short stories in ghandruk:

a creative writing adventure

About

Our finest ideas often come to us as stories. This creative writing excursion offers aspiring creative writers, professionals and students alike a quiet place to write again.

Learn how to write stronger plot, dialogue, narrative and characters in the scenic village of Ghandruk, a stop on the Annapurna circuit in Nepal. All in the pleasant company and guidance of award-winning author Janice Pariat

Mentor

Janice Pariat,

award-winning author of Everything the Light Touches and Boats on Land.

Dates

8 - 15 January,

2025

Learn More

Ghandruk

The trek into Ghandruk immerses students in the rhythms of village life in the Himalayas. Situated at an altitude of about 2,012 meters, Ghandruk is a picturesque Gurung settlement along the famed Annapurna trekking trail. Surrounded by terraced fields and towering peaks, it offers a peaceful retreat for reflection and writing.

General Eligibility

Candidates should be in good physical health and capable of long-duration treks of up to 4 hours per day.
Candidates should be at least 17 years of age; there is no upper age limit to join this excursion.
Candidates are required to submit a short application with a writing sample for selection.

Health and Safety

Our team includes professional trekking guides who will conduct safety sessions before the trek. If you have any serious medical conditions, we strongly advise against joining this expedition.
The trek from Kalopul to Ghandruk is considered moderately difficult, involving up to 4 hours of continuous uphill walking on inclined terrain. All participants are expected to be in sound physical health. The village of Ghandruk is located at 2,000 metres above sea level, and is a key stop along the Annapurna Base Camp Trail. If you are not accustomed to high altitudes, you must carry over-the-counter altitude sickness medicine.
In January, winter will be at peak, and the days will be short. The temperatures will dip in the negative, especially during mornings and evenings. Carry all the warmth you will require.

Janice Pariat, lead mentor

Janice Pariat is the author of Boats on Land: A Collection of Short Stories, the novels Seahorse and The Nine Chambered-Heart, bestselling in India, and translated into ten languages including Italian, Spanish, French, and German. She was awarded the Young Writer Award from the Sahitya Akademi and the Crossword Book Award for Fiction in 2013.

Her novel Everything the Light Touches was published by HarperCollins India, Borough Press UK, and HarperVia USA in October 2022. It was included in The New Yorker’s list of Best Books of 2022, and awarded the Auther Award for Best Fiction, the Sushila Devi Award, the Pen and Paper Fiction Award and the Atta Galatta Bangalore Literature Festival Book Prize.

In 2014, she was the Charles Wallace Creative Writing Fellow at the University of Kent, UK, and a Writer in Residence at the TOJI Residency in South Korea in 2019. In Fall 2024, Janice was a resident at the Rockefeller Foundation Centre at Bellagio, Italy.

Currently, she teaches Creative Writing and Art History at Ashoka University and lives between Shillong and New Delhi with a cat of many names.

Samuel Sawian, supporting mentor

Samuel Sawian is an internationally acclaimed Game Designer and Producer with over 14 years of experience shaping some of the world’s most successful games, including Bingo Bash, FarmVille 2, Teen Patti Gold, and James Cameron’s Avatar. An alumni of the National Institute of Design and Vancouver Film School, Samuel has led creative and production teams at studios such as Zynga, GSN Games, Gameloft, and Tata Interactive.

He is currently developing ADADAK, the first AA video game from Northeast India — a project that weaves indigenous mythology, storytelling, and art into an immersive modern gaming experience. Through his work, Samuel advocates for diverse narratives in games and aims to bring the stories of underrepresented cultures to players around the world.

Taha Mughal, supporting mentor

Taha Mughal, an architect, historic preservationist, and writer, holds advanced degrees from the University of Cambridge and the University of Pennsylvania. A recipient of prestigious scholarships like the Charles Wallace India Trust and Fulbright-Nehru, he has also received offers from Harvard and other renowned institutions.

His work spans Heritage, Culture, Politics, and Literature. Over the past decade, he has mentored underprivileged communities in North India through art. Currently, he is co-translating Kashmiri classical literature in the Himalayas and has contributed to a Barakat Trust-UK-funded project on Early Modern Kashmir.

Arrival Information

Participants arriving from outside of South Asia are requested to arrive on the 7th of January, allowing sufficient time to rest before the course begins.

Course Commencement | January 8

The first session, distribution of resources and orientation, begins on 8th January 2025. Participants are expected to complete assigned readings, work on writing exercises, and develop short stories between sessions. The compact schedule requires dedicated work outside class hours to maximize learning.

All materials will be provided digitally before the course begins, with printed copies available at orientation. Notebooks, pens, and other writing materials will be supplied for the exercises.

Arrival in Kathmandu | January 8

Participants will stay at Kathmandu Guest House, Thamel.

Evening Orientation:

Introductory talk in the Conference Hall
Icebreaker sessions
First session with Prof. Pariat and the Kuhiro Class team

Schedule:

1:00 PM: City tour with local experts
7:00 PM: Orientation

Materials Provided:

Course syllabus and schedule
Writing journal for daily reflections
Reading packet with all selected short stories

Readings for next class:

Skywoman Falling by Robin Kimmerer
Genesis 1:1 to 2:25 (King James Bible)
And that is why man is creative and can think by Somi Roy
Watch: The Mayan Creation Story

Departure for Pokhara | January 9

Schedule:

6:00 AM - 2:00 PM: Scenic road trip to Pokhara
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM: Our Oldest Short Stories discussion

Participants engage in interactive discussion of assigned readings and videos, with prompts for writing exercises.

Readings for next class:

Dhon Cholecha (Nepal folktale)
The Haunted Mosque (Kashmir folktale)
The Millionaire (Guru Nanak Janamsakhis)
The Language we Speak When we Sleep (Tenali Raman story)
Death of a Mosquito (Tamil Nadu folktale)

Departure for Ghandruk | January 10

Schedule:

8:00 AM - 6:00 PM: Trek to Ghandruk
12:00 PM: Australian Base Camp – lunch and discussion on traditional storytelling
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM: Fireside session with interactive discussion of readings and prompts

Readings for next class:

The Agony of Leaves by Mahesh Rao
Kabuliwalla and Banke Bihari (Uttar Pradesh folk story)
The Burden by Vinod Kumar Shukla (translated by Arvind Krishna Mehrotra)

Stay in Ghandruk | January 11

Morning | 10:00 AM: Writing Characters – interactive discussion

Readings for next class:

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Stetson
How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl or Halfie by Junot Diaz

Afternoon | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM: Point of View – discussion on elements of narrative perspective

Listen: Everything is Alive: Louis: Can of Cola

Evening: Fireside storytelling session

Readings for next class:

Trial by Combat by Shirley Jackson
Little Things by Raymond Carver

Stay in Ghandruk | January 12

Dialogue Session | 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM: Interactive discussion on dialogue in writing

Writing Prompt: 500 words

Readings for next class:

Wilson’s Bridge by Ruskin Bond
Drifting House by Krys Lee

Stay in Ghandruk | January 13

Setting and Atmosphere | 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM:

Interactive discussion on setting and techniques for creating atmosphere

Readings for next class:

Tale of the Teahouse by Kanishk Tharoor
The Locked Chest by Satyajit Ray
The Open Window by Saki

Trek Back to Pokhara | Narrative Structure & Plot | 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM:
Discussion of plot elements and narrative structure with a writing assignment (max 1000 words)

Travel Back to Kathmandu | January 14

What Does Short Fiction Do? | 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Screening of short films:

Nooreh directed by Ashish Pandey
More than Two Hours directed by Ali Asgari

Followed by interactive discussion

Farewell Day | January 15

Sample Scenario | 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM: In-class writing exercise: The Sample Scenario

Evening: Farewell Dinner

hospitality partner

Kathmandu Guest House (KGH) will be our hospitality partner across our adventure into the Himalayas, This is a historic and iconic heritage hotel in the Thamel district of Kathmandu, Nepal, established in 1968. It is a landmark in Nepal's tourism history, known for being a peaceful refuge and a hub for travellers, including famous figures like The Beatles and many famous mountain climbers and adventurers. Established in 1968 by Karna Sakya, often called the "Father of Tourism in Nepal," the hotel is credited with pioneering adventure tourism and putting Thamel on the map as Nepal's leading tourism hub.

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what to expect

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Fireside Sessions

“Light a campfire and everyone’s a storyteller.”

— John Geddes

Several of our sessions during our stay in Ghandruk will take place by the side of a campfire, where students and mentors alike can share their stories, scary or sweet with the rest of our candidates.

Treks

“There comes . . . a longing never to travel again except on foot.”

—Wendell Berry, Remembering

There are few things like a walk to get rid of a creative block. Our expedition goes through some of the world's most renowned routes on the Annapurna Base Camp trail.

Goats!

“In a dead white field an untethered goat gave them sardonic greeting.”

—Anthony Burgess

We guarantee the presence of at least five goats during this expedition.

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Mountains

“A sense of solemn aspiration comes upon us as we view the mountain. We are uplifted; the entire scale of being is raised. Our outlook on life seems, all at once, to have been heightened. And not only is there this sense of elevation—we seem purified also. Meanness, pettiness, paltriness seem to shrink away, abashed at the sight of that radiant purity.”

Excerpt from Himalaya by Ruskin Bond and Namita Gokhale.

registration

Seats to our guided study expedition to Ghandruk are limited to 12 seats and are competitive. Kindly send in your application at the earliest.

Application deadline: December 15, 2025.

About the program

Pricing

SAARC

NPR 52,800 / INR 58'000

Non-SAARC USD 2200

Kuhiro Class

कुहिरो भित्र स्कुल

what to expect

registration

Seats to our guided study expedition to Ghandruk are limited to 12 seats and are competitive. Kindly send in your application at the earliest. Application deadline: December 15, 2025.

Seats to our guided study expedition to Ghandruk are limited to 12 seats and are competitive. Kindly send in your application at the earliest.

Application deadline: December 15, 2025.