THE Taj Ayurveda Centre�s big claim to fame in Calicut is that three years ago, its masseurs, dieticians and chefs cobbled together a poor-in-health Atal Bihari Vajpayee and put so much of zip back into his life, that the prime minister has been a changed man ever since. This is true. The herbal oil massages and strict saatvik food vegetarian diet at the Centre, which is located at the Taj Residency in Calicut, is like part of a holistic holiday package for anybody stressed out with the vicissitudes of life. Vajpayeeji, of course, being the prime minister and all that, could not enjoy the benefits of the rest of Kerala when he was taking the cure. In fact, he could not even visit the Centre in Calicut, and the people attending on him had to go to the prime minister at Kumarakom which is a quieter retreat. But that should not stop you. Take an Ayurvedic break at the Taj in Calicut, become a changed person.

Ayurveda, for the uninitiated, is an ancient Indian system of medicine that works in tune with nature. It is a science whose healing techniques unlike modern allopathy, believe in treating the individual rather than the disease. For this, naturally, the Ayurveda doctors need to have a complete understanding of the individual�s body, mind and spirit. Plus, a record of his or her psychological, dietary, behavioural and environmental backgrounds. All this is acquired in a soothing ambience at the Taj Ayurveda Centre, which though a part of the Taj Residency, is managed by the Ayushman Ayurvedic Trust of Kerala. This is one of the country�s premier Ayurveda institutions to which is attached the Arya Vaidya Pharmacy which makes all the herbal medicines and Ayurvedic oils for the rejuvenative and curative treatments. Most guests at this business hotel are patients checking in like at a hospital for some cure.

All kinds of people come to the Taj Residency for the Ayurveda cure. Burnt out and jaded VVIPs and celebrities from the glamour industry, businessmen, politicians, sportspersons seeking relief from a particularly nagging ailment, socialites, foreign travel and food writers, health experts and doctors from various disciplines, entire royal families from the Gulf, European aristocracy, victims of diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, migraine, spondylitis, sciatica, nervous disorders, paralysis, lower back pain, and even mental stress-related disorders. Several people also come because they have tried and given up on other Asian spa and health programmes in cities like Bangkok. All that is required of you is to check into the Taj Residency, then the hotel and its Ayurveda Centre take over the management of your life for the next seven, 14, 21 or 35 days, depending on what kind of health programme you are there for.

There are three physicians at the Taj Ayurveda Centre whose task is to prescribe a complete rejuvenative and curative package for the body and mind of every guest at the hotel. This really means they break down the toxins in the body and flush them out by rejuvenating the cells for good health. It all seems very simple but requires studied use of internal herbal medicines and external medicated oils. The medicines taste nasty, but that cannot be helped, they are made of herbs cooked in water to form a decoction or in oils and ghee. There are also fermented preparations like herbal juice and jam, which are not so awful. The massage oils are made of gingelly and coconut. After the physicians examine you and prescribe a line of treatment, a visit to Vijayan Panicker, the Taj Ayurveda Centre�s astrologer, is recommended. His office is a small cubbyhole at one corner of the holistic centre. He examines planetary influence on your cure. Planets are known to bring about ill-health and bad luck. Panicker recommends herbal medicines himself, plus prayers and fasting. �This helps,� he says, �most guests are happy to seek my advice, other don�t believe in astrology or God!�

Now for the treatment. The star masseur at the Taj Ayurveda Centre is a small, shy, dark man called Vijaykumar. He became famous after he massaged Vajpayee. Vijaykumar will pray over you for a couple of moments, then prepare you for the massage designed to rejuvenate, refresh, revitalise and completely destress the body. It will drain away body toxins, reestablish biochemical balances and minimise stress levels. People suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, paralysis, back and joint problems actually walk away from the Centre without the aid of their walking sticks and wheelchairs. Be prepared to be stripped down almost to the skin and have hot medicated oils applied continuously all over the body in deep, rhythmic movements. This calms down jangling nerves and soothes tired muscles. Oils are also poured in the ears and nose, a paste is applied to the eyes, and it is all washed away with a channa paste in the shower by the masseur himself.

The next person you will have to put your trust in is Executive Chef Hemant Gokhale of the Taj Residency. He will whip up the kind of vegetarian, alcohol-free diet that the Ayurveda Centre�s physicians have prescribed. The food is prepared in a separate section of the hotel�s main kitchen and served in its restaurant Coral Reef. You can have an Indian menu or foreign. And it is Chef Gokhale�s challenge that the diner at your next table will not know whether you are tucking into a regular hearty a la carte meal or following your Ayurveda diet. Take heart, for the Ayurveda menu is vast, it includes Continental and Chinese dishes apart from Indian. And it is all food that is designed to make the person eating it lose weight comfortably. Ayurveda food is completely vegetarian, though it does not employ potatoes, brinjals, pumpkins, mushrooms and tomatoes. They produce gas, are difficult to digest, or are acidic in nature. Likewise fruits like pineapple and mango.

Ayurveda food does not use any fermented batter, nor bottled or canned sauces, nothing refrigerated, no artificial preserves, no corn, no refined flour. Which means, there is no bread in the cuisine. Ayurveda also has little use for salt, spices and oil. If oil is used as a cooking medium, then it is olive oil. Unlike Hindu saatvik food, however, Ayurveda cuisine does not entirely rule out onion and garlic. Cooking these kind of meals to each guest�s specifications takes the Taj Residency�s kitchen some time. �Food that is not tasty, has to be made to look appetising and yummy,� said the chef. �Its natural flavours have to be brought out using the barest of spices and herbs. Little jeera, cardamom, ginger, garlic, spring onions. We make different dals, rices, phulkas, rice noodles, wholewheat lasagne, semolina gnocchi, and desserts like chickoo mousse! Confirmed meat-eaters become vegetarians after a meal.�