Writing, yoga, and toddy tapping: Retreats make writers more accessible

Mohua Chinappa likes to think of himself as a “rebooter”.

She left her public relations job decades ago to care for her family, and when her son moved abroad to further his studies, she found herself left childless. So, on a friend’s recommendation, she signed up for a residential writing workshop in 2019.

Himalayan Writing Retreat (HWR) is a boutique service run by writers Chetan Mahajan and Vandita Dubey. Set against the beautiful backdrop of mountain scenery, HWR hosts workshops led by established authors such as Arundhati Subramaniam and Jerry Pinto to help novice and published writers navigate the arduous process of conceiving, writing and publishing a book or script.

Chinappa’s experience started off a bit dramatically: “I missed flights, trains and buses, and ended up getting a ride from a stranger who was also going to the retreat,” she says with a laugh.

Though it was a bit scary to put herself out there, she had always wanted to write, “and I decided to go on this journey to see if I could really write,” she added.

Chinappa, 54, has now published two books, a collection of short stories and a book of poetry, with a third due to be released this year, and hosts two podcasts. “I still remember this experience as one of the best decisions of my life,” she says.

HWR is one of a series of writing retreats that have sprung up across India to cater to a growing clientele of novice writers (though established writers are welcome, too): Indian Summer House in Kerala has been offering such retreats twice a year since 2018. Bound India Writers Retreats were launched in Goa in 2018. Alekhya Retreat in Himachal Pradesh was launched in 2017, HWR in 2016, and Panchgani Writers Retreat in 2014.

Writers’ retreats were traditionally set in remote locations where the landscape served as both solitude and inspiration, but here the scenic location also allows for other activities such as forest treks, yoga sessions and toddy tapping.

Its aim is to offer an experience, albeit one built around the written word, making the idea of ​​writing more accessible, even enjoyable, and opening a gateway to a world often thought of as exclusive and intimidating.

Retreats are open to everyone. Prices for 4-10 day trials are: ₹From 50,000 ₹1.35 million rupees.

“At our last retreat in May, we had people working in marketing, psychiatrists, bank CEOs and more,” says Mahima Sood, a data scientist who hosts the Alekhya Retreats at her family’s apple orchard in Himachal Pradesh. “I think a lot of people can write, they have ideas, but they don’t know where to start. They come here and get structure and detailed feedback, and many of them finish their books.”

Mahajan would agree. He launched HWR after culminating his memoir with a dramatic period in his life. Three months after he started working as the business manager of a Chennai-based coaching classes company, he was arrested on suspicion of fraud. He spent a month in jail before being released on bail and was eventually acquitted. The diary he kept in prison became the basis for his book, Bad Boys of Bokaro Jail (2014).

“That’s when I realised there are so many people out there like me who want to tell their stories,” says Mahajan, 53. “Unlike art or sculpture, where you have to learn a new skill, we all know how to read and write.”

The goal isn’t necessarily to write a book — some participants become better travel bloggers. Others improve their own writing skills. Whatever the goal, organizers and participants say a big benefit of the retreat is the feeling of having a safe place and being part of a community.

That’s what keeps Vanessa Challinor coming back from Luxembourg (she’s attended four Panchgani retreats so far). “We keep in touch when we’re not there, we do writing challenges online and share our work,” says Challinor, who is currently working on her first novel.

“We have deified writing and made it seem out of reach for most people,” adds Chennai-based journalist Praveena Shivram, 42, who has participated in two retreats — Bound and Arekya — while completing her debut mythological novel, Karuppu (2023). “But in reality, writing is innate to us as humans, as we communicate using language. Anyone who lives and breathes can write.”