Life in Shilha Village
An October in White in the Mountains!
The seasonal transition in this Himalayan valley comes with very subtle changes. This October, I could see changes in many flowers. After the valley was covered in the yellow flowers of vines like pumpkin and other small vines, now there are whites everywhere! Delicate, soft and pretty white flowers! And once you start to notice…
The Snowcaps at the Starting of the Fall
I keep track of my activities using an app called Actifit; it’s a blockchain-based fitness tracking app that I’ve been using for a few years! So every restart and reset in life starts with getting fit and trying to stay consistent with it. On Actifit, my goal is to reach 10k steps every day, and…
Starting Fresh in the Fall- October Reset!
The change of seasons comes with a lot of life changes. This year, I’m starting the Fall season at a new place, with much better views, facilities and more privacy. I have to start by talking about this new place with the moonlit nights because it was the full moon when we moved to this…
Lapas – The Sunlit Village in the Freezing Parvati Valley
One of the best ways to explore the Himalayas is through the villages in these mountains. These villages are mostly small settlements with a few houses and their farmlands in the mountains, a bit away from the main villages. Villages in the Parvati Valley give easy access to different geographical sides of the valley with…
The First Spring Hike in Shilha Village After Snow
The snow has melted away from Shilha village and its surroundings. It has almost started to feel like Spring. Or more like Summer if we go down the mountains to the cities. As unusual as it sounds to have Summer in March, this weather has allowed us to start our hikes and treks in this…
Pattu in the Making- Where Colours Woven in Tradition
Pattu is the traditional dress women wear in Himachal, and they weave it in winter. They wrap this clothing in a specific way that resembles a skirt and a top. They pair it with their heavy silver jewellery. Even the safety pins that bring the pattu edges together are of silver, and it looks so…
My First Snowfall From the Himalayan Shilha Village
Yes, it snowed! Yes, it snowed, and our village was covered in snow in the morning. The power also went away with it. So, I’m writing this after 9 days of power cut off in the village. So, the last blogs were all about waiting for the snow, preparing for the snow, and the Devata’s…
The Tank, The Devata and The Snow
Today, I woke up to the sounds of hammers hitting concrete. I was thinking maybe somebody is repairing the home for the winter. Then my house help came, and we were having a casual conversation about snow. She said, our Devata(the God concept here) asked to demolish a tank that was built around a water…
Jhoob, Magh Ka Sajja and Makar Sankranti in Shilha Village – Local Traditions
Today was one of the festive days of this season. It was the start of the new month according to the local calendar. For mainland India, today is Makar Sankranti, and in Shilha village, it is “Magh ka Saja. Sajja or Saja is the festival like celebration that happens in the villages here at the…
How Slow Is the Slow Life in the Mountains Actually? A Reality Check on Life
Waking up early, having fresh, warm meals with locally produced ingredients—all organic if possible, sustainable clothing—all handmade if possible, regular workouts or movement every single day, walk in the flowery valley, hikes, treks, snow… these were the pictures I had in mind about slow living. When I moved to the mountains, I had imagined such…