Nine years ago, Chetan Mahajan, an entrepreneur and published author who had spent most of his life navigating the labyrinth of the corporate world, decided to relocate to a Himalayan village in Uttarakhand. It was in this idyllic verdant valley where he had an epiphany—to create a space where writers, aspiring or established, could retreat from the chaos of urban life and immerse themselves in their craft, without worrying about the logistics of accommodation. Inspired by this vision, Mahajan started The Himalayan Writing Retreat, a sanctuary for creative professionals where they can disconnect from the frantic, fast-paced life of the city, and work on their craft, in harmony with the serene beauty of nature. Mahajan started this project by renting a four-bedroom house from his friend, and now it has grown into India's largest retreat solely dedicated to writers. “Amidst the nature and silence if I can provide a good instructor, then it can be a wonderful place for people to pursue and hone their writing. What makes the retreat special is that it allows you to unplug from the distractions of urban life. You don't have to worry about emails from your boss. You escape the drudgeries and engage fully with your craft,” says Mahajan.
Hundreds of writers flock to this retreat around the year, either attending the courses on offer or just residing here and letting their creative juice flow: an embodiment of a larger trend in the tourism industry where many are exploring different ways of unwinding. They are not content with ticking out the sight-seeing boxes on a vacation. They want to use the time to reflect, heal, find clarity, and pursue a craft that has always been a source of elixir, but the modern routine doesn't allow it. The art retreats, most tucked in a hidden lap of nature, offer this space, where you can slow down your life and harness your creative spirit. “The individuals attending these retreats are typically from busy city environments,” says Rajvi Vats, the founder of Project Aaina, one of the most popular art-based excursions among youth. “They come to experience a slower pace of living during their stay. The natural surroundings help create the ideal environment for a retreat,” she adds. Isaac Tsetan Gergan, an artist and manager of Art For Change, echoes a similar view, stating that taking a step back and having quiet time in nature fosters reflection and creativity.
While The Himalayan Writing Retreat is exclusively for writers of all kinds, retreats like Art of Change and Project Aaina allow you to practice anything from sound healing and yoga to painting and pottery.
Settled in the serene valley of Landour in Uttarakhand, Art For Change has been running the retreat in the mountains for 14 years now, where they host a group of five to seven people in each batch, encouraging them to prioritise rest and relaxation. They conduct a host of activities like yoga, meditation, painting, and photography. “Participants engage in a series of purpose-driven exercises over three days that help them introspect and rethink their priorities. You don't necessarily have to be an artist. It's not about a destination but a journey. For instance, we also conduct photography sessions, but it's not really about taking photos but the act of looking at things. The whole process is slow and meditative. It's just the creative process that adds a deeper sense of meaning to their lives,” quips Gergan.
At Project Aaina, Rajvi meticulously selects activities that are well-suited for both the visitors and the surroundings. This means a great deal of research is done by the team about every batch. "All of these sessions are very personalized for the person, whoever's coming. We usually take their information before they come for the retreat and we personalise these sessions for them. We offer a variety of art therapy activities, including painting sessions and musical art activities. The retreat also incorporates eco-printing workshops to connect with nature. In addition, participants engage in forest bathing sessions and are encouraged to channel their creativity by painting in natural surroundings after a hike or trek," says Rajvi.
The most popular activity at Art For Change, says Gergan, is Kintsugi: the art of repairing broken potteries. Instead of using camouflaged adhesive that hides the cracks, participants are given Urushi lacquer to fix what is broken. The basic premise behind this age-old ceramic practice is to emphasize the cracks and fissures instead of disguising them. Ceramic art itself is having a cultural renaissance of sorts, with people realising the therapeutic potential of carving pottery or varied forms of ceramics. Ambica Beri, the veteran multidisciplinary artist working on the intersection of art and preservation, started a retreat for ceramic artists way back in 2015. Beri has been inviting artists for retreats since 1997, but back then it was an annual event. When the global economic crisis of 2008 slowed down the art market, Beri decided to take a sabbatical in Maihar, a city in Madhya Pradesh that she calls her second home. The panoramic location of the village, surrounded by lush, green forests and mountains from all sides, inspired her to start a commune, Art Ichol, ‘a platform for creating, sharing and promoting the creative arts’.
“I began reaching out to artists for the ceramic centre, and the best thing was none of them were originally ceramic artists, but they all ended up working with ceramics once they arrived at the centre. This was a fascinating realisation for me–established artists were enthusiastic about exploring a new medium that they were not familiar with. This idea planted a seed in my mind, and I found it to be very intriguing,” says Beri.
Beri didn't have any blueprint in her mind for Art Ichol; things happened naturally, just out of her ardent love for art. She started off with ceramics and stone, moved on to metal, then fine art, graphics art, and printmaking studio. Today, Art Ichol is a breeding ground for creativity, attracting writers, painters, sculptors, and photographers from India and beyond. “If anyone wants to make use of our space, they usually email us. Depending on the duration of their stay, we try and accommodate them, giving huge discounts to younger artists,” says Beri. Last year, Art Ichol hosted the American painter Peter Donahue and his wife for a month.
One need not necessarily possess writing prowess to join The Himalayan Writing Retreat or have impeccable painting skills to partake in Project Aaina. What binds these retreats is they embrace novices with just as much eagerness as an expert. “The entire retreat is designed in a way that anyone and everyone can come and experience it. You don't need to know anything, you don't need to have any prior experience in any form of art,” says Rajvi. Similarly, while Art Ichol runs a residency program for artists throughout the year, offering scholarships to those who can't afford them, even a layman can apply and stay there for however long they want to. Perfection is never the aim. No one joins these clubs to come up with the next masterpiece (though you won't be dissuaded from creating!). They join to immerse themselves in a peaceful environment and focus on activities that cultivate inner well-being. They join to disconnect from the humdrum of daily life and revel in the quiet, scenic place, where they are more likely to hear the rustling of leaves or gushing stream than a honking vehicle. “We want everyone who joins us for retreats to appreciate the slowness of life,” tells Gergan. Mahajan, who often doubles up as an instructor at The Himalayan Writing Retreat, says, “Most participants come to learn a particular craft but also to find respite from the madness of the city. We hope they get both these things”.
7 Art Retreats To Bookmark
- Dharamkot Studio in Dharamshala
- Project Aaina in Himachal Pradesh & Karnataka
- Art Ichol in Madhya Pradesh
- Art of Change in Himachal Pradesh
- The Himalayan Writing Retreat in Dehradun
- Slow Pottery in Andhra Pradesh
- Vaayu in North Goa
