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SMELL 'I will smell thee on the head – that is the greatest sign of tender love.' Vedic text

Have you been to Almora yet? It’s this poster-pretty hill station in a saddle of the Himalayan foothills. When you’re there, you must lose yourself in the laneways of Lala Bazaar. The women there weave soft, luxurious scarves made from giant nettles. Oh!

TOUCH Have you felt the soft, downy touch of pashmina against your skin? Imagine what dry cream might feel like. It comes from the chin and chest wool of Himalayan mountain goats. They shed their coats in spring by rubbing against bushes. This is then collected by shepherds and woven into shawls, scarves, wraps, throws and stoles.

HEAR I remember taking a road trip south from Bombay. One night we would be staying in a Maharajah’s palace, and the next in a concrete block. The night we arrived at the concrete block, it was pitch black and there was no electricity. We were shown to our rooms by oil lamp. I could hear a waterfall outside, but could see nothing. We drifted into sleep wondering what shape this softening sound would take the next morning. As dawn turned on, I parted the shutters and there it was. A sound now sight. A scenic kinetic painting.

SEE & HEAR Bipasha Basu in the film 'Jodi Breakers'. Men would walk barefoot across the Thar Desert and rub ghost pepper chillies into their blistered feet for her.

Method: - Soak the tur daal for 1/2hr, add 2 cups of water & pressure cook it - Add oil to the heated pan and add mustard leaves, boriya chillies. - Once the mustard seeds starts sparkling, add white white lentils and cook till its golden brown - Add the curry leaves, onions and cook them well without making it brown. - Add bottle gourd, drumsticks and saute it for few mins. - Add tomatoes and salt and let it cook for few minutes by putting the lid on the pan. - Meanwhile churn the tur daal to a smmoth paste. - Add sambhar masala, red chilli powder, turmeric powder to the vegetables and mix everything well. - Add the churned daal, stir and mix everything well again. - Add enough water, tamaring juice, coriander leaves, salt and a cube of jaggery and cook it for another 15 - 20mins in low flame and its ready to served.

- Sri Guru Granth Sahib

TOUCH The next best thing to Abhyanga (full body massage) is the foot massage. An ayurvedic foot massage helps the entire body and the nervous system. It relaxes the entire physiology of the individual and brings a sense of resurgence, modified energy, and enhanced blood circulation. 

Find out about her perfumes here: www.neelavermeire.com