Among the many workshops I teach, this one is a personal favourite, not only because it is located amongst my favourite mountains, but also because it brings together my experiences in teaching the craft of writing with my studies in Narrative Therapy and my years in the development sector, thinking about how the arts can be part of healing, community, and transformation. Registrations are now open for the eighth edition of this workshop.
This unique writing retreat, set in an eco-friendly campsite in the Himalayas, seeks a balance between focusing on the craft of writing and honouring writing as a practice of honesty and courage.
Every morning, you will spend a few hours closely reading texts, learning new tools to sharpen your writing, and writing in response to structured exercises aimed at improving craft. Every evening, our Sunset Writing Circles will push you differently, asking you to be brave in your writing, to risk vulnerability, to write and to share from your whole, honest heart. These evening sessions take place in our Baithak, which boasts incredible view of valleys, mountains, and on clear days, the distant snow peak; here, we write by sunset, share by candlelight, and let the Himalayas reassure us of something older and more solid than any anxieties we might bring to the table! In between, there will be walks, open time to yourself, a picnic in an apple orchard, traditional Himachali food and music, and stunning night skies.
Our goal is for you to leave the camp not only as a more proficient writer but also as a braver writer, held and nourished by a safe community of friends and writing companions.
“I signed up for Craft and Courage because I wanted to grow as a writer in a beautiful setting. What I never imagined was that it would transform me as a person too. The varied writing tasks and prompts were each incredibly meaningful and drew out raw, deep, emotive work from each os us. I learned to be brave and vulnerable in the safest, most magical and supportive environment on earth. The experience will live in my heart for a lifetime.”
— Nicole Jarvis, Teacher
Camp Nomad, Gallu
is located on Baba Bhalku Road, about 15 km from Shimla. The camp is in the middle of an apple orchard, and surrounded by Deodar forests, with views of the snow peaks int he distance. Is the perfect balance between wilderness and comfort, boasting of mudhouses, basic and luxury tents, running water, wildflowers, forest sounds, and stunning night skies.
Dates
2nd October - 6th October, 2024
Number of Participants: 10-12
Costs
Accommodation for the workshop is in Swiss Tents with British Campaign Style furniture or Mud Huts with Queen beds, desks, and window seats. Both types of accommodation have ensuite washrooms, running hot water, and all modern amenities.
COSTS for swiss Tents
Twin sharing:: Rs. 34,000
Single occupancy (based on availability): Rs. 44,000
COSTS for MUD-HUT
DOUBLE SHARING: RS. 40,000 Per Person (when booked together for 2 people)
SINGLE OCCUPANCY: RS. 52,000 Per person
*Please note that the mud huts have queen beds that cannot be separated and are therefore only available on double occupancy if the two participants are known to one another and comfortable sharing a bed.
This cost includes:
6 Writing workshop sessions spread out over 4 nights, 5 days
Accommodation for 4 nights, 5 days.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 2 rounds of chai and snacks from 4 PM on Day 1 to 1 PM on Day 5
Field trip with picnic
Optional Guided Mountain Walks each morning
Special local Himachali dinner one night
Live Music and Bonfire on one night
Basic first aid and stationery
This cost excludes:
Travel from participants’ respective cities
Additional food, alcohol etc.
Medical expenses beyond first aid, if needed
Insurance
Other Personal Expenses
I signed up for Aditi Rao’s craft and courage workshop to build skill and strength. It took me that entire week to realize one couldn’t survive without the other. It’s remarkable how fresh mountain air, delicious food, and delightful company can transform you. In short, it was life-changing.
No amount of words can do justice to how fantastic this writing retreat has been for my sense of self. I’d recommend it to everyone who feels a bit lost, lucked out, or low. I’d recommend it even if you don’t feel any of those things. This isn’t a coming-of-age tale (I’m too old) or a coming-out story (I’m too late). It’s simply an anecdote about finally finding my voice and not being quite so afraid of writing anymore. And sometimes, that’s all that counts.- Aniruddha Mahale, Author of Get Out: The Gay Man’s Guide to Coming Out and Going Out
Registrations close 15th September, but seats often fill up much earlier. If you’d like to reserve a spot, please contact me at the earliest
Schedule
Day 1
2:00 PM - 4 PM: Arrivals: Amit from Camp Nomad will coordinate with you to in case you need help figuring out transportation from Shimla or Chandigarh. If you drive from Delhi or take the morning Kalka Shatabdi, you can comfortably make it before 4 PM. If you were already in Shimla the previous night, you can head to Camp after lunch and just use the extra time to settle into camp or go for a walk nearby.
4:00 - 5:00 - Chai and Snacks
5:00 - 7:30: Once everyone has settled in, we gather as a large group to introduce ourselves, walk you through the camp space, and go over the schedule for the upcoming days. We will also generate a list of first agreements — a set of principles that will guide our time together and help create and sustain a space that is simultaneously safe, challenging, and nurturing for everyone. We then move into our first writing exercise together, aimed at setting the tone for our time together and breaking out of writers’ block (if you believe in such a thing!).
8:00: We end the day with dinner and a bonfire, leaving you to have an early night or to stay up late watching the stars.
Day 2
7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy your morning tea with spectacular valley views— if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, wake up a bit earlier and watch sunrise from the peak. There will also always be an optional journaling prompt, usually based on narrative therapy exercises, to accompany your morning chai.
8:00 - 9:00: If you’d like to stretch your limbs a little, join Amit for a guided walk through the nearby orchards and villages. We will take a different route each day, and the walks will never be particularly strenuous, just opportunities to start your day with fresh air and a little exercise. We will conduct part of each walk in silence.
9:00-10:30: Return from your walk to a hot breakfast and a little time to catch your breath and prepare for your day.
10:30 - 1:00: The group will gather in the Writing Corner for the first Craft of Writing Session. Each of these sessions will focus on a different element of the Craft of Writing, cutting across genres and styles; typically we will discuss craft through a short reading, then write together in response to a prompt and share our writing with each other.
1:00 - 4:30: Enjoy a leisurely lunch, followed by an open afternoon to write, read, explore the area, or get some rest. There will always be a bowl of writing prompts for you to use in your off-time if you would like.
4:30 - 5:00: Chai Break
5:00 - 7:30: We meet again after chai for our first Sunset Writing Circle. We begin with a personal writing and reflection exercise, then move to a story sharing session, where each person gets the time to share themselves more deeply with the group, where we are all able to see and feel deeply seen.
8:00: We close our first full day together with a bonfire with live music. As always, you are free to retire early for the night or stay up late stargazing.
Day 3
7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy your morning tea with spectacular valley views— if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, wake up a bit earlier and watch sunrise from the peak. There will also always be an optional journaling prompt, usually based on narrative therapy exercises, to accompany your morning chai.
8:00 - 9:00: If you’d like to stretch your limbs a little, join Amit for a guided walk through the nearby orchards and villages. We will take a different route each day, and the walks will never be particularly strenuous, just opportunities to start your day with fresh air and a little exercise. We will conduct part of each walk in silence.
9:00-10:00: Return from your walk to a hot breakfast and a little time to catch your breath and prepare for your day.
10:00 - 11:30: At 10:00, we leave camp together for the nearby Deodar forests, where we will conduct the day’s session.
12:00 - 2:00: Today’s Craft Session will draw upon the beautiful surroundings, bringing nature, presence, and the use of all of our senses into the writing we do together.
2:00- 4:00: Enjoy a picnic lunch under the sun, followed by open time to continue writing, go for a walk, or take a nap in the sun!
4:00-6:00: We return to camp and take some time to catch our breaths, get a bit of rest if we need it, and have a cup of tea.
6:00 - 8:30: Our second Sunset Writing Circle pushes us a bit further than on the first day, asking us to continue risking bravery and honesty in our words, and challenging us to begin to read this raw, vulnerable writing to each other.
8:30: Enjoy another dinner under the stars, and get some rest after this particularly long day!
Day 4
7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy your morning tea with spectacular valley views— if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, wake up a bit earlier and watch sunrise from the peak. There will also always be an optional journaling prompt, usually based on narrative therapy exercises, to accompany your morning chai.
8:00 - 9:00: Join Amit for one more walk through the nearby orchards and villages, a different one each day
9:00-10:30: Come back from your walk to a hot breakfast and time to catch your breath.
10:30 - 1:00: The group will gather in the Writing Corner for the third Craft of Writing Session. Each of these sessions will focus on a different element of the Craft of Writing, cutting across genres and styles; typically we will discuss craft through a short reading, then write together in response to a prompt and share our writing with each other.
1:00 - 4:30: Enjoy a leisurely lunch, followed by an open afternoon to write, read, explore the area, or get some rest. There will always be a bowl of writing prompts for you to use in your off-time if you would like..
4:30 - 5:00: Chai
5:00 - 7:30: We gather at the peak for our final Sunset Writing Circle and attempt a deep dive into brave, honest story, challenging ourselves not only in our personal writing but also in our group’s ability to create space for the liveliest as well as the most vulnerable of our stories. .
8:00 PM: For our last dinner together, enjoy a traditional Himachali meal cooked by our local chefs.
Day 5
7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy our last morning together with tea and spectacular valley views— and if you haven’t yet woken up for the sunrise, today would be a good day to do so!
8:00 - 9:00: Join Amit for one more walk through the nearby orchards and villages, taking in the fresh air and friendly people, and saying your “see you later”s to the mountains.
9:00 - 10:00: Come back from your walk to a hot breakfast and time to catch your breath.
10:00 - 11:00: We meet at 10:00 for a closing circle, during which we throw a ball of twine around the room, thank each other, and close our time together with hugs and photographs.
11:00 - 12:30: We pack our things, share one last cup of tea, hug each other again, and begin our journeys back to Shimla or Kalka in time to catch the Shatabdi, the toy train, or the overnight Volvos. In case you would like to stay another night before heading home, do speak to Amit beforehand: he may be able to host you for another night if you book in advance.
To Register
Please email me, or message me through the Contact Me page, once you are ready to register.
Your seat will only be confirmed once you make the payment in full, via online transfer or by depositing cash or a cheque in a local bank branch. Because we have to pay various vendors for Camp, we do require the full amount upfront in order to confirm your seat.
Registrations close 15th September, but seats often fill up much earlier. If you’d like to reserve a spot, please contact me at the earliest
Cancellation Policy
In case you need to cancel for some reason after you have paid, the Cancellation policy will be:
More than 4 weeks before Day 1 of Camp: 90% refund
3 - 4 weeks before Day 1 of Camp: 50 % refund
2 - 3 weeks before Day 1 of Camp: 25% refund
Less than 2 weeks before Day 1 of Camp: No refund. The only exception to this rule is cancellations due to a medical emergency or a positive COVID result; in this case, please provide us a copy of your test report, and we will make a full refund.
Trip Disclaimer
We will have a basic first aid kit at camp, as well as a nursing assistant on standby for medical emergencies. However, if you have any known medical conditions or allergies, please carry your medication with you as there are no chemists in the immediate vicinity of Camp Nomad. Further, in case any participant requires medical attention beyond what can be provided at Camp, we will help organise transport to the nearest hospital. All extra medical and transportation expenses will be borne by the participant.
In keeping with travelling sustainably, please minimise plastic use and ensure you do not litter in the natural areas.
If for any reason you have to leave the trip early, you will not be entitled to a refund. We will not be liable for any expenses incurred to you as a result. However we will do our best to help make all arrangements for you to return to Shimla or your final destination at the earliest.
If the behaviour of any participant is likely to cause distress or harm to themselves, our staff or other team members, we reserve the right to terminate their trip at any time and they will have to make their own arrangements; we will not be liable for any expenses incurred as a result.
“Craft and Courage was cathartic and transformative. It helped me face my fears and write with candour. Aditi was a kind facilitator who went beyond her role as a mentor, ensuring each voice had its space, She nudged you when required and made sure you stood up to your fears with effortless warmth. Amit, our gracious host, ensured a comfortable stay, taking care of every major and minor need, ensuring we never ran out of chai, and making every minute at Camp memorable. I found a great community to fall back on, a place where I belong, and people to call my own.”
— Monisha Raman, Freelance Writer
