There was this time I was fasting, when I was so ravaged by hunger, I could find nothing in the room—just a bed, table and TV— and I imagined myself eating the blanket. So I watched a film, and the hunger soon passed. Eventually, I had cheerfully fasted for a week—under supervision, with healthy juices through the day and soup and salad at meals—and when finally offered a regular meal, I found it impossible to finish. I learnt to listen to my body.

I was recently at the Jindal Naturecure Institute, Bengaluru, that cures by drugless therapy, by letting nature cure you. It was one of the most transformative life experiences I have had in recent years. Convinced that nature—and the body itself—are the best healers, industrialist Dr SR Jindal has created a seamless hospital-cum-spa concept, bringing varied and holistic expertise in naturopathy and nature cure under one roof, including yoga, Ayurveda, treatments including massages, colon hydro therapy and mud baths, as well as related fields like physiotherapy and acupuncture. All amidst beautiful gardens, a walking track along a serene lake with cheeping waterfowl, an orchard and farm, with peacocks pottering about.