NEEMRANA: AMAN AND FRANCIS’S LABOUR OF LOVE
by Kumkum Ramchandani

They are India’s latest flavour. Aman Nath (a Hamid Karzai-look alike) and Francis Wacziarg have come up with an intriguing recipe – take a ruined heritage property, add a dollop of imagination, heaps of stunningly simple ethnic décor, gracious eastern hospitality and impeccable service and bingo! You have ‘brand Neemrana’.

Aman and Francis met while researching the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan. They stumbled upon a ruined and abandoned 3 acre fort palace spread over 25 acres and situated 120 kilometres from Delhi. The former maharajah of Neemrana had lost all his wealth and the villagers had looted the palace of everything remaining, leaving it a virtual crumbling wreck for forty years.

The two partners bought the palace from the maharajah in 1986, then employed India’s best designers and builders to clear the rubble and restore the façade which took a painstaking five years. It opened its doors in 1991 with 12 rooms which today have burgeoned to almost 60. ‘Brand Neemrana’ has now been extended to eleven properties spread across the country where the Nath-Wacziarg recipe has been used with predictably stunning effectiveness.

I was lucky to capture the every busy Aman and for a fleeting moment, his charming partner Francis, during a fairy tale 2-day wedding I attended in the Neemrana Fort Palace. We had a quick photo shoot at the swimming pool where both posed good naturedly next to an elephant statue. Aman had been awake till the wee hours of the morning putting the finishing touches to one of the shaadi venues while Francis was bustling off to a business meeting in Delhi. Later, Aman proudly displayed his latest lavish coffee table book which has been commissioned by India’s wealthy business family, the Tatas. The book, yet to be launched, outlines the amazing evolution of the Tatas and is resplendent with rare family photos and illustrations.

The day before, as the wedding baraat (of which I was a part) was welcomed with delcious jal jeera and banana muffins, I had the privilege of meeting Aman’s mother, a gracious and learned lady whose legendary recipes for pickles and jams have became part of the Neemrana culinary experience.

Mrs Nath pointed to a four year old girl cavorting around the ramparts. She is bachelor Aman’s adopted daughter who was ‘gifted’ to him, I learned from him later, by a Himachal Pradeshi family when she was one and a half years old.

Mrs Nath explained how her son, one of twins born to her 54 years ago, first showed his creative nature in the conducive environment of Delhi’s elite Modern School, which in those days at least, encouraged students to develop their individualistic talents.

“We are a family of ardent golfers,” said Mrs Nath, “but even on the golf course Aman would observe the birds and trees and then write poems about them!”

Today Aman’s creativity finds an outlet in his “non-hotels” (as he likes to call them) where every room has a personal touch whether its an elaborate painting detailed to reflect the colours of a convention room or a small almirah (cupboard) rooted out from the flea market in Pondicherry.

As for Francis, his is the classic tale of the foreigner who came to India and fell in love. “I am the Rajasthan person while Francis has more of an affinity for the South. He swears that in his last life he was a Tamilian!” jokes Aman.

Francis came to India in the seventies after completing his Masters in Business Management in Paris. Falling under the spell of the country, he took on a job with the French Trade Council in Mumbai, an assigment which took him around the country and enabled him to meet various artisans, craftsmen and musicians which set the tone for his future business interests. He became a buying agent for handicrafts, met soul mate Aman and the rest is history.

Though Francis, now an Indian citizen, is commonly believed to be the more business-minded of the duo, Aman says that they rarely ever have disagreements. “Perhaps that is because we have a common goal, that is to put our act together in revitalizing the past,” Nath points out.

Predictably, Aman hates being put in a box. As the scion of a wealthy Punjabi business family, he has been referred to by what he calls “bizarre” titles – hotelier, writer, art historian, poet, photographer.

The fact is, that the Neemrana team has successfully put together what no one has been able to do before. They have restored the past skilfully for the present. No mean achievement in a country which has been somewhat sadly bogged down by red tape and restrictionism.

The Neemrana “non-hotels” offer a panorama of 700 years in extraordinary settings. They are:
14th century: The Hill Fort Kesroli, Alwar, Rajasthan
15th century: Neemrana Fort-Palace, Delhi-Jaipur Highway, Rajashtan
17th century: The Bungalow on the Beach, Tranquebar, Tamil Nadu
18th century: The Mud fort Kuchesar, Uttar Pradesh
18th century: Hotel de l’Orient, Pondicherry
19th century: The Ramgarh Bungalows, Kumaon, Uttaranchal
19th century: The Verhandah in the Forest, Matheran, Maharashtra
19th century: Wallwood Garden, Conoor, Tamil Nadu
20th century: Villa Pottipati, Malleswaram, Bangalore, Karnataka
20th century: The Piramal Haveli, Bagar, Shekhawati, Rajasthan
21st century: The Glasshouse on the Ganges, above Rishikesh, Uttaranchal