Aditi Rao is a writer, trainer, and potter. She is the author of two full length collections of poetry. Her writing has won several national and international awards and fellowships. Aditi has worked extensively in the education and development sectors, and she has two decades of experience in facilitation, workshop design, and teaching writing. She is the Director of Programming at Nomad Eco-Retreat. You can learn more about her work at www.aditirao.net
Amitpal Singh is a veteran with over three decades in the army, in leadership roles on strategic operations, large-scale logistics, inter-agency coordination, and innovation. Also a motorcyclist, he has a long-standing love affair with the mountains and the outdoors. Having spent a lot of time in high altitude and extreme climatic conditions, he brings practical expertise in the seamless management of the retreat.
Hailing from a village in Sirmaur District, Kapil is, in many ways, the heart of Nomad Eco-Retreat. He takes care of housekeeping and overall guest services. He’s famous among guests for his ever ready “haanji!” He supervised the construction of Nomad Eco-Retreat with great attention to detail along the way we’ve discovered his deep knowledge of the land, apple farming and animals! He’s the main carer of the many dogs who have made our retreat – home!
From Chamba district, Deepak’s quiet smile, is often hidden in the kitchen, where he works his magic. he’s our very own MasterChef. With deep knowledge of local ingredients his Himachali dishes are memorable. When he’s not cooking, you’ll find him busy fixing – electrical, plumbing, and even sewing! Deepak loves hiking and can point you to wonderful trails. Deepak is from a village in Chamba district.
Bittu brings flavours of his native Chamba to the cuisine he dishes out at Nomad. His ‘Cha meat – a slow cooked shepherds dish, and ‘Chambyali dham are favourites among guests. As a senior team member he happily takes on the managerial role, whether it’s balancing inventory, procuring gas cylinders during shortages, or working with local vendors.
Geeta is from the village of Makhrol, a few kilometres from our retreat. She brings vernacular knowledge to the table, be it mud plasters, foraged vegetables, or local remedies. She is great at rallying the rest of the team to undertake tasks and takes great pride in upkeep and maintenance. She has a green thumb and tends to the orchard as well as the different flowers she has planted around the campus.
An integral member of our team, Rohit is from Sirmaur. His hard work and sincerity stay masked behind his smile and easy-going nature. He played Kabbadi back in the village and brings the same determination, grit and resilience to the camp. His passion is ‘ghumna firna’- a true Nomad
Our greatest gift at Nomad Eco-Retreat has always been the incredible sounding boards we have and the number of creative brains and hearts that help us grow our vision. Here are the most consistent amongst them, much more to us than merely a Board of Advisors, they are dear friends.
Akhil is a poet, professor of creative writing, and queer activist. He named our cafe “Cup Miloge?” as well as the Serai Residency, and is a core part of our decision making about creative programming, inclusion, and meaningful social engagement.
Akshay is a teacher-entrepreneur and co-founder and co-CEO of Avanti Fellows, an organisation working on quality STEM education for lower-income youth. He is our sounding board for all things business development, and the most affirming advocate we could ask for.
Mary is a cultural curator and social researcher with over three decades of work in the art, culture, publishing, and social sectors. We cherish her deep sense of social justice and commitment to inclusion. We count on her support in communications and outreach, as well as in planning our programmes and the Serai Residency.
Neha co-leads the India operations of Social-Emotional-Ethical (SEE) Learning, in partnership with Emory University. She is passionate about working with youth and teachers and also deeply connected to the worlds of folk music and art. We count on her for outreach and support as we build our programmes.
Neha has worked in Youth Development and training sectors for over two decades. She is a magician at creating empowering and welcoming spaces, and we love being able to turn to her advice on everything from brochure design to retreat planning to community impact.
Shreya is the India Managing Director of AnitaB.org, which works on paving the way for women and non-binary folks in tech. She sits on the advisory boards of several companies and NGOs. She supports us in thinking through strategic growth and marketing.
Srinidhi is a researcher and educator. For over a decade she has worked with feminist and disability rights organisations. She helped us think through how to make our space accessible and welcoming for folks who live with chronic illness or disability
Vivek is a professor of Education at the University of Indiana (Bloomington), and a keen photographer. He is co-creator of the Serai Residency at Nomad Eco-Retreat. We turn to him for help with community and arts-based programming for young people who visit and live with the communities around us.
