November 25, 2025 to November 30, 2025
This edition is now full. However, if you are interested, you can still apply and we will contact you in case of any cancellation.
Kindly note that the program will primarily be conducted in Hindi.
Proficiency in Hindi communication is a must.
Varun Grover has never let labels box him in.
After doing a B-tech, he’s written many films including the critically acclaimed “Masaan”. He’s written lyrics for almost 30 films, and won the national award for writing “Moh Moh Ke Dhaage”. He co-created “Aisi Taisi Democracy” and is currently touring the country as a stand-up comic. He has written “Paper Chor”, “Hari Patang Pe Hara Patanga” and other books. He directed “All India Rank” which closed the Rotterdam Film Festival, and most recently his short film “Kiss” released on Mubi. He’s written eight shows, and was the writer and executive producer for “Sacred Games”.
His work ranges from sheer beauty in his lyrics to pure masala entertainment to social and political commentary in his comedy to heavier themes like LGBTQ and censorship in “Kiss”.
Varun Grover will be spending four full days (not including the days of travel) at the Himalayan Writing Retreat, and we will explore the creative process together. We’ll look at the artist and how they relate to the world. We’ll look closely at creativity and understand where new things come from.
For this we’ll read books (reading list will be provided ahead of the course) and interrogate them on Day 1. On Day 2 we’ll watch films and analyse them. On Day 3 we’ll listen to songs or entire albums, and sift through the words for the meanings. With each lens we’ll try to see what influenced the artist into creating what they did.
This is an application-only experience, and we will hand-pick 15 participants. To join you have to be a creator – be it of a book, a show, scripts, music, poetry or anything else. We’ll be hand-picking applications to ensure we have a like-minded cohort.
You can apply now. Acceptances are on a rolling basis for selected candidates. We may put some applicants on a wait list. The selection will be done by the team at Himalayan Writing Retreat and is final. No justification will be provided to those not accepted.
Applications open.
This retreat will be hosted at the Himalayan Writing Retreat in the Uttarakhand Himalayas. It is rated 5/5 from over 300 google reviews. CN Traveller also covered it in this article.
About The Instructor
Varun Grover is a lyricist, writer, stand-up comedian and filmmaker.
He’s written lyrics for almost 30 films, and won the national award for writing “Moh Moh Ke Dhaage”. He co-created “Aisi Taisi Democracy” and is currently touring the country as a stand-up comic. He has written “Paper Chor”, “Hari Patang Pe Hara Patanga” and other books. He directed “All India Rank” which closed the Rotterdam Film festival, and most recently his short film “Kiss” released on Mubi. He has written many films including the critically acclaimed “Masaan”, eight shows, and was the writer and executive producer for “Sacred Games”.
His work ranges from sheer beauty in his lyrics to pure masala entertainment to social and political commentary in his comedy to heavier themes like LGBTQ and censorship in “Kiss”.
Travel and Stay
The Himalayan Writing Retreat is built for writing and learning. We are rated 5-star on google and facebook.
Once here, you will be sharing a room with a fellow participant (unless we’ve confirmed a single). All essentials like food, hot water, towels etc. are provided. No hidden costs.
It can snow in winter. Weather can vary and the weather chart of Mukteshwar (12 km from the retreat) is here. A pair of sturdy walking shoes, some rain protection and an extra layer or two are always a good idea.
Our rooms are built to let nature in and inspire you. To see pictures of the rooms click here . To see pictures of the writing spaces click here
Depending upon where you travel in from, you can reach us by road, train or air. Even if flying or taking a train, the final stretch is a drive, and the last 150 metres is a walk.
By Road
The retreat is a 370 km/9 hours drive from Delhi. If driving, we recommend you leave early. Note that parking at the retreat is on the road – we do not have any private parking. We have limited driver accommodation, so please check in advance.
Overnight Volvo buses ply between Haldwani and Delhi, the more reliable of which are government operated. You can book those here. Private Volvos and Sleeper buses also ply between Delhi and Haldwani, which you can book on redbus. Make sure you pick a bus with a high (4+) rating.
By Train
There are three trains a day from Delhi to Kathgodam, the nearest train station. Some others also come in from Kolkata, Lucknow and Dehradun. From Delhi, Ranikhet Express is a convenient overnight train both ways, but finding tickets can be difficult.Â
Most people prefer to take the Kathgodam Shatabdi (Delhi dep: 6.20 AM, Kathgodam Arr: 11.40 AM). A cab from Kathgodam to Satkhol takes about 2.5 hrs / Rs. 2200 (more for a big car). Cabs are often shared by participants.Â
By Air
There are daily flights from Delhi to Pantnagar. A cab from Pantnagar to Satkhol takes about 3.5 hr / Approx INR 4K.
There are direct flights from Mumbai and Bangalore to Bareilly 3-4 days a week. Satkhol is a 5hr / INR 5.5k cab ride from Bareilly. (More for a big car). Cabs are often shared by participants.
One of our past attendees – Radhika, has beautifully captured her experience of this retreat in her words. You can read her post Here.
FAQs
1. Why should I choose HWR Workshops?
Personal Attention: We don’t take more than 15 students in a class. You get a lot of personal attention and feedback. No classrooms of 20-30 people or one-way pre-recorded videos here.
Class Quality: For most courses, we filter our participants. You can’t just pay and sign up. We need to see a writing sample (in our application form) to ensure the class is of a uniform standard.
Cost per hour: Our courses are long and intense. As an example, the Creative Writing course is 18000 for 24 contact hours (3 days, 8 hours each day). The cost per hour = 750 / hour. That is comparable to many of the “cheaper” courses.
Quality of faculty: No lightweights here. Many of our faculty are award-winners. All are experts and great teachers. We don’t settle for average.
Feedback scores: Across courses, we are rated 4.5/5, or higher. You can read our reviews HERE.
2. Do I get a certificate of participation?
Yes, certificates are available on request.
3. Any discounts for students / other categories?
At the Himalayan Writing Retreat, we follow a strict No-Discount policy.
4. Is the workshop fee refundable?
Our cancellation policy is as follows:
For Physical Workshops:
- 100% refund (less 5% of total programme fee) on cancellation 40 days or more before the event start date.
- 50% refund if cancellation is between 20-40 days before start date.
- 0% refund if cancellation is less than 20 days before the start date.
For Online Workshops:
- 100% refund (less 5% of total programme fee) on cancellation 15 days or more before the event start date.
- 50% refund if cancellation is between 15 to 7 days before start date.
- 0% refund if cancellation is less than 7 days before the start date.
5. Is the Himalayan Writing Retreat a business or an NGO?
The Himalayan Writing Retreat is a social enterprise. It works closely and actively with two local NGOs in its community work initiatives: Chirag and Alaap. In 2020, HWR raised INR 6.1 Lakhs to support the Chirag School.
Have more questions? Feel free to write to us at info@himalayanwritingretreat.com or connect with us at +91 73035 16665 (call or WhatsApp).
Event Summary
Event Date
November 25, 2025 to November 30, 2025
Single rooms available at:
Rs. 1,24,000 + GST (Single room offsite)
Includes 5 nights stay at the 5-star rated from over 300 google reviews.
