Food meets art therapy at this experiential retreat in the Himalayas

“Imagine a raisin. It is small and often taken for granted. But only when you taste it, you realise its essence,” explains Dalarympei Kharmawphlang while talking about one of the food-oriented art therapy activities at a retreat in Himachal Pradesh. She is a co-founder of the Delhi-based food and art collective PynChe, which is organising the third edition of the immersive workshop A Symphony of Senses in Tirthan Valley, near Kullu on September 28 and 29.

PynChe was founded in 2023 by friends Lamerphylla Kharsati, Maya-ika Lamar and Dalarympei Kharmawphlang. The trio is originally from Shillong, Meghalaya, and now have independent careers in the capital as a development professional, art therapist and chef, respectively. The word pynche means ‘illumine’ in Pnar, an indigenous language spoken by the Jaintia community of the North-Eastern state.

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“The aim is to enable creative expression by integrating the natural world, be it through art-based activities or food curation, and make it a complete sensory experience for the participants,” says Kharmawphlang, who also helms the kitchen at the Latin American restaurant Atticus in Greater Kailash. The workshops typically involve experiential sessions and blend various activities such as forest bathing, gourmet dining and foraging, mural painting, poetry and live music performances. For their last event in May, the participants gathered at a farm in Ri Bhoi, about 80 kms from Shillong, to forage wild greens and fruits for a unique farm-to-table experience.

For their upcoming workshop, PynChe will be collaborating with Meghalaya Tourism as far as the produce and logistics are concerned. Kharmawphlang will be seen incorporating ingredients from her home state such as the GI-tagged Lakadong turmeric, Sichuan pepper, black sesame and perilla as well as Himachali apples, plums, walnuts and gucchi mushrooms to curate two dinners. “I am also planning to do a version of the kharang, a smoked fish speciality from the Jaintia Hills using Himalayan trout that I will be smoking with applewood,” she says. The R&D will see her engaging with the locals at Banjar village near Kullu to learn about their cooking practices.

Food will also be used as a tool for self-reflection for one of the art therapy sessions. Lamar will employ everyday ingredients, which could be a raisin, apple or grape as an object to appreciate the mundane things in life in a way “participants will be guided on re-experiencing a raisin as to how they see, smell, feel and taste it. The activity is meant to bring mindfulness in everything we do,” says the art therapist, who closely works with the National Institute of Social Defence. The activity will be part of a dinner course for which Kharmawphlang will reinterpret the local Himachali bread siddu that is traditionally prepared with a savoury lentil filling in the form of a dessert using raisins.

The venue partner for the two-day experiential workshop is Whitestone Cottages by 60s Cafe in Kullu, where participants can avail their stays in comfortable tents or cottages. The tickets are priced at ₹9,000 and includes food, accommodation and other activities.

For more details, visit the Instagram account @pyn__che, or contact: 8794549145.

Rituparna Roy is a Mumbai-based independent features writer.

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