NEW DELHI: We come from different families, but from similar backgrounds,” says Kunwar Jaideep Singh Chandel, scion of the Rajput Chandels of Ramgarh, the erstwhile ruling house of the region. “My family’s been in the military for the last three generations, and so we had the same martial, boarding-school upbringing,” chimes in Suvidhi Singh, as the pair discuss their arranged engagement, the subsequent six-month courtship, and the union of their families. “We’re a very difficult lot,” puts in Jaideep ruefully, to which Suvidhi laughs in whole-hearted agreement. Clearly then, the match is heaven-sent.
The couple, who got married in 2011, runs the Ramgarh Heritage property, between the road from Delhi to Chandigarh, falling just this side of the Haryana border. The 26-room property, spread over two acres, leaves more than enough room for social distancing. “The property itself is about 300 years old, and the hotel started in 2015, after renovations and additions. It’s where we lived earlier so when we moved out we had to re-do it in a hotel format,” says Jaideep, adding that his parents, his brother and family, and his own family (comprising Suvidhi and two daughters) live together in Panchkula, 10 minutes from the ancestral home.
“My father had always said once you’re done with studies and marriage and settled down, you come back and settle at home again,” says Jaideep. And that’s what Suvidhi and Jaideep did. “I used to work in consulting so I’ve spent cumulative six-seven months in hotel rooms, in India and abroad, which helped in me figuring things what hotels are supposed to be and what they actually offer. We hope to bridge that gap here,” notes Jaideep. “It’s always a bone of contention. We demarcate duties like this: anything that has to do with the presentation or feel comes under my department, while all organizational and operational things come under his purview,” says Suvidhi firmly. As someone who is very particular about the features of every room, this suits her to a T; and Jaideep too, of course.
Speaking of operations, those are probably going to change in a post-COVID reality. “Earlier we had mostly foreign guests verging towards late middle ages who came here. Now, with foreign travel curtailed, we expect more of younger Indians coming here. And we have the amenities to satiate them. From the enquiries we’re getting already. I’d say it’s a safe bet,” remarks Jaideep. But then, Ramgarh has it all, from a swimming pool to lessons on everything from preserving meat to other skills which you’d associate with the great outdoors, it’s a place for learning old skills and honing new ones.
While the hotel continues to maintain a skeletal staff at the moment (26 suites and all accoutrements don’t clean after themselves, after all), the couple are holding court at home. “I’ve become a part-time teacher for the kids during the mornings, while they spend their evenings with their grandparents. Both groups are enjoying their time together, which gives the two of us time to play sports together, which the kids, and the rest of the family, often join in,” says Suvidhi.Which is why the headline makes sense.