Curated goody bag for every writer!
A Travel Writing Retreat in Chettinad
Imagine spending a week in a heritage Chettiar mansion preserved in time, relaxing in the inner courtyard, observing artisans weave their magic with traditional handlooms, and forming a lifelong community with passionate travel writers from all over India.
One of these writers could be you.
At Bound’s Travel Writing Retreat, sixteen handpicked writers will spend 6 days exploring the architectural splendour, artisan communities, and fiery cuisine in the enchanting heritage village of Kanadukathan.
Turn your observations and experiences into vivid, entertaining narratives with two prolific travel writers: Chandrahas Chaudhury and Joanna Lobo. They have published travel books, and their essays have been featured globally in Condé Nast Traveller, Lonely Planet, National Geographic Traveller, Travel and Leisure India, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and more.
Every aspect of the retreat is carefully designed to help you recharge your social, physical, mental and creative batteries and to reignite your love for writing.
Immersive experiences and local interactions to inspire your next travel piece.
Workshops on advanced techniques to develop and polish your pieces.
Personalised one-on-one mentorship sessions with bestselling authors.
Share strengths with fellow participants in feedback and editing sessions.
Ignite your imagination with curated experiences to spark your creativity.
Resources to build your travel writing career and portfolio.
Build lifelong relationships with fellow writers.
Immersive experiences and local interactions to inspire your next travel piece.
Workshops on advanced techniques to develop and polish your pieces.
Personalised one-on-one mentorship sessions with bestselling authors.
Share strengths with fellow participants in feedback and editing sessions.
Ignite your imagination with curated experiences to spark your creativity.
Resources to build your travel writing career and portfolio.
Build lifelong relationships with fellow writers.
Joanna Lobo is a freelance writer and editor from Goa. She has been a journalist for 17 years, having worked with DNA, Hindustan Times, and Midday.
She has written travel stories for Indian and international publications such as Condé Nast Traveller India, Lonely Planet, Mint Lounge, Esquire, National Geographic Traveller, Travel and Leisure India, Vogue, Forbes, Gastro Obscura, Adventure, Fodors, The Nod, Outlook Traveller, and more.
She is a guidebook author too, having worked on the Goa section of Lonely Planet’s latest India guidebook. Currently, she is the Consulting Editor at Goya Media, sharing and shaping conversations around food.
Chandrahas Choudhury has been a travel writer for over 15 years, and writes regularly on travel for Conde Nast Traveler, the Wall Street Journal, and Travel and Leisure.
He has written about the candomble Afro-Brazilian religious tradition of Brazil, medieval football games in rural England, about Ayodhya in the year of the Ram Mandir, and about travelling around India in summer in search of its lesser-known mangoes.
He won a gold in the 2018 North American of Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) awards for his essay “Mumbai by Night.” He is also editor of the anthology, India: A Traveller’s Literary Companion (2010).
Nestled in the Kanadakathan village, a stone’s throw away from the Chettinad Palace, Visalam is a legacy of love. Built by a father for his eldest daughter in 1939, Visalam is named for the person it was intended to go to – Visalakshi.
Now, 70 years in the future, Visalam still stands with its original bones, lovingly restored with the same materials and accoutrements. While maintaining its traditional Tamil architecture, there is also a touch of modern luxury with its rooftop dining area, pool and garden.
Savour spicy and aromatic Chettinad cuisine, learn the unique ways of life of the prosperous trading community of the Chettiars of Tamil Nadu, explore the drawing board-like patterned alleys of the village mansions of Kanadukathan and visit artisans that are an integral part of the handloom industry in the country.
There is a story waiting to be told about Visalam. Will you be writing it?
We welcome all novice and experienced writers who want to experiment with travelogues, essays, guidebooks, etc. Whether you want to work on new ideas with a supportive community or you’re looking for an opportunity to fine-tune your current work, this retreat is for you.
16 hours of teaching time, 4 hours of feedback sessions
Luxury stay in a boutique heritage villa with a beautiful pool, outdoor gardens and seating.
Three wholesome meals a day with tea and coffee
Transformative workshops on creation, craft, and publishing
One-on-one mentoring sessions with seasoned and widely published authors and industry experts
Real time feedback from mentors and peers on your WIPs
Access to Bound’s writing community of 166 past retreat participants, curated by us over the last 5 years
Brainstorming sessions for collaborative work and quiet time to work on your writing in peace and solitude
Experiential tours and local explorations
Curated goody bag for every writer!
Note: The Program Fee includes everything once you arrive at the mansion. So pack your bags, make your travel arrangements. We’ll take care of the rest!
Our retreats are curated to help participants recharge their social, physical, mental and creative batteries and to reignite their love for writing. The food and stay is as much a part of the learning environment, as is the well-thought out curriculum. We pick locations that have the kind of character and history that fuels your imagination. Explore new avenues of creativity with workshops and events like theater, spoken word, music nights, guest sessions with local artists.
At the end of the day, every aspect of the retreat – the mentors, the workshops, the local tours, the meals, AND the books we gift to the participants – is carefully planned.
Writers of all formats (short stories, poetry, screenwriters, playwrights, non-fiction writers, and other formats) who seek their tribe. Whether you wish to develop new ideas with a receptive and warm community, or crave the opportunity to fine-tune your current work, this retreat is the place for you.
You are not alone in the creative challenges that you face. Your creative community awaits.
Benefit from one-on-one mentoring with these industry stalwarts
Chandrahas Choudhury is the author of the novel Clouds, published in January 2018 by Simon & Schuster. His first novel, Arzee the Dwarf, was published by HarperCollins, shortlisted for the Commonwealth First Book Prize, translated into German and Spanish, and chosen by World Literature Today in 2010 as one of “60 Essential Works of Modern Indian Literature in English”. He is the editor of a short introduction to the pleasures of Indian literature called India: A Traveler’s Literary Companion. He was formerly the Fiction & Poetry editor of The Caravan, and in 2010 he was a visiting fellow at the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa. His new book, Tales of My China Dragon, will be published in 2019.
Amitabha Bagchi’s first novel, Above Average, was published in 2007 by HarperCollins India and became a bestseller. His second novel, The Householder, was published to critical acclaim in 2012 by Fourth Estate, an imprint of HarperCollins India. This Place, his most recent published work, was published in 2013, also by Fourth Estate. It was nominated for the Dublin IMPAC Literary Prize 2015 and shortlisted for the Raymond Crossword Book Award 2014. Bagchi lives in New Delhi with his wife and son. His next book, a novel entitled Half the Night Is Gone, is due to be released in May 2018.
Chandrahas Choudhury is the author of the novel Clouds, published in January 2018 by Simon & Schuster. His first novel, Arzee the Dwarf, was published by HarperCollins, shortlisted for the Commonwealth First Book Prize, translated into German and Spanish, and chosen by World Literature Today in 2010 as one of “60 Essential Works of Modern Indian Literature in English”. He is the editor of a short introduction to the pleasures of Indian literature called India: A Traveler’s Literary Companion. He was formerly the Fiction & Poetry editor of The Caravan, and in 2010 he was a visiting fellow at the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa. His new book, Tales of My China Dragon, will be published in 2019.
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