A just and noble man, Rai Bahadur Lala Ratan Chand was very popular and much adored amongst the people of Amritsar. He was known for his philanthropic works dedicated to the welfare of the people and animals. He opened Amritsar’s first charitable TB hospital, a charitable blind school & home and a gaushala with over 500 cows. He also built a temple at Ram Talai, on the outskirts of Amritsar, all of which are operational till date under a trust. He also donated huge sums of land for social and economic welfare and women empowerment, one such land is an all-girls college in the heart of the city.

He was honored with the title of O.B.E., Order of the British Empire, a British Order of Chivalry rewarding contributions to Arts & Sciences, work with Welfare & Charitable Organisations, and Public Service outside the Civil Service. However, he refused the title of ‘Sir’ which was being offered to him by the British along with enough wealth and land if he would have supported General Dyer in his statement that the Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre was not a peaceful meeting and it were the Indians who attacked his army which is why they opened fire.

He was a member of the Legislative Council, an Honorary Magistrate of the Amritsar District as well as a Founding member of the Municipal Corporation of the City.

He used to live in the walled city where he established the green tea market of Amritsar named after him. It was only later when the family grew that he moved to the now Mall Road. What is Ranjit’s SVAASA today used to be the guest house to the main palatial family haveli. There are streets in Amritsar named after him and one of the most prominent is the Ratan Singh Chownk, a crossing named in his memory.

The story goes, when he passed away, the entire city of Amritsar shut shop for two whole days in his honour. Everyone came out to the streets, there were crowds of thousands of people paying their last respect as his body was taken from his home to the family temple by the Amritsar Bus Stand for his last rites.

Our curated SVAASA Experiences takes you down his history as a guided immersion.

He was the third son and one of eight children born to Lala Ratan Chand Mehra and his wife Amravati. Amravati belonged to the family of Maharaja of Bardwan.

Lal Chand Mehra was also honored with the Rai Bahadur title by the British. This title of honour was bestowed during the British rule in India to individuals for their service. Translated, Rai means "prince" and Bahadur means "brave" or "most honourable".

He unfortunately lost a leg due to gangrene and travelled by ship twice to London for his surgery and to get a prosthetic leg which was not available in India in those times. It was during his second visit that World War - I had broken out and with no communication to his whereabouts for months except the evening news on the radio, the entire family would gather in pin drop silence to learn of updates and the conditions of the war.

Luckily the day he returned, his youngest daughter Indu recounts, a large wooden box bigger than the size of a person was placed in the porch and when they opened it, it was full of toys from England for all the children, even his extended family. In those days joint families was much acceptable and a way of living.

He was very good with his math and book keeping, hence he was in charge of the shop at the green tea market and the trade that the family was involved in down the Silk Route.

She was the older daughter in law to Devinder Chand Mehra, married in 1977 to their eldest son Ranjit Rattan Mehra. Together they took the Ritz Hotel to alarming heights of service and popularity. However Ranjit passed away to cancer in the year 2000 in U.S.A. When Rama returned to India, there was nothing. The family’s ancestral 250-year old dilapidated manor is what she inherited. However in its sprawling lawns and the backyard yet lived squirrels and fireflies, the hibiscus grew rather unattended and the lilies self-sustained. Rama knew wanted to make a home where people could come to revive and recoup with caring service and a soulful ambience.

"This quest to do something for others gave a new meaning to my life, it became my raison d etre." She began restoring this home where she was married into, which once thrived with love and laughter into an abode of personalised comfort, peace and wholesome food. Thus, Ranjit’s SVAASA – A Heritage Boutique Spa Haveli was born and saw its first guest towards the end of the year 2003…then came another and another and more …

Ranjit’s SVAASA follows her ethos of wellness and life. It offers spacious boutique rooms and suites with a personalized service beyond the stereotypical hotel code of conduct. Each guest is like her own and her well trained staff caters to every need with ease. The food she serves is cooked fresh each day following the now popular farm to fork concept. Something she grew up with in her maiden home where only seasonal produce was cooked and freshly served from the kitchen. She believes in ‘we are what we eat and how we live’. Taking forward her award winning spa works on an ideology specifically crafted to balance the mind and body with the circadian rhythms of nature, known as P.A. S.T.

In the year 2005 she trained as a certified Functional Medicine Practitioner to further her knowledge of age-old wisdoms and alternative sciences for a healthy life. She practices till date and consults people with illnesses and degenerative and lifestyle diseases.