New Delhi, Oct 25 Bringing the sights, sounds, flavours and living traditions of the Himalayas to the heart of the capital, Royal Enfield Social Mission’s “Journeying Across the Himalayas” is set to return for its third edition here from December 3 to 9, offering visitors an immersive journey through the region’s diverse cultures, communities and evolving identities.
Co-curated with Himalayan communities, artists and cultural practitioners, the week-long festival at Travancore Palace will feature more than 100 experiences, including over 25 installations and exhibitions, 20 live musical performances, 20 culinary experiences and more than 50 interactive workshops and conversations, alongside film screenings and a curated marketplace.
Themed ‘Becoming’, this year’s edition will explore the transformation of the Himalayan region amid changing climate, terrain, migration and innovation, highlighting how communities are adapting their traditions and identities to contemporary realities.
“Journeying Across the Himalayas celebrates Himalayan communities and their lived experiences, which are continuously shaped by a changing context. Through art, craft, films, food, music, and material culture, the festival is deliberately participatory, placing community members at center stage.
“More than an annual gathering, it is a window into our year-round work across culture, conservation, and materiality, grounding Royal Enfield Social Mission’s long-standing commitment to 100 Himalayan communities,” Bidisha Dey, executive director of Eicher Group Foundation, said in a statement.
Among the key attractions are ‘Before Time’ by Gautam Pandey of Riverbank Studios, which explores Ladakh’s ancient petroglyphs, and ‘Pahaadi – Colour, Drawn from the Himalaya’, a natural dye installation by Himanshu Shani of 11:11 that incorporates visitors’ footsteps into the artwork.
The ‘Unquiet Orchard’ by Vibha Galhotra will examine traditional Himalayan beekeeping alongside modern apiculture, while ‘Cloudbursts’, by Ravi Agarwal with Sukanya Deb and Soumya Yadav for ‘Shared Ecologies’, will explore community knowledge and the vulnerability of mountain ecosystems.
Other exhibits include ‘Echoes’ by sā Ladakh Biennale, a virtual reality experience of snow leopard habitat titled Into the Himalayas, and ‘The Gaddi Suitcase’, which documents the pastoral lives of Himachal Pradesh’s Gaddi and Bhangali communities through sound, miniatures and folk music.
‘How Far Does a Home Reach?’ by Prolog Collective will bring together children’s maps, objects and stories from across the region to explore the meaning of home in a changing landscape.
The festival will also showcase works by 10 fellows from the 2025-26 cohort of The Himalayan Fellowship for Creative Practitioners, an initiative of the Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art (FICA) and Royal Enfield Social Mission.
Visitors can also participate in workshops on manga sketching and everyday craft design. Conversations and talks will focus on living heritage, conservation, community narratives and material culture.
Daily film screenings will be curated by the Dharamshala International Film Festival under its ‘DIFF On the Road’ programme.
The music programme will feature Arunachal Pradesh’s Taba Chake, Himachali musician Raman Negi and Kashmiri folk-pop artiste Aabha Hanjura.
Food experiences at Chouka, the festival’s culinary courtyard, will showcase regional flavours, including Naga cuisine by chef Aketoli Zhimomi, Assam tea tasting by Dona Aiedeau, Temi Tea from Sikkim and interactive Himachali spreads by The Community Thali Project. Other experiences will explore the relationship between food, migration, identity and memory.
The Himalayan Bazaar, curated by Puneeta Chadda Khanna, will feature more than 45 Himalayan brands and craft collectives, including 10 collection launches exclusive to the festival.
“We want visitors to leave with a deeper connection to the Himalayas and see how their choices impact this fragile ecosystem, inspiring us all to leave every place better,” explaned Dey.
The previous edition attracted more than 11,000 visitors and brought together over 50 Himalayan communities. Tickets for the 2026 festival are available on BookMyShow.
(PTI News)
