For whom do these lands breathe?

And who now ploughs thy soul?

Every little plateau

A place for God to sit,

Feet dangling from the edge

Every little meadow

A place to nap

Far down below I see terraced houses

With cows grazing on grass oh so green

This is the cradle of my dreams

Gorges as green and deep as could be

Valleys that run forever

And when I look up,

The sun sighs in bliss

Peering over the high rim of my crib

How could I ever dare to

Fluff the clouds beneath my bed?

Even the waking hours are a dream.

I have spent long months in the Himalayas most years of my life, right from infanthood. As I sit here in Pune, I am thankful for the blessing of the Himalayas. Thankful that I have the education from all the months spent in the mountains that prepared me for precisely the time that we are living in. A time to be patient, to do what is required every day, to keep looking for new paths, and to calmly prepare for the days ahead. The mountains teach you to make do with very little.

Today, the 2nd of May 2020, the Mountain Walker is Four years old. As the Founder, I am happy that we still have a business even though travel services – our biggest revenue stream – has dwindled to naught in the face of COVID19. I am happy that my co-Founders, team members, partners, service providers, clients and our families are all safe, healthy, and keeping in touch. I am thankful that we launched our publishing business line last year this time, since we now have an inventory to sell and also a series of titles to publish this year. I am grateful that my team and I have work and challenges to keep us gainfully occupied.

As The Mountain Walker strides into its fifth year of existence, I thank you for your patronage, wish you a healthy and contented year ahead and share a few charcoal sketches of Himalayan life from my travels as a mountain walker.