India, April 15 -- "You must meditate in some way?" Abhinav Trivedi asks me as we sit on the upper verandah of the Kasar Devi temple, surrounded by a man in formal shirt and trousers chanting mantras next to the Shivling; two young artists are immersed in their colouring books in a balcony below us; and a dozen eager listeners gather around a wise old guru for a few lessons on life.

Abhinav and I are letting our sweaty shirts dry and our feet get some rest after the hour-long trek that got us here. He is the General Manager at The Kumaon, a paradisiacal resort/boutique stay/hideaway/haven in the belly of the serene Almora, around 60 kms north of Nainital. He decides to help me out. "Even I don't always follow the usual route. For me, bei...