India's Winter of Art and Culture

India loves a good spectacle: weddings, festivals, cricket, elections. But its most inspiring escapes aren't loud. This winter, skip the obvious tourist trail and step into studios and culturally rich towns where creativity hums quietly.

- By SALONI DHRUV

Creative Hideouts

DHARAMKOT STUDIO

Where: HIMACHAL PRADESH

What: Perched above McLeodganj, Dharamkot Studio replaces digital chatter with the gentle hiss of a potter's wheel and the sweet sound of mountain winds. Its artist residency programmes—ranging from one to three weeks—are precisely the place where pottery enthusiasts can lose themselves in rhythm and repetition as the majestic Dhauladhar range silently watches on.

Why: No chaos, no performative workshops; just mud under your fingernails and a rare kind of solitude where creativity thrives precisely because nobody is watching.

ARTIST RESIDENCY FARM8

Where: NEW DELHI

What: Farm8 is Delhi’s green pause button with a five-acre sanctuary where creativity and ecology share the stage. Conceived by Ranbir and Rashmi Kaleka, it began as a private studio, evolving into a collective for artists, writers and environmentalists that’s deeply rooted in permaculture and sustainability. Studio Array’s design weaves concrete with bamboo, steel and glass, forming semi-open pavilions and double-height verandas that blur the lines between indoors and outdoors.

Why: An escape from the honking chaos of the capital city, the artist residency offers enthusiasts a chance to slow down and embrace the farm-to-canvas rhythm.

KHOJ STUDIOS

Where: NEW DELHI