A Resort Full Of Army, Cricket Memories

Run by a former cricketer and the son of one of India's military heroes, Mike's Forest Retreat is an ode to all that we hold dear.

The most charming part of Mike's Forest Retreat is Mike himself. The nearly 80-year-old owner and former first class cricketer, Michael 'Mike' Dalvi has reams of interesting stories that will leave you rich with anecdotes and send you off with many a laugh and the warmest of memories.

The retreat which was once his home has been extended into 17 tasteful rooms. One of the rooms has a framed Picasso print in the bathroom.

On the outskirts of Dehradun, a drive through winding roads and tall Sal trees that feature regularly in Ruskin Bond stories lead to the retreat spread over 23 acres of lush green forests.

This was our second day trip and just at the entrance we were welcomed by a gaggle of ducks crossing from one side of the road to the other.

Just imagine that folks. Now where does one get a welcome like that one!

The path to the reception is past an interesting aviary with bright, rare, birds. An organic vegetable garden lies to the left and scores of litchi, mango, cheeku trees abound -- it is a splendid place for easy walks, to stop and say hello to the birds, to admire the trees and flowers, to enjoy the sounds of jungle and to gulp the fresh mountain air.

But the real deal at the retreat lies in its walls. Stare at any the walls, and you will be fascinated with what you see. By a long shot, it is something you won't find in other holiday hot spots.

Three blockbuster emotions that tug the chords of the heart are all here, pegged to the walls.

1. India's greatest soldiers and famous battles
2. Memories of school
3. And of course, Cricket!

The fervor grips you at the reception itself where framed photographs of all the chiefs of army staff line the walls.

There are photographs of many legendry soldiers, some from Mike's alma mater, the Doon School, and regimental and army memorabilia.

Mike is the son of Brigadier John Parshuram Dalvi, a brilliant field commander who fought in the 1962 and 1965 wars. Brigadier Dalvi was a prisoner of war in Tibet for seven months (you can read about the brave officer here) and has written arguably the finest book on the 1962 War, Himalayan Blunder.

The walls of the dining room are devoted to chronicling his father's valour. It is a story told with love and admiration for his soldier father. There are blown up pictures of the brave men who fought against a heavily outnumbered and better equipped Chinese army, maps and information are depicted in an engaging manner.

The restaurant is called the 'Brigadier' as a tribute to Brigadier J P Dalvi.

There are stories of other famous battles fought by India's braves. The retreat is easily one of the best museums of military heritage you will come across. Spend an afternoon reading the well-presented stories which will leave you richer with pride and gratitude.

India has no dearth of wonderful hotels, resorts, homestays, but it is uniqueness and 'the personal touch' that sets one apart from the others. And here, it is Mike's personal touch, adding elements that he is passionate about that makes Mike's Forest Retreat pleasantly different.

The bar is called 'Holdy's' devoted to Mike's deputy headmaster at the Doon School, R L Holdsworth, a World War I veteran with a triple blue from Oxford (for excellence in cricket, football and boxing) and a mountaineer.

Mr Holdsworth was a pillar of support when Mike's father was a prisoner of war. He along with Headmaster J A K Martyn had driven Mike from Dehradun to the Meerut cantonment in an old Fiat car to inform Mrs Dalvi in 1962 when the news came.

Mike could never forget those men and both find a place in his labour of love, MFR.

One of the interesting pictures that draw your attention is of Mr Holdsworth smoking a pipe on the summit of Mount Kamet in June 1931. It was the highest mountain climbed till then in the Nanda Devi biosphere.

Once on the summit, Mr Holdsworth, an accomplished mountaineer, lit a pipe and skied down the base camp. On the way down, he discovered the famed Valley of Flowers. Since he was a botanist, he returned and lived in a tent for eight months documenting all the valley's flowers.

So whenever you happen to visit the Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand, doff a hat to Holdy!

On the wall, next to Holdy is a fascinating picture of Mike's geography teacher Mr Gurdial Singh doing the shirshasana on the summit of Mount Trishul in 1951.

An Indian mountaineering pioneer, Mr Singh was part of the school's mountaineering team. He scaled Mount Everest in 1965 and passed away at 99 last year.

Vikram Seth, the renowned writer, was his pupil and Mr Singh had the biggest influence on his life at school. Seth wrote a beautiful poem for his teacher on his passing last year.

Then, of course, there are walls dedicated to cricket. Many elegant black and white pictures of cricketing greats line the wall in stately frames that one can spend hours going through.

Mike's playing career lasted 18 years. He played around 100 Ranji matches for which he receives a pension from the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

His cricketing contemporaries were Bishan Singh Bedi, Mansur Ali Khan 'Tiger' Pataudi, Abbas Ali Baig, Gundappa Vishwanath, S Venkatraghavan, E A S Prasanna among other legends of the game.

Now for the rooms: The retreat has large colonial style rooms with equally large bathrooms. There are plenty of vantage points to savour the view and fresh air.

The restaurant sources fresh produce from the organic garden. We enjoyed our meal of pasta, prawn, fish and paneer. The cocktails were particularly good.

There is a pool and gaming room, and plenty of walks to be had. The winter months are when bonfires are built and can be a charming time to visit.

Since winter is nearly here, now is a good time to plan a trip to Mike's Forest Retreat (external link).

It is a place that will build your memories, trust me!

We made a day trip to Mike's Forest Retreat, enjoyed the lunch, the strolls, the rich education on the walls, the conversation and made some great memories.

Mike's Forest Retreat
Village Lower Kandoli
Pachwa Doon, Dehradun
https://www.mikesforestretreat.com/

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Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com