To heal, disconnect from work and connect with nature

For Dr Issac Mathai, healer to the global elite, true well-being is about achieving a harmony of body, mind and spirit

- Mahalakshmi Prabhakaran

Everyone wanted to take a photo with Rajinikanth but Rajinikanth wanted a photo with me." The comment could well be added to the immensely popular pantheon of 'superstar Rajinikanth jokes' but when you are Dr Issac Mathai, 65, doctor or healer of the who's who of the world, that's just one of the many anecdotes you casually drop into a conversation with a straight face. Mathai is founder chairman and medical director of Soukya International Holistic Health Centre, a residential medical institute and retreat in Bengaluru that offers treatments that blend 'Ayurveda, homeopathy, yoga, naturopathy and other complementary therapies'. Of course, if you were to ask trend watchers, they'd probably refer to him as the 'doctor whom King Charles III and Queen Camilla visit while in India'. While on the topic, Mathai right at the outset says, "I have known King Charles for over 15 years and have been advising him all these years but I do not want to be known as the King's doctor. I prefer calling myself a holistic health consultant to the King."

I am meeting Mathai in his office set inside Soukya's verdant 30-acre property. It's a well-appointed room with brightly patterned kilims, handwoven carpets and paintings that spell 'quiet luxury' adorning the walls. The cynosure, however, is the Mother Teresa painting by MF Husain. The artwork plays the perfect backdrop for the hour-and-a-half-long conversation where we wade through topics around holistic wellness, Mathai's personal health philosophies, and his rather enviable career as doctor to the rich and the famous.