I like to believe that everyone has a story (or two) worth telling, and a book inside them... Chetan helps coax, cajole and prise it out of you. I was part of a group of seven at the 4-day Binsar Writing retreat in November 2017. I came away from it, learning what I most needed to learn towards my writing goals - structure, rigor and the discipline of writing under duress (especially on days when the Muse was off out somersaulting in the winter sun!) :) That apart, Chetan hel...ps break down the entire writing process into individual structured sessions of Plot, Style, Character development, etc - very useful. As a coach & mentor - what I especially liked about Chetan, was his humor and instinctive sense of our blind spots.

Chetan was the mentor on a one month writing retreat I attended, organized by Ashoka, an organization that supports social entrepreneurs. Spending one month writing was the best thing I've ever done for myself. It was like a cerebral vipassana experience - instead of getting 'out of my head' the goal was to get 'into your head' in the most clear-sighted, intense way possible. And Chetan was amazing to work with. On day one he told us, 'set yourself a writing target, around 15...00 words a day minimum.' With his encouragement and enthusiasm I was nearly able to churn out the first draft of a book (3 more chapters remaining now.) There is no way I could have done that without Chetan. He helped immensely, by reviewing my work, giving me advice on my style, helping me structure a book - and staying motivated. I want to make an annual event out of writing retreats in the Himalayas, with Chetan's guidance.

To be honest, I'm yet to participate in one of the retreats, but thanks to Ashoka Innovators for the Public - I had the luxury of a month-long writing residency in Sattal, Uttarakhand and Chetan (Mahajan) - the brain and soul behind HWR - was our writing coach. Chetan is a fabulous coach. We are a bunch of social entrepreneurs doing different things to change the world to be a better place and our conviction in what we do is unshakeable. Chetan walked that extra mile to relat...e with us, understand our world, our work - so that he could guide each one of us on our writing. Encouraging, but honest - he's been just the kind of coach I needed. Even as he gave me confidence about my writing ability, he told me exactly what I need to change to make my writing that much more attractive to an average reader. I'm going to miss his tips and the discussions I had with him on my writing. And I cannot end this note without stating that Chetan willingly transcended his coaching role to invite us home to meet his family; introduce us to another amazing couple, his friends, who've also abandoned city life for the serenity of the hills. I encourage whoever reads this post to experience the writing retreats that Chetan organises and I mean to be back for one. Thank you Chetan!

Writing is a lonely journey! That is why an experience like the Himalayan Writing Retreat is so special. My weekend in march at the Himalayan writing retreat, provided me with the ABC of the 'writing 'world. There were sessions on discovering our writing style, creating impactful characters, providing rich backdrops for our stories to unfold, the science and art of editing, tools available to writers, and tips on how to navigate through the publishing world . These sessions ...were conducted by Chetan Mahajan, and emphasised on practical learning. The sessions conducted by Dr Vandita Dubey, on creativity and mindfulness were calming and insightful. Besides this perhaps the best thing that the retreat did for me was that it introduced me to a group of fellow writers. We exchanged notes about our writing journeys, shared inspiration, and encouraged each other to continue on this insane path that had chosen us. It has been more than a month and the camaraderie we developed there has continued . We have become each other's confidantes and supporters and ensure that each of us stick to the writing goals we had committed to at the retreat. The setting of the retreat was glorious. The Sona Pani resort , where we stayed is located in the midst of a forest surrounded by majestic mountain peaks. The place resonated with the chirping of colourful birds. The trees and bushes were laden with berries and spring flowers. One went for long forest walks accompanied by the resorts handsome pet dog. The food was home cooked , healthy and delicious. In all it was a wonderful experience! Thank you Chetan, vandita and Sona Pani resort For an experience of a lifetime�� I hope to be back soon�