Behind every landscape are lives being lived, knowledge being passed on, places changing and stories being told. We bring these stories together, in many forms and through many voices.
Winters are a time when most women in the mountains work with wool. Knitting and weaving woollens for family and…
Kinnaur valley in Himachal Pradesh is well known for their apple cultivation. These high hills provide ideal climatic conditions for…
To be a forest guard in Himachal Pradesh means trekking in some of the harshest terrains to document and protect…
Two years ago, during a winter vacation, I took my four-year-old daughter, Gyanzin Yeeyong Wangmo, to a Shangdong, an ancient…
International Snow Leopard Day is celebrated on 23 Oct. India is expected to announce the results of it's first snow…
Barley grown organically has been a staple produce in the high altitude regions of Spiti, Lahaul and Ladakh. In the…
Handloom and handicraft are an age-old tradition in Kinnaur (H.P) and have their roots in the ancient trade routes. The…
People of the high mountains have traditionally gathered plants and herbs from the wild, which would then be carefully stored…
– A Spitian Proverb –
Books, guides, posters, toolkits and other resources from across the Himalaya.
HimKatha began in 2020, during the Covid-19 lockdown, when isolation and limited connectivity made it difficult for people across Spiti’s villages to stay in touch. We wondered if a print publication could help keep local conversations alive and create space for stories from the region.
The first print edition appeared in November 2020. Since then, HimKatha has grown in scope, format and reach, bringing more voices into the conversation as the Himalayan region continues to change. These early editions mark the beginning of the archive.
HimKatha brings together stories, knowledge and perspectives from across the Himalaya. We believe these stories deserve to be shared with care, grounded in the places and communities they come from, and open to different ways of seeing and understanding the world. These values shape how we work with contributors, tell stories and make them accessible to everyone.
Stories should make room for people who know these places because they live there and carry their stories and knowledge.
The Himalaya is not a single landscape or culture. We tell stories with care for the places, histories, and communities.
Knowledge lives in research and archives, but also in memory, practice, observation, craft and everyday lived experience.
Himkatha is freely accessible because stories and knowledge should be shared widely, without barriers or a paywall today.
