in Jharkhand. "They appeared positive," he said. ArcelorMittal had deposited Rs 12.39 crore with the Gumla district administration against transfer of around 1,000 acre land in 2009. A company official insisted there was no change in plans to set up the unit in the Torpa and Kamdara region falling under Khunti and Gumla districts, respectively. The company also has mining leases to possible deposits of approximately 60 million tonnes of iron ore in the Karampada area of West Singhbhum spread over 202 hectares. Besides, it has applied for prospecting license in an area of 1,087 hectares in neighbouring Karampada. Singh agreed the Jharkhand project was getting delayed but said they were hopeful. "I want to send out a message that it is for the welfare of villagers that the company is setting up its unit in the state." Among the other company officials who accompanied Singh to meet Soren were Sudhir Maheshwari, the member, group management board, and Vijay Bhatnagar, the chief executive officer. |
| 'Rapid deterioration' in Basu's condition |
| OUR BUREAU |
| Calcutta, Jan. 15: Jyoti Basu's condition "deteriorated rapidly" late tonight after his renal system suffered "irreversible" damage during the day. Key members of his medical board rushed to AMRI Hospital, where Basu is admitted, close to midnight. Basu's son Chandan also reached the hospital at night. Leaving the hospital around 12.40am, Chandan said: "I came because it was an emergency." Asked whether he would return soon, Chandan said: "I may, if there is an emergency." A medical bulletin issued in the evening said that Basu's ventilator requirement — which means the need for artificial oxygen — had increased significantly and he remained on complete sedation. Basu is suffering from a condition in which the functioning of all major organs are affected by the malfunctioning of other organs, a doctor said. Apart from the failure of the lungs, kidneys, cardiovascular system and haemodynamic system (the flow of blood), his liver has been affected, he added. "Then there is significant fluid retention in his body, including the heart muscle, because of multi-organ failure," the doctor added. As the fluid deposition was linked to kidney failure, the doctors tried two rounds of dialysis — for two hours yesterday as a test and three hours this afternoon — but the process didn't improve the kidneys or his general health condition. Doctors said they could not administer some of the necessary drugs during dialysis, keeping in mind an earlier blood clot in Basu's brain. "Although the clot doesn't exist any more, his system can't take some of the drugs usually given during dialysis," said a doctor. Basu's cardiac condition has severely worsened since the past two days and his heart is not pumping enough blood into the lungs. "He is suffering from what we call tricuspid regurgitation, a condition in which there is back-flow of blood from the right ventricle to the right atrium of the heart," a doctor said. For a person with normal cardiac function, the right ventricle of the heart pumps blood into the pulmonary artery. The blood flows forward through the artery from the heart to the lungs and the tricuspid valve blocks back-flow into the atrium. "The tricuspid valve in his heart is not functioning. So adequate blood is not pumped into the lungs and some amount is flowing back into the right atrium. This condition is because of the stiffness of the left ventricular muscle, which is creating more pressure on the right one," the doctor said. The stiffness in cardiac muscles has resulted in the left ventricle not receiving the required amount of blood from the lungs. "The blood not received by the heart is flowing into the liver and causing its dysfunction," the doctor added. Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and CPM politburo member Sitaram Yechury visited the hospital. |
| Crouching cougar, hidden cub | ||
| The West has its cougars — women around or above 40 who pursue or are pursued by men half their age — but Reena Martins discovers that older women with considerably younger male partners are not rare in India either | ||
It's past 8pm and the wine-and-pasta party has begun to gather momentum at a vintage house in a North Goa village. Aromatic candles flicker on the tables, and the ambience is decidedly romantic. Somewhere in the melee, unseen by the non-discerning, are three well-built young men. They don't quite fit in with the rest of the crowd — they are chatting among themselves and don't seem to know too many of the guests there. But when the party ends and the lights go out, they are the ones who'll lock themselves into bedrooms with the party hostesses. The hostesses — divorcees and unmarried women in their late fifties — are called cougars, after the North American wild cat. It's a word that's been gaining currency in recent times. A cougar, as the definition goes, is a woman around or above 40 who pursues or is pursued by men who are half her age. There are other definitions, too. "A cougar is a smart, sexy and independent woman who makes empowered choices for herself and her love life — far away from the desperate, sex-starved older women image of one who preys on younger men," says Rita Sangha, 39, a self-proclaimed British cougar of Indian parentage. "We should lighten up about the term cougar." The West has its real life star cougar such as Demi Moore (who at 42 married Ashton Kutcher, then 27), cougar-cub dating sites and clubs, Courtney Cox in the sitcom Cougar Town, cougar cruises, "how-to-be-a-cougar" manuals and published confessionals on the joys of being a cougar. Nor are cougars restricted to the glamourous professions. Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson's wife Iris had an affair with a 19-year-old man when she was 59. India may not be all there yet, but older women with considerably younger male partners are not rare. Take Sheela and Siddharth. Siddharth, a journalist in his 20s, ran into Sheela at an art gallery in Mumbai. After a few meetings, Siddharth says he realised Sheela, who was older than his mother, needed "some serious attention". So they met, dined and had sex. They went to the movies and held hands inside the theatre. All in all, "she behaved like a teenager in love, though she also scolded me," he says. Sangha, who claims to be in the know about the cougar scene from "Africa to California", says she has been approached by "quite a few so-called cougars" in India who are more likely to be secretive of their desires. Sangha's Facebook home page is replete with pictures of her in a trademark teasing smile and loads of cleavage. Men, 20-something or even younger, form a major chunk of her 1,000-plus friends on the social networking site. In between announcing the countdown to the next cougar party (which is every other day), she asks in one status update: "Are there any Indian cougars out there?" Amidst the customary 'lol' (or Laugh Out Loud), another cougar replies: "Yes, they are 'coming out'." Recently Sangha played agony aunt to a man in Delhi, whose email read: "I am 26, she is 35. How does this sound? In our families, it is a crime." She urges young men to be "sophisticated" and impress the partner with knowledge of her favourite subjects. "Let her know you want to win the key to her heart and let her win on purpose; be romantic and sweet; say things you mean — like 'you give me butterflies'; and most importantly, act like the age difference does not bother you." Sangha, who sells her e-book Insider Hot Dating Tips and Secrets on her website www.womenwholoveyoungermen.com, says women love men who can "confidently" wear pink. "Treat her like a queen and put her first," she advises. But do not say "You look too old to be a cougar, flash your private parts or be crude, or worse still, get tongue tied." Siddharth isn't tongue-tied, but his cougar likes to speak her mind. She tells him how to behave in public, and teaches him to act "gentlemanly" at the club. "She called me a shallow intellectual and encouraged me to write articles that were meaningful," Siddharth says. He enjoys being driven around town and dining at five-star restaurants. Sheela gifted him a gold chain, a Citizen watch and a gold "commemorative" ring — which he sold when he was broke. There is no exchange of money. "She insists I am not a gigolo to be paid, and that the gifts are only out of her affection for me," he says. Not all cougars, however, flaunt their man candy. In Mumbai, Aarti, a grandmother in her mid-sixties, and her boyfriend Rahul, 42, mask their affair as a mother-son relationship in public — with Rahul even addressing her as "mother". But when the world's not looking, the two are together. Aarti insists that Rahul dine with her every night — which he does. If he has a late-night do, she waits up for him. But what cements a relationship between a younger man and an older woman? For some young men, there is erotic adventure in dating older women. For some women, a younger man acts as an antidote to ageing. "I feel like a younger person," says Mumbai-based Juliet, who is married to a younger man. "I see women my age married to men older than themselves and they have grown old before their years. They see themselves as their husband's age and try to conform to a role of what society expects of them," she says. Many younger men say they find it refreshing and attractive to be approached by a woman. "The lack of confidence and inhibitions she may have had as a younger woman having gone, she is now more sure of herself and her attractiveness,' says Sangha. Sometimes, it's only sex that keeps the partners together. The cougar group in Goa has little else in common with their men. The women come from moneyed backgrounds, while their men — all between 27 and 35 years of age — run restaurants or small tourist-related businesses. Though these men are looked after lavishly, they are not to be flaunted in public and only lurk in the shadows of candle-light parties. Families of cougars are obviously not very happy about the affairs. Aarti's husband and married children know about her relationship, and her son has been trying to bar Rahul's entry into the house. It hasn't worked, for Aarti invariably opens the backdoor to her unmarried paramour. Sheela's husband, an environmental activist and small time businessman, once found her embracing Siddharth. The husband walked out of the room without saying a word, but a few days later complained to Siddharth's boss about the "poor quality" of his work. Not many of these relationships last long. Once or twice a week, the Goa women's group heads off to the flea market and the beach, where the beach boys prowl. "They even scout for boyfriends for each other, each time one of them is dumped by a man," says Vivek, 38, a regular at the ladies' parties. This is the story of most 'cougar-cub' relationships. Sangha believes these affairs can last for anything between a "lifetime and five minutes". But no one's complaining — neither the cougar, nor the cub. Dos for cougars ♦ Treat him like an equal♦ Have fun, but don't expect every date to turn into a relationship ♦ Have interests outside your date/relationship ♦ Be yourself and like yourself ♦ Make sure you still see your girlfriends, family, etc ♦ Be confident about yourself and your body/looks …And don'ts ♦ Don't mother him♦ Don't pay for everything ♦ Don't act like an overaggressive man ♦ Don't be a doormat |
| The luxury king | |||||||||
| Sonu Shivdasani's Six Senses resorts are playgrounds for the super-rich, says Hoihnu Hauzel | |||||||||
Sonu Shivdasani is always one step ahead of the pack. The ace hotelier has a nose for discovering picture-perfect locales, and an eye for turning them into breathtakingly beauteous resorts that are get-away-from-it-all playgrounds for the super-rich. His favourite stamping grounds are the beaches of Thailand — where he has just opened a resort, Soneva Kiri — and the exotic islands of The Maldives. Now Shivdasani's sixth sense is working overtime and it's telling him that it's time to strike out and build resorts in completely new locations like Zighy Bay in Oman. Besides that he has already wrapped up a deal that will put India on the Six Senses map. So, Shivdasani — who's British but with Indian roots — is bringing his chain to south India's Nilgiri Hills. It's a location he's familiar with because his mother owns a tea plantation in the Blue Mountains. "We have already signed the agreement," says Shivdasani, who is the CEO and chairman of Six Senses, one of the world's top resort and spa management and development companies. We are sipping green tea sitting at the restaurant of The InterContinental Carlton Cannes, France, where Shivdasani threw a lavish bash to announce the opening of Soneva Kiri, a picturesque resort that opened its doors last month in Kood, a remote, under-populated Thai island. Shivdasani is one of the global stars of the travel trade. His ultra-upmarket Six Senses chain was born in 1995 when he unveiled Soneva Fushi in The Maldives. Since then he has opened 13 other resorts mostly in Thailand and The Maldives (where he lives for part of the year) and also Vietnam. Incidentally, the folks at Kingfisher, who have an eye for beauteous girls and destinations, picked two Six Senses resorts, Soneva Fushi and Soneva Gili in The Maldives as the locations for their 2010 calendar shoot. What's Shivdasani's secret of success? Firstly, he has an eye for the perfect setting even if it's remote, and untried as a tourist destination. Take a look at his newest destination Soneva Kiri. It's located on the fourth largest island in Thailand but very few people live on it so Six Senses had to build a private airport to ferry in guests. Guests who land in Bangkok are transferred to the resort's luxurious custom-fitted eight-seater Cessna Grand Caravan for the 60-minutes flight to Soneva Kiri's own airport. From there it's a 2km trip by luxury speedboat to the arrival dock.
What else is special about Six Senses? The brand offers luxury with a difference — a back to nature experience without compromising on the comfort factor. Also, Six Senses adheres to a strict green code and what Shivdasani calls the philosophy of 'Slow Life'. What's Slow Life? It rests on several pillars like sustainable tourism and a dependence on local materials. In addition, the cuisine is organic and wholesome. And each resort is also known by its top-class spas that offer treatments based entirely on natural products. Shivdasani also personally believes in working closely with the local community, educating them about sustainable, ecological tourism. "Above all, we are seriously contemplating achieving a zero carbon footprint for all our 14 resorts,'' says Shivdasani, who speaks 'pidgin' Hindi and fluent French. For Shivdasani, the India connect is important. He was born in England to parents who originally hailed from Sindh in undivided Pakistan. His father migrated to England long before the Partition. So, he's excited about his first India resort in the Nilgiris which will be just 20 minutes away from Coimbatore airport. "I believe that India needs a Six Senses Destination Spa for the discerning Indian traveller," says Shivdasani, who is nattily dressed in an elegant pale pink shirt teamed with grey pants. Trim and lean, there's no a sign of extra flab making it evident that the founder of the ultra high-end and green spas and resorts is a fitness and health freak. Shivdasani isn't just particular about his diet — he doesn't miss his workouts even if he is travelling. "Being healthy is our company's forte and staying healthy is an integral part of the company's ethos," he says. There are different categories in the Six Senses brand but each spells exclusivity and it helps to have deep pockets if you want to book a room/villa. For instance, if you opt for the Soneva brand, like the Soneva Fushi, be prepared to shell out anything between $1,500 and $10,000 per night, per villa for a couple. The next category includes Hideaway or Evason properties for which you could be paying anything from $500 to $2,000 per night, per villa for a couple. But at the very top of the pecking order is the Six Senses Destination Spa that he says "go beyond luxury''. The first (and currently the only one in the category) opened its doors in Phuket in 2008. A two-bedroom villa here starts at $5,000 a night and at the very top it costs a whopping $12,000 a night. The Six Senses Destination Spa Phuket has 61 villas and comes with 44 treatment rooms. The resort has been built using reclaimed building materials collected from different parts of Thailand. All the greenery in the resort is edible — except of course the trees. Herbs and organic vegetables are grown on the property and subsequently utilised in its kitchens. At Phuket there are four interrelated spa concepts that focus on Chinese, Indian, Indonesian and Thai inspired therapies. "We have ground-breaking fitness programmes and offer wellness inspired 'fishetarian cuisine', which is a light and healthy fish meal," says Ana Maria Tavares, managing director, Six Senses Destination Spa, Phuket.
Soneva Gili, located in one of the largest lagoons in the Maldives, also offers its own interpretation of by-the-sea luxury. The resort offers 45 sumptuous over-water villas (built on stilts) including seven Crusoe Residences and The Private Reserve that can be accessed only by boat. Each villa has its own private water garden and sun decks. At Six Senses Hideaway Samui in Koh Samui, island guests who guard their privacy can freely walk around incognito. The resort is set on 20 acres around a sloping headland on the northern tip of Samui Island. There are 66 villas of which 52 villas have private infinity-edged swimming pools and come with personal butlers. It's taken Shivdasani much time to turn his sights on India. He says: "Quite honestly, India has limited locations for Six Senses. India does have plenty of beaches but they are not exceptional or remote enough for our signature hotels. The Andaman Islands, however, are remote, exotic and unique with a strong local culture. They could form some of the best locations for the Six Senses group." He adds that the beaches in Thailand and in The Maldives are unbeatable. "I'm afraid Indian beaches pale in comparison," he says with a shrug. But what's with the obsession with green hotels? He says that it's his better half, Swedish-born, former model Eva, who has been the inspiration behind the chain's green philosophy. "Eva is very environment conscious and her personal values affect the details of the properties," says Shivdasani. Shivdasani met Eva in Monte Carlo when he took a break to prepare for his final Master's exams. Eva was introduced to Shivdasani by his sister. As a creative director of Six Senses, Eva takes charge of details like interiors, fabrics and furnishings for the resorts. And as CEO and chairman, Shivdasani conceptualises the resorts and concentrates on the development and conceptual architecture of the buildings. "We do (often) have diverging opinions but I am more inclined to give way on an interiors question and Eva more likely on an architectural one," he says.
Even the name Six Senses came up during one of their brainstorming sessions. "It was an apt name as we were appealing to all five senses of our guests and then we thought of Six Senses, believing that we are, with our offer of intelligent luxury, providing the sixth sense," adds Shivdasani. So how did an Oxonian with a Master's degree in English Literature land in the hospitality business? It all began when he completed his education in 1988 and joined the family business for three years. His father ran a multinational trading company and was also involved in breweries, vineyards and tea plantations. The Shivdasanis also owned a 10,000-acre farm in Africa where the young Sonu learnt all about plants and how to raise them. At eight, Shivdasani even learnt to drive a tractor and a Land Rover. His father died when he was 13, and the reins of the business passed into his mother's hands. "My father even told me that I would land up being a farmer," says Shivdasani, who reckons that today he's no different from a farmer. "I think about my resorts business, like a farmer would about his farm. A resort needs to be tended and nurtured, cared for and developed. Profits need to be ploughed back into it and into the local community and environment. All conditions, including hard work and constant care, must be right to enable it to flourish and grow into a successful business." And that's exactly what's taken him to such heights. While expansion plans are ongoing for Six Senses and there are expectations of a compound growth of 20 per cent in 2010, there's no compromise on quality and service. Shivdasani and Eva live in the Maldives, but home could be anywhere in the world where his belongings are. So, home could be even his old home in Oxford from his university days. Shivdasani and Eva visit their Oxford home at least twice but sometimes as many as four or five times a year and they stay, normally, for two weeks each time. Or home could also be at the Soneva Fushi where they love the beach and the twinkling blue sea. Today, he reckons that being innovative is integral to the Six Senses success story. "Six Senses has been a pioneer. We are constantly exploring and pushing the boundaries of what we do," says Shivdasani. However, he says that the culture of Six Senses is not conventional. "We have very strong values and our ecological principles alone have made our work very challenging," points out Shivdasani. |
| The luxury king | |||||||||
| Sonu Shivdasani's Six Senses resorts are playgrounds for the super-rich, says Hoihnu Hauzel | |||||||||
Sonu Shivdasani is always one step ahead of the pack. The ace hotelier has a nose for discovering picture-perfect locales, and an eye for turning them into breathtakingly beauteous resorts that are get-away-from-it-all playgrounds for the super-rich. His favourite stamping grounds are the beaches of Thailand — where he has just opened a resort, Soneva Kiri — and the exotic islands of The Maldives. Now Shivdasani's sixth sense is working overtime and it's telling him that it's time to strike out and build resorts in completely new locations like Zighy Bay in Oman. Besides that he has already wrapped up a deal that will put India on the Six Senses map. So, Shivdasani — who's British but with Indian roots — is bringing his chain to south India's Nilgiri Hills. It's a location he's familiar with because his mother owns a tea plantation in the Blue Mountains. "We have already signed the agreement," says Shivdasani, who is the CEO and chairman of Six Senses, one of the world's top resort and spa management and development companies. We are sipping green tea sitting at the restaurant of The InterContinental Carlton Cannes, France, where Shivdasani threw a lavish bash to announce the opening of Soneva Kiri, a picturesque resort that opened its doors last month in Kood, a remote, under-populated Thai island. Shivdasani is one of the global stars of the travel trade. His ultra-upmarket Six Senses chain was born in 1995 when he unveiled Soneva Fushi in The Maldives. Since then he has opened 13 other resorts mostly in Thailand and The Maldives (where he lives for part of the year) and also Vietnam. Incidentally, the folks at Kingfisher, who have an eye for beauteous girls and destinations, picked two Six Senses resorts, Soneva Fushi and Soneva Gili in The Maldives as the locations for their 2010 calendar shoot. What's Shivdasani's secret of success? Firstly, he has an eye for the perfect setting even if it's remote, and untried as a tourist destination. Take a look at his newest destination Soneva Kiri. It's located on the fourth largest island in Thailand but very few people live on it so Six Senses had to build a private airport to ferry in guests. Guests who land in Bangkok are transferred to the resort's luxurious custom-fitted eight-seater Cessna Grand Caravan for the 60-minutes flight to Soneva Kiri's own airport. From there it's a 2km trip by luxury speedboat to the arrival dock.
What else is special about Six Senses? The brand offers luxury with a difference — a back to nature experience without compromising on the comfort factor. Also, Six Senses adheres to a strict green code and what Shivdasani calls the philosophy of 'Slow Life'. What's Slow Life? It rests on several pillars like sustainable tourism and a dependence on local materials. In addition, the cuisine is organic and wholesome. And each resort is also known by its top-class spas that offer treatments based entirely on natural products. Shivdasani also personally believes in working closely with the local community, educating them about sustainable, ecological tourism. "Above all, we are seriously contemplating achieving a zero carbon footprint for all our 14 resorts,'' says Shivdasani, who speaks 'pidgin' Hindi and fluent French. For Shivdasani, the India connect is important. He was born in England to parents who originally hailed from Sindh in undivided Pakistan. His father migrated to England long before the Partition. So, he's excited about his first India resort in the Nilgiris which will be just 20 minutes away from Coimbatore airport. "I believe that India needs a Six Senses Destination Spa for the discerning Indian traveller," says Shivdasani, who is nattily dressed in an elegant pale pink shirt teamed with grey pants. Trim and lean, there's no a sign of extra flab making it evident that the founder of the ultra high-end and green spas and resorts is a fitness and health freak. Shivdasani isn't just particular about his diet — he doesn't miss his workouts even if he is travelling. "Being healthy is our company's forte and staying healthy is an integral part of the company's ethos," he says. There are different categories in the Six Senses brand but each spells exclusivity and it helps to have deep pockets if you want to book a room/villa. For instance, if you opt for the Soneva brand, like the Soneva Fushi, be prepared to shell out anything between $1,500 and $10,000 per night, per villa for a couple. The next category includes Hideaway or Evason properties for which you could be paying anything from $500 to $2,000 per night, per villa for a couple. But at the very top of the pecking order is the Six Senses Destination Spa that he says "go beyond luxury''. The first (and currently the only one in the category) opened its doors in Phuket in 2008. A two-bedroom villa here starts at $5,000 a night and at the very top it costs a whopping $12,000 a night. The Six Senses Destination Spa Phuket has 61 villas and comes with 44 treatment rooms. The resort has been built using reclaimed building materials collected from different parts of Thailand. All the greenery in the resort is edible — except of course the trees. Herbs and organic vegetables are grown on the property and subsequently utilised in its kitchens. At Phuket there are four interrelated spa concepts that focus on Chinese, Indian, Indonesian and Thai inspired therapies. "We have ground-breaking fitness programmes and offer wellness inspired 'fishetarian cuisine', which is a light and healthy fish meal," says Ana Maria Tavares, managing director, Six Senses Destination Spa, Phuket.
Soneva Gili, located in one of the largest lagoons in the Maldives, also offers its own interpretation of by-the-sea luxury. The resort offers 45 sumptuous over-water villas (built on stilts) including seven Crusoe Residences and The Private Reserve that can be accessed only by boat. Each villa has its own private water garden and sun decks. At Six Senses Hideaway Samui in Koh Samui, island guests who guard their privacy can freely walk around incognito. The resort is set on 20 acres around a sloping headland on the northern tip of Samui Island. There are 66 villas of which 52 villas have private infinity-edged swimming pools and come with personal butlers. It's taken Shivdasani much time to turn his sights on India. He says: "Quite honestly, India has limited locations for Six Senses. India does have plenty of beaches but they are not exceptional or remote enough for our signature hotels. The Andaman Islands, however, are remote, exotic and unique with a strong local culture. They could form some of the best locations for the Six Senses group." He adds that the beaches in Thailand and in The Maldives are unbeatable. "I'm afraid Indian beaches pale in comparison," he says with a shrug. But what's with the obsession with green hotels? He says that it's his better half, Swedish-born, former model Eva, who has been the inspiration behind the chain's green philosophy. "Eva is very environment conscious and her personal values affect the details of the properties," says Shivdasani. Shivdasani met Eva in Monte Carlo when he took a break to prepare for his final Master's exams. Eva was introduced to Shivdasani by his sister. As a creative director of Six Senses, Eva takes charge of details like interiors, fabrics and furnishings for the resorts. And as CEO and chairman, Shivdasani conceptualises the resorts and concentrates on the development and conceptual architecture of the buildings. "We do (often) have diverging opinions but I am more inclined to give way on an interiors question and Eva more likely on an architectural one," he says.
Even the name Six Senses came up during one of their brainstorming sessions. "It was an apt name as we were appealing to all five senses of our guests and then we thought of Six Senses, believing that we are, with our offer of intelligent luxury, providing the sixth sense," adds Shivdasani. So how did an Oxonian with a Master's degree in English Literature land in the hospitality business? It all began when he completed his education in 1988 and joined the family business for three years. His father ran a multinational trading company and was also involved in breweries, vineyards and tea plantations. The Shivdasanis also owned a 10,000-acre farm in Africa where the young Sonu learnt all about plants and how to raise them. At eight, Shivdasani even learnt to drive a tractor and a Land Rover. His father died when he was 13, and the reins of the business passed into his mother's hands. "My father even told me that I would land up being a farmer," says Shivdasani, who reckons that today he's no different from a farmer. "I think about my resorts business, like a farmer would about his farm. A resort needs to be tended and nurtured, cared for and developed. Profits need to be ploughed back into it and into the local community and environment. All conditions, including hard work and constant care, must be right to enable it to flourish and grow into a successful business." And that's exactly what's taken him to such heights. While expansion plans are ongoing for Six Senses and there are expectations of a compound growth of 20 per cent in 2010, there's no compromise on quality and service. Shivdasani and Eva live in the Maldives, but home could be anywhere in the world where his belongings are. So, home could be even his old home in Oxford from his university days. Shivdasani and Eva visit their Oxford home at least twice but sometimes as many as four or five times a year and they stay, normally, for two weeks each time. Or home could also be at the Soneva Fushi where they love the beach and the twinkling blue sea. Today, he reckons that being innovative is integral to the Six Senses success story. "Six Senses has been a pioneer. We are constantly exploring and pushing the boundaries of what we do," says Shivdasani. However, he says that the culture of Six Senses is not conventional. "We have very strong values and our ecological principles alone have made our work very challenging," points out Shivdasani. |
New Windows 7: Simplify what you do everyday. Find the right PC for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment