Jun 2025

My grandmother's hands, and what they taught me

She gave away warmth for free, every day of her life. I'm still learning from her.

Back to the journal

Written by

Manohar Negi · Owner & host

Jun 2025

0 comments

Family

This one's still being written.

It's on the list — a longer, more personal piece, to be set down in Manohar's own hand. For now, here's the heart of it:

“She gave away warmth for free, every day of her life. I'm still learning from her.”

About the author

Manohar Negi

Owner & host

Manohar grew up in these hills and never really left. A photographer by craft and a host by heart, he turned the family home at Kunja into a place to share — and most of the frames you see across this site are his.

More about Manohar

How to see more birds: a field guide for beginners

You don't need expensive gear or years of practice — just a few simple habits. Here's how to turn an ordinary morning walk into one full of birds.

Read it

Birding

Photographing the birds of the hills: a quick start

A long lens helps, but patience and respect matter more. A beginner's guide to making honest photographs of the wild birds of the Kumaon hills.

Read it

Birding

The gear we use for bird photography

Guests often ask what's in the bag. The honest answer: not much, and nothing new. Here's exactly what we carry up the hill, and what each piece is for.

Read it

Birding

The birding year in Kumaon, month by month

Which birds are around when — from the spring nesting rush to the winter visitors down from the high Himalaya. A seasonal guide to birding around Kunja.

Read it

The Ritual

A lifetime of comings and goings

On the small ritual that has welcomed and blessed every guest of these hills for as long as I can remember — and what it has meant to grow up inside it.

Read it

Renovation

Restoring a legacy, not just a home

When we set out to do up the old house, the goal was never just a comfortable place to stay — it was to restore a legacy, and bring a hundred-year-old home back to life.

Read it

See all of Manohar's writingEvery piece from the journal, gathered on his profile.

Keep reading

Related pieces

Family

The day I first came to Kunja

We were married on the 25th of November, 2009. I had never once seen the house I was about to call home — and the journey to it is still one of the longest of my life.

Read it

FamilySoon

We are the Negis — and the Bishts too

On a name, and the Kumaoni Rajput family that has called this corner home for as long as anyone remembers.

Read the idea

FamilySoon

Kunwar Singh and Heera: the names at our root

The grandparents at the beginning of us, and the little we know and treasure of them.

Read the idea

0 comments

Comments

No comments yet — be the first to share a thought.