About us
Why we came back
We're Adi and Kajal, from Champawat, in the Kumaon hills of Uttarakhand. Like most people from small mountain towns, we spent our twenties somewhere else — working in cities, building careers that made sense on paper.
In 2018, Adi went to Kedarnath. He's described that visit in different ways at different times — but the short version is that he came back changed. We both did.
We returned to Uttarakhand not to visit, but to stay. The Aipan Retreat in Chopta is the first thing we built.
The art
Kajal and Aipan
I'm Kajal. I'm an Aipan artist — though I didn't study it as a subject. It was just part of life growing up in Kumaon, as it is for many women from the hills.
Aipan patterns appear at the entrance of homes, at ceremonies, on the ground during festivals. They mark transitions — arrivals, beginnings, sacred thresholds.
When we were deciding what to name the retreat, Aipan was the only answer that felt honest. I've painted the property with my own hands, and I train local women in the craft. If you stay with us, we'll probably end up talking about it — not by design, just because it matters to me.
The mountains are not a backdrop. They are the point.
Guests who understand the place take better care of it.
Slow travel is not a trend. It is the only way to actually arrive somewhere.
The two of us
Adi & Kajal
Both of us are originally from Champawat, in the Kumaon hills. We met, lived in cities for a while, and then came home. The retreat is something we built together — slowly, with our own hands and the help of people from the village.
On most days you'll find one or both of us on the property. We host, we cook with our small team, we sit with guests over chai. Nothing is outsourced; nothing runs on autopilot.