"People want to escape their everyday sameness and seek inspiration and creative stimulation. Most participants come alone. They usually don't want the distraction of a fellow traveler."

~ Chetan Mahajan, the cofounder of Himalayan Writing Retreat

In Satkhol village near Uttarakhand’s Nainital hill station, the Himalayan Writing Retreat is a haven for writers and creatives seeking inspiration.

The Himalayan Writing Retreat has announced a new scholarship for Indian authors to work on long-form non-fiction. This new scholarship, called the HWR Khozem Merchant Non-Fiction Fellowship, will offer new authors mentorship, funding, a residency in the Himalayas and a chance of getting published by Penguin Random House India.

The Himalayan Writing Retreat in Satkhol, Nainital, is hidden among hushed forested corners, ideal for anyone seeking to read or write without interruption.

The success of the residency format led the Himalayan Writing Retreat to introduce 10 writers who live and write there for over two to three weeks.

"The hills help writers to ‘hear’ that voice inside their heads. Of course, you still have to sit down to work, but at least the process of listening to the voice is made easier, and clearer, in the inspirational air of the mountains,” says Chetan Mahajan, co-founder of the Himalayan Writing Retreat.