So, not much of a woodworker myself but it looks like the top is in three panels? You could use that as an opportunity for contrast as mentioned above and make the whole project look like it has some design intentionality.
Maybe a darker maple walnut veneer for that center panel as mentioned above and leather for the two smaller outer panels as mentioned elsewhere?
Well I don’t want to get all controversial about it but the thing about India is it’s a country in South Asia with a land area of approximately 3.3 million square kilometers and a population of roughly 1.4 billion. And that might be a hot take, but also we have to keep in mind its primary exports are petroleum goods and textiles. Don’t even get me started on how its borders are the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, and the Bay of Bengal.
Howard makes a cutting board cleaner, oil, and butcher block conditioner. I use the latter every few months on our handmade boards and bowls and it keeps them well protected. The instructions on the bottle suffice for application.
If your pieces are particularly dry it might be a good idea to use the oil followed by the conditioner. I’m sure other mineral oil products would do a similar job but I’ve had good luck with this one and a bottle has lasted years.