15 February,2026 09:35 AM IST | Mumbai | Debjani Paul
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Vaishnavi Singh turns the last page of the novel she's reading and looks up at the mountains before her, content. It's the first book she's read this year while savouring the knowledge that, for once, she doesn't have to worry about deadlines, chores, or wonder what to do about dinner. That's the best part of being on a reading retreat.
The 27-year-old software engineer is hundreds of miles away from home in the hilly hamlet of Satkhol, in Uttarakhand's Nainital district. Here, at the reading vacation organised at the Himalayan Writing Retreat (HWR), all she's done for the first couple of days is to look for a sunny spot where she can sunbathe and read to her heart's content. On day three - the retreat is five days long - she's already finished her first book, Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, and has picked her next read.
Back home, it might have been months before she picked up another book. "I used to be a bookworm, she says, pausing, "I can't believe I said that in the past tense. But ever since I started working, it has become harder for me to pick up a book."
Singh's tale is no doubt familiar to many of us. Just the daily demands of life leave her constantly overstimulated. She has trouble switching off from work, and is always checking for emails or messages. In her downtime, she ends up doomscrolling for hours.
"I was very embarrassed to realise I had barely read five books last year. I found myself thinking, âWhere's the time to read?' Then I heard about this book retreat in the Himalayas and registered for it," she recalls.
"It's everything I had hoped for, and more," she says, "The retreat is tucked away in the mountains and it's easier for me to go off-grid and bury my nose in a book."
To truly break the screen addiction, Debdatta Dasgupta, director of marketing and operations at HWR, recommends bringing physical books rather than ebooks. The readers' retreat is her brainchild, launched after years of working here and overseeing retreats and workshops held for writers.
She also curates group activities, such as reading workshops, where they discuss diminishing attention spans and what they can do to address it. One of the nights, there's also a screening of a book-to-film adaptation that is selected by a group vote. "Every evening, we also go on walks in the village to give the eyes and brain a break, and exercise our bodies instead," she says.
The ongoing retreat is the fifth edition, which ends today. A sixth is expected in May.
A big part of the experience is the sense of community and exchange of ideas between fellow book lovers. "Apart from books you may want to read on this trip, we also ask everyone to bring their favourite for a book swap on the first day. It's a good conversation starter, and helps broaden everyone's reading materials," says Dasgupta.
This is why a readers' retreat might work better for most people looking to rediscover their love for books, rather than, say, planning to read on a solo or family trip. "The biggest need," says Thejaswi Shivanand, curator of books and retreats for Champaca Bookstore in Bengaluru, "is a space for adult readers to come together and discuss books."
Thejaswi has organised two retreats for Champaca in Goa. Is the temptation of beaches and parties not distracting for participants, we ask. "We chose a secluded resort in Olaulim, a tiny village in north Goa. It's quite far from any distractions, but still a scenic place to read," he says.
The most recent one in September 2025 was themed on nature writing, with a reading list curated by him. Participants could pick any book from the list to start with, and would have daily discussions. "More than discussing a particular book, we talk about how everyone experiences reading, and how reading impacts society," says Thejaswi, who is also an educator.
"For example, in 2024, when the theme was translations of books from Indian regional language, readers remarked on how so many had either been written or translated by women, and how unexpectedly provocative and novel they were," he says, adding, "We hope to curate more retreats locally in Bengaluru, and make them shorter and more affordable so younger readers can access them easily too."
Reading getaways aren't just for those looking to get back into the habit. For bookstagrammers Neha Modi (@litwithneha), Nishtha Shah (@thrillsontheshelf), Chaitra Pai (@bookswithchaipai), Pratikshya Paramita (@bookschaimusic), and Prajakta Naik (@dancingbibliophile), it's what brought them together in one city after years of friendship online.
Fresh off their latest retreat in Mumbai in December 2025, the gang is already planning their next one around the Kerala Literature Festival in 2027. Unlike other retreat formats, this group picks one book "We book an AirBnb and just read and talk about books all day," says Modi. "In Mumbai, we also went cafe- and bookshop-hopping. We bought books to support the local book stores. Since we are all book bloggers, we also shot a lot of content about books together.
For each of them, it was a holiday unlike any other. "Books are what connected us in the first place, so it made sense that rather than taking a regular trip, we should make our getaways about books too," says Modi. "It was so much fun. If you and your friends love books, we can't recommend a reading trip enough."
The next time, she says, they'll switch it up yet again by picking an audiobook that they can listen to together.
From their group, Chaitra Pai has also gone on a reading retreat in Varanasi with The Readers Forum Bookclub. "I love the fact that I can enjoy the company of fellow readers and also explore a different city. It's also inspiring to discuss books in a new place, like we did while sitting at the Varanasi ghats," recalls Pai, while adding that she would have liked more reading time on the two-day trip.
Not all retreats are alike, and it's best to check the itinerary before booking to ensure you get what you want, whether it's more time to read, or a mix of reading and other activities. Based on the duration and activities planned, the cost can also vary from Rs 30,000 to Rs 70,000.
Shubham Saket, founder of The Readers Forum Bookclub who organised the Varanasi retreat, says, "The book retreat was an idea that was born out of a request from my book club members. Most book events happen in Delhi and Mumbai, but people from tier-2 and tier-3 cities wanted to have an offline meet as well. So, I offered to host them in my hometown. I wanted to give them a taste of the city's culture, literary and otherwise. Apart from discussing books and practising yoga at the ghats, we also visited my favourite book store, Harmony Book Shop."
Itinerary aside, Pai agrees there's nothing like being surrounded by other book lovers. "I don't have many friends in my immediate circles who love to read, so I enjoy meeting people I can discuss books with," she says.
Putting aside time and bandwidth for reading might not be a challenge for this gang, but for those who do struggle with it, this sense of community at retreats can also give hope. In Satkhol, it's what inspired Singh to envision a different life once she returns home. "When I got here, I realised everybody was struggling with the same problems of work-life balance and poor attention span. But I also realised that it was not as tough as I had made it out to be in my head. I realised I need to prioritise myself and detach from distractions - work, Instagram - so I can devote myself to reading. Signing up for this retreat is just the first step."
Read A Kitaab Book Club
(@ readakitaab): April, Mussoorie, Rs 25,000-Rs 30,000
Himalayan Writing Retreat (@himalayanwriting): May 14-19, Nainital, Rs 30,000
