The moment was too tranquil for me to disturb. I had walked in unannounced through the garden path and my host, who had given up hopes that I would actually find my way to his home in the forest was seated on the verandah, staring ahead at the innumerable waterfalls, lost in the ragas that were filling the wonderful mountain air, reverberating with peace and joy and abandonment all at the same time. That was a mouthful of a sentence I know, but then it was a mouthful of everything: sky, earth and water, green hills and fragrant air, gurgling streams and cascading waterfalls, meandering narrow roads with birds singing in the trees. I had driven a long wooded way to reach Jaisinh Mariwala's abode, right at the edge of the Mahableshwar hills. And to top it I had the symphony of the rain right through. Could I have asked for more?

The relieved - for he thought I'd never locate his place, and happy look on Mr. Mariwala's face as he turned round and saw me made me feel most welcome and soon I was gleefully stomping all over, admiring his house, the kitchen, the view, his fruit trees and organic vegetable patch - which is merely a term, for his land extends as far as the eye can see and beyond. Mr. Mariwala is as much a farmer at heart as an industrialist, balancing between village and city life, 15 days here and 15 days there in Bombay.

So what was I doing here apart from enjoying the feeling of being far from the maddening world. Well I was waiting to eat lunch which was being cooked, most lovingly and interestingly by Mr. Mariwala, who is not just an extremely good cook but a creative one at that.

Not surprising because he has 50 years of experience with food ingredients. He has after all played an important role in the formation and developement of the Mariwala owned companies such as Bombay Oil Industries, Marico Industries, Kancor Ingredients, Vallabhdas Kanji Ltd, among others. His son runs Auto Hangar dealers for Mercedes Benz and Honda. Among the many philanthropic engagements which Mr. Mariwala is loath to talk, he is also a trustee at Bhatia Hospital.

But what really fuels him is his farm house where we sit chatting. He spends more time here growing vegetables, strawberries, flowers. He is engaged in bringing modern technology on farm level with rain harvesting, vermiculture, drip irrigation and polyhouse, to improve farming techniques. In addition, he also paints - nature, his grandchildren.

But talking about himself was making him impatient, "Let us now go and see if Dattu has laid out all the ingredients I have asked him to", said our chef du jour enthusiastically, entering through the blue Dutch styled kitchen door, which opens half and half, top and bottom. Very much Charles Correa and Rahul Mehrotra style, the architect whose first project this house was when he returned from his studies abroad. Rahul is Charles's son-in-law. Dattu, estate manager who doubles up as kitchen-aid had done a neat job and I counted about 17 items, all kept in a row, in bottles and jars, steel containers and plastic boxes, paper packets and on the chopping board. There was olive oil and truffle oil, mayonnaise, boiled pasta and boiled potatoes with skin, herbs, salt, pepper…the works. I have to admit, the salad was made in a most delightfully slow manner. We later gave it a name: Salad Machutar. Machutar being the name of the closest village.

Mr. Mariwala after sending the salad to the dining table out in the verandah, turned his attention to the soup which was slow cooking for a long while. "It has the most rustic ingredients, potatoes and onions, but the trick is to roast the onions and add just the right flavouring, today I have used dill, suva bhaji. It does depend a lot on my mood, what I add", he concluded. In another dish, also on slow fire, rice with assorted vegetables was cooking and almost done. "I like to cook rice like this when I have friends over. You put it all in, close the lid and just leave it be."

And then opening the small grill with two shelves he pulled out, after wearing a thick mitten, three small shallow ceramic dishes. "Ah now, this is what my friend Ravi Ruia comes all the way from Bombay in his helicopter, to eat, my special baked omellete!" Hmm…it did look good, rightly fluffy and smelling more than just an omellete. It was rather intriguing.We discussed the recipe over lunch.

Which was altogether an unique experience. Sitting on the verandah, nice and dry, with the drenched earth all around, eating a hot and hearty soup was simply divine. And this accompanied by a Margaux, was the ultimate. Who would have thought such rustic luxury could exist just a four hour drive out of Bombay? Proves the old adage, where there is a will there is always a beautiful way.

What made the lunch more special was the unexpected company. Tanil Kilachand. A good, old friend of Mr. Mariwala, Tanil with very little baggage – just the bottle of Margaux, had driven down from Bombay to be with his friend, enjoy a few walks (just 10 kms, every morning), listen to Hindustani classical music about which both are intensely passionate, eat some good, simple meals and go back refreshed, rejuvenated. Extremely private and at most times a retiring human being, Tanil Kilachand was rather talkative in that ambience. It must have been the effect of the mountain air and Nature all around, but it was sheer pleasure listening to his travel tales. What is not largely known is Tanil is a true gourmet, with a vast knowledge of wines, a widely travelled person he has deep insights into culture and music. And between the two, for me, it was an education of sorts. To be in the midst of men who had achieved so much and were yet so down to earth and unassuming, wanting as much to learn as to share, people who respect the small and simple aspects of life itself. Very humbling for me and very fortunate too. Food tastes even better in the company of such wonderful human beings.