He fabricated a homestay on the slopes which even charmed the Dhoni family and other travel devotees

A previous columnist, who began his profession as a correspondent at Noontime (Bombay) in the mid-2000s and afterward turned into an independent supporter of different distributions, getting photography en route, is presently the proprietor of a well-known homestay that he created at the family ranch close to Shimla. Today, Sanjay Austria doesn't need to pitch stories to editors, pursue cutoff times or circle back to installments with the distributions.

A former journalist, who started his career as a reporter at Mid-Day (Bombay) in the early 2000s and then became a freelance contributor to various publications, picking up photography along the way, is now the owner of a popular homestay that he developed at the family farm near Shimla. He lives peacefully with his adorable pets - dogs, cats, sheep, and chicken - amidst apple orchards, harvesting peaches, apricots, and raspberries, and taking care of the guests who come to his homestay from all parts of the world.

MeenaBagh, Shimla, is located less than a kilometer from St Bede’s College, while another property by the same name is at Ratnagiri, about 85 km from Shimla. “We have maintained the typical Himachal architecture in our properties,” says Sanjay, who renovated the family property at Shimla investing about Rs 30 lakh in the project and commenced homestay operations in 2017.

Today, his homestay is a well-known destination among travel lovers, thanks to the many reviews it has got on travel portals and the publicity it received after the visit of cricket legend MS Dhoni with his family and friends to MeenaBagh, Ratnagiri, in June 2021. “I began to receive calls from distant relatives after they heard about Dhoni’s stay at Meena Bagh,” recalls Sanjay.

Those were clear signs that Sanjay was now a successful person, and all his hard work of the past many years was paying off, not just in terms of money, which was flowing in, but also from the reviews and critical acclaim his property had started receiving. “We would have made around Rs 5-7 crore, but I have invested all the money in developing our properties,” says Sanjay, whose sweat and toil went into building Meena Bagh to the beautiful place it has now become.

I wanted the building to be eco-friendly and used waste wood to create furniture and other things, says Sanjay. He used waste wood to make racks, stools, and old utensils as lampshades, besides making even a showcase with used wooden apple crates. “My father’s architect would come over and ask me why I was doing all this,” says Sanjay.

Sanjay also built rainwater harvesting structures on the property, which include a 2 lakh liter capacity underwater tank and a couple of ponds that provide water for irrigating the crops grown on the farm. The wood and mud-plastered walls of the buildings reflect Sanjay’s commitment to preserving the traditional architectural practices of the region. Those who stay in MeenaBagh take fond home memories.

“Everything from the mud-plastered insulated walls, the recycled wood used everywhere, the decor, just the earthy smell of this place quickens the pulse,” a guest wrote on Airbnb. “Eclectic accents add to the shabby chic of Meena's old dowry chest, Kansa thaalis, Apple crate shelves, waste wood picture frames...like props used in a play. Meena Bagh even has a space observatory at Ratnagiri at an altitude of 8100 ft, where there is a 20-inch Dobsonian telescope, which is another popular attraction for guests.

Meena Bagh is a work in progress. Sanjay is now building a new house at Ratnari using the old wooden columns, panels, floors, and beams, which were once part of a near-century girls' college in Shimla. He purchased the wood, which is getting a new lease of life, at auction for about Rs 20 lakh. We had to remove metallic nails from the wood that were so long,” says Sanjay.

As a former journalist and writer, he offers hefty discounts to writers, artists, and families traveling with their pets that stay at Meena Bagh.

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