An Ex-Prisoner-Turned-Published-Author Runs A Retreat In The Hills & It’s Every Writer’s Dream

Chetan Mahajan was the scapegoat of a supposed corporate fraud and the book that he wrote during his time in prison was published by Penguin. He is the man behind the stunning Himalayan Writing Retreat that offers guidance and inspiration to writers who could do with both {or either}.

Chetan spent a month in a prison in Bokaro {Jharkhand} and wrote a book about the same called ‘The Bad Boys Of Bokaro Jail’ which was published by Penguin in 2014. As cliched a story as it might sound, he left his job, moved to the hills and has been a full-time author ever since. The Himalayan Writing Retreat is Chetan’s baby, one he takes care of with his wife – Dr. Vandita Dubey {also a published author, resident psychologist and facilitator at the retreat}. We’d like to think of this retreat as a writer’s boot camp where one can learn everything from the art of showing {and not telling} to creating sticky content, or the nitty gritties of the publishing process. If you’ve got a book within you but can’t figure out how to put it out there, or if the writer’s block is getting the better of you, escape to this retreat in the hills. No matter what kind of programme you opt for, you can be sure of one thing – the retreats are all far far away from the town {in a small village in Nainital district}, offering the most writer-conducive abode one can ask for.

Chetan organises three types of retreats – the Weekend + {for four nights}, the Blogger’s Retreat {four nights} and the week-long Writers’ Retreat, all catering to different types of writers and needs. You can apply for the retreat that suits you best and once selected, gear up for nights of bonfires, forest walks & epic workshops that can change the way you write, forever. Expect workshops by award-winning bloggers like Sumit Bansal {a former attendee of the retreat} who gets 350K page views a month and lessons in persuasive language by Roy Abraham, an Adman with 16 years of experience. If you want to know what tickles people’s funny bone, Indian Blogger of The Year {2017} in Humour category, Chetan’s your man. They’ve got more mentors too all of whom spend days and nights working towards one thing – to help you become the best wordsmith you can be. The facilitators will go through your in-progress literary piece, offer feedback and all their expertise to assist you because {let’s face it} writing is hard work.

Their website says in bold – ‘Get Your Book Done’ and looking at the program, we have a feeling that they’re not kidding. The retreats are organised frequently and for more info on that, check out their website here. If you still have doubts, check out what the attendees have to say here.