Delhi, October 07th, 2025: Royal Enfield Social Mission is proud to announce the return of Journeying Across the Himalayas, its annual multidisciplinary festival dedicated to celebrating and safeguarding the cultural and natural heritage of Royal Enfield’s spiritual home — the Himalayas. The second edition will be held from 4–10 December 2025 at Travancore Palace, New Delhi, bringing together a week-long immersion of exhibitions, performances, dialogues, workshops, culinary journeys, and community-led experiences.
This year’s theme, “Ours to Tell” explores the Himalayas not just as a landscape but as a living archive of stories, identities, and traditions as they are reclaimed, reinterpreted, and transmitted by those who call these mountains ‘home’. Through curatorial collaborations with Himalayan communities, the festival aims to spotlight narratives at the intersections of Himalayan identity and community, indigenous knowledge systems, language and oral traditions, circularity and conservation, visual arts and material culture, culinary heritage, and performing arts.
Envisioned as an annual tradition of sustainable exploration of the Himalayas, the festival is both a cultural celebration and a road map to traversing the Himalayas responsibly. It is designed to amplify the voices of Himalayan youth and communities, ensuring their heritage is not only safeguarded but reimagined for generations to come.
“We made a strong beginning with our debut edition last year. Encouraged by the audience’s response, we are excited to announce the second edition of our festival, Journeying Across The Himalayas. Building on that experience, and with the curatorial theme ‘Ours to Tell’, this year we bring together more communities-their voices, and their stories—at the intersection of culture, craft, and collaboration. Over eight days, the festival will serve as a living network of artisans, entrepreneurs, collaborators, mentors, and supporters. Beyond celebrating Royal Enfield’s deep-rooted connection with the Himalayas, it reflects our long-term commitment to partner with 100 Himalayan communities.”, says Bidisha Dey, Executive Director of Eicher Group Foundation, the CSR arm of Royal Enfield.
Highlights of the 2025 edition
Immersive Installations & Exhibitions
The Himalayan Knot: A Journey Through Ladakhi Pashmina
An immersive, multi-sensory exhibition, The Himalayan Knot: A Journey Through Ladakhi Pashmina unravels the story of one of the world’s rarest and most revered fibres through an evocative journey from fibre to fabric. Documented by acclaimed filmmaker Avani Rai and photographer Manou, the exhibition traces the origins, craftsmanship, and evolving narratives surrounding Ladakhi Pashmina – from the pastoral life of the Changpa nomads to contemporary interpretations in fashion and sustainability. The exhibit connects past and present, tradition and design, people and product through a special apparel collection by Suket Dhir, merging Ladakhi Pashmina with Jamdani weaving techniques from West Bengal, celebrating the rich textile heritage of both regions.
Echoes of the East by Julie Kagti
An interactive exhibition tracing endangered languages, draping traditions, and harvest festivals from Northeast India, presented through soundscapes, textile displays, and seasonal rituals. The exhibition centres the intangible cultural heritage of Northeast India, with a special focus on its Himalayan communities. Through three interwoven zones, the exhibition invites visitors to engage with traditions that are often unheard, untranscribed, or unseen, yet remain deeply alive in memory, labour, and everyday rhythms.
Hub of Many Heart(h)s by Prachi Joshi
At the centre of the festival, The Himalayan Hub – a collective learning center for climate resilience, will take shape as a constellation of pavilions, each a hearth for dialogue, experimentation, and exchange. Bringing together projects on conservation, responsible tourism, social enterprise, and cultural safeguarding, the Hub becomes a living space where multiple journeys meet and new ones begin.
Live Sand Mandala
A representation of ‘Compassion’, monks from Namgyal Monastery, Dharamsala, will curate a live Sand Mandala, offering an immersive glimpse into the richness of the Tibetan Mandala tradition while preserving its essence and cultural depth. A sacred practice symbolising impermanence, the Sand Mandala is created only by monks with special knowledge and skill. Traditionally kept within the monastery, it began to be shared publicly only on the advice of His Holiness, underscoring its profound spiritual significance.
An Exhibit by FICA (The Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art)
The cohort of fellows from the Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art will present creative interpretations of the Himalayas through an immersive exhibition showcasing cross-disciplinary explorations of regional knowledge, alternate ecologies, and diverse cultural practices.
A moving exhibition for Helmets For India , in partnership with Start Foundation for Arts and Culture (SFAC), with multiple artists transforms helmets into canvases for art and storytelling, sparking conversations around road safety while offering a striking visual experience.
Performances & Film Screenings
Throughout the festival, attendees can enjoy an extensive lineup of cultural performances that bring the Himalayas’ rich traditions to life with musical acts such as the Balti Ghazals of Kargil, Uttarakhand’s folk-fusion collective The Pandavaas, Gauley Bhai’s experimental Nepali folk, Arunachal singer-songwriter Chorun Mugli, and the Thoda Archery Dance, among others, with more headlining acts yet to be revealed.
Festival Shops & Culinary Experiences
The Himalayan Bazaar curated by Punita Chadda, will showcase craft, culture, and creativity from across the region, letting audiences engage with Himalayan artisans firsthand. With food stations serving authentic Himalayan dishes passed down through generations, one can enjoy the culinary experiences and celebrate food as a living archive, connecting visitors to the flavors and traditions of Himalayan communities.
Dialogues & Discussions
The festival will spark dialogue through panel discussions with thought leaders, practitioners, and community voices on themes from sustainable tourism and conservation to textile collaborations, climate resilience, cultural heritage and ICH practices. Spotlight sessions will offer informal spaces for personal stories and lived experiences, while closed-door roundtables will drive solutions for collective action on climate, tourism, and circularity.
Workshops
Hands-on learning is central to the festival experience, with workshops designed to engage participants of all ages. From food, art and culture, to storytelling circles and craft-making with natural and recycled materials, these interactive sessions will embed lessons of sustainability and imagination for a wider audience across age groups.
Additionally, the festival will host DIFF On the Road—a year-round initiative by Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF). From 5–10 December 2025, a specially curated two-hour film line-up will be screened daily, featuring works by Himalayan filmmakers that explore themes of sustainability and cultural heritage.
- Festival Highlights: Relive the magic of last year’s festival through our highlight film.
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