Our Team

Camp Nomad is led by writer, teacher, and potter, Aditi Rao.

Aditi is a widely published, award-winning author, and she has been teaching creative writing for 2 decades, during which time she has led retreats and attended residencies around the world. She also a passion for designing physical spaces that are vibrant and invite community and connection. Aditi leads all programming and design at Camp Nomad, and you can learn more about her work here.

Aditi is supported in this endeavour by her partner Amit, who has a long-standing love affair with the outdoors, and 3 decades of experience working in high altitudes and extreme climatic conditions. He is also a motorcyclist, and he brings his expertise to the practical aspects of running a campsite in the Himalayas. Amit supports the logistical aspects that keep you safe and comfortable with us.

Aditi and Amit met at Camp Nomad's first event in 2019, and they have since been working together with their unique blend of experiences in creative possibilities and practical necessities.

Camp Nomad would not be what it is without our small but dedicated team from across the state of Himachal Pradesh. We are regularly blown away by the skill, passion, and commitment of these young men, none of whom are formally trained in hospitality, but all of whom bring their whole hearts and so many skills to everything they do.

Kapil Thakur

Hailing from a village in Sirmaur District, Kapil is, in many ways, the heart of Camp Nomad. He takes care of housekeeping and overall guest services, and he is famous among guests for always-ready "haanji!" Kapil supervised the building of Camp Nomad in Gallu with great love and dedication, and we discovered his knowledge of construction, apple farming, and much more along the way. He is also the unofficial Mummyji of all Camp dogs.

Deepak Kapoor

Deepak's quiet smiles and sparkling eyes are often hidden in the kitchen, where he makes all the wonderful food for our cafe "Cup Miloge?". He is a master of the Siddu and the traditional Himachali Dham, but he also doubles up for all kinds of small fixes around Camp, whether it is electrical, plumbing, or even sewing! Deepak loves hiking and can point you to wonderful trails around Camp. Deepak is from a village in Chamba district.

Rishav Thakur

At 19, Rishav is the youngest member of the Camp Nomad team, but his claim to fame will always be that he survived a harsh mountain winter in his tent, with 6 feet of snow, all alone at a time when we were short-staffed. Rishav dreams of joining the Indian Army one day, but for now, he helps out with housekeeping and service at Camp. In his spare time, he is mostly found on Instagram. Rishav also came to us from Chamba District.

Our Advisors

Our greatest gift at Camp Nomad has always been the incredible sounding boards we have and the number of creative brains and hearts that help us grow out our vision. Here are the most consistent amongst them, so much more to us than merely a Board of Advisors. These are the friends who make Camp Nomad possible.

Akshay Saxena

Akshay is a teacher-entrepreneur and co-founder and co-CEO of Avanti Fellows, an organisation working on quality STEM education for lower-income youth. He is also our sounding board for all things business development, and the most affirming advocate we could ask for.

Shreya Krishnan

Shreya is the India Managing Director of AnitaB.org, which works on paving the way for women and non-binary folks in tech. She sits on the advisory boards of several companies and NGOs. At Camp Nomad, Shreya supports us in thinking through strategic growth and marketing.

Neha Buch

Neha Buch has worked int he Youth Development and training sectors for over 2 decades. She is a magician at creating empowering and welcoming spaces, and we love being able to turn to her advice on everything from brochure design to retreat planning to community impact.

Akhil Katyal

Akhil is a poet, professor of creative writing, and queer activist. He named our cafe "Cup Miloge?" as well as the Serai Residency, and he is a core part of our decision making about creative programming, inclusion,, and meaningful social engagement.

Srinidhi Raghavan

Srinidhi is a, researcher and educator. For the past 12 years, she has worked with feminist and disability rights organisations, and at Camp Nomad, she helps us in thinking through how to make our space accessible and welcoming for folks who live with chronic illness or disability

Vivek Vellanki

Vivek is a professor of Education at the University of Indiana (Bloomington), as well as a keen photographer. He is co-creator of the Serai Residency at Camp Nomad, and we turn to him for help with community and arts-based programming for the young people who visit o live in the communities around us.

Neha Bhatia

Neha co-leads the India operations of Social-Emotional-Ethical (SEE) Learning, in partnership with Emory University. She is passionate about working with youth and teachers and also deeply connected to the worlds of folk music and art. We count on her for outreach and support as we build out our programming at Camp.

Mary Therese Kurkalang

Mary has three decades of experience in the art, culture, publishing, and social sectors, including with the Goethe Institute, the German Book Office, and more. We cherish deep sense of justice and commitment to inclusion, and we count on her support in communications and outreach, as well as in planning the Serai Residency

Sustainability Partners

At Camp Nomad, we are deeply committed to sustainability, and we partner with several like-minded small businesses. At the core of everything we do is a deep love for our mountains and a deep commitment to co-create environmentally friendly solutions alongside others who care.

Black Baza Coffee

Describing itself as an "activist coffee company," Black Bass is much more than just another chemical-free coffee brand. Their coffee is shade grown so as to prevent deforestation in coffee plantations, and they work alongside smallholder coffee producers to create stable livelihoods and also to restore native vegetation and wildlife to the areas where they work. All their packaging is 100% biodegradable, and as a bonus, their coffee is the best we’ve tasted!

Mana Organics

Our tea comes from an award-winning organic tea estate in Assam. In addition to tea production, Mana Organics also trains local tea estate workers to become organic trainers, managers and independent cultivators. They have converted several hectares of tea to organic using sustainable farming methods in the last five years, and they also run social projects in the communities they work with. All Mana products are certified organic.

Amiksa Cheese

At our cafe, we also partner with Amiksa Cheese, an artisanal organic cheese company based out of Mashobra. They partner with local villagers who hand-milk their grass-fed cows every morning and bring the milk to Amiksa's production unit. The cheese making process starts immediately. led by cheese master François Laederich, who trained in the art of cheesemaking in Aurillac, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France.

Sihi Chocolaterie

Our chocolate provider, Sihi Chocolaterie, says they make chocolate and cacao from happy trees. Every ingredient is hand picked and ethically sourced from the highly biodiverse regions of western ghats, and it is processed using age-old methods that retain all antioxidants. The chocolate is made from only Cacao Nibs, Cacao Butter, Khandsari and Vanilla beans, and it is completely free of chemicals and added flavours, vegan and gluten free.

The Switch Fix

The toiletry kits provided at Camp Nomad are sourced from Switch, a planet-friendly personal care company. Our soap, shampoo, and conditioner bars are all completely plant based, vegan, biodegradable, water-saving, non-polluting and zero waste. They are also excellent products you'll want to use just for their effectiveness-- in fact, they were awarded ‘sustainability icon’ for vogue beauty awards 2021!

Beco

Beco's mission is to craft, support and drive a positive change in the world with sustainable & eco-friendly alternatives to single-use plastics and packaging. We are proud to use their bamboo toilet paper, compostable garbage bags, organic baking paper, and completely biodegradable cleaning products that help us keep our rooms and dishes as clean as our environment!

Our Team

Our Advisors

Sustainability Partners