Education. Vacation. Adventure Sport.

The three biggies for most customers looking for winter wear at our store. Their excitement and anticipation would often rub unto me. We’d love talking to each one of them about their upcoming trip and often wonder what happened next. Did the family vacation go as planned? How was the skiing course in Gulmarg? Was moving for education to Canada a good investment? Every place has a story to tell because for every traveller the journey and the destination were different. Thus, no two tales of travel are ever the same. These extraordinary stories of ordinary people needed a voice and a platform. And that was the genesis of Kosha Travel Talkies.

What is Kosha Travel Talkies?

According to the Vedas, five Koshas or sheaths make every human being, and by transcending these layers, we achieve nirvana. The layers of the gross body, breathe, mind, intellect and causal body envelop us like a cocoon keeping us nurtured. This inherent meaning of the word Kosha made us realise that we had an authentic brand name.

Kosha, a made in India initiative, is your go-to store in Mumbai for winter wear. Our product line is a result of in-house research and development. We bring you winter clothing that nestles you warmly like a cocoon in harsh temperatures. And our growing customer base attests to that.

Kosha Travel Talkies was born from the sharing of stories by some of our traveller friends. We realised there was a need for a travel meet-up that offered an honest exchange of experiences. In the digital noise of paid five-star ratings and listicles counting ten things to do, we wanted to bring some old soul. And so, Kosha Travel Talkies came about as a monthly forum to present heart-warming, exciting and inspiring accounts of fellow travellers who’d been there, done that. And they were here to talk about it the old-fashioned way.

There is nothing more fascinating than a debut is surrounded by excitement, nervousness and above all, detailed preparation. Kosha Travel Talkies was all set to be a reality on 5th February 2018, and our heartbeats were trying to keep up. Our founder, Yuktie Jhangiani, a travel enthusiast herself, was our host and our theme for the first edition was Snow Sports. She took to the stage and introduced Mr Akshay Kumar and Mr Sajid Chougle, our speakers for the evening.

Mr Kumar, a national level skier, trekker, and rafting guide is director of the Ice Hockey Association of India. As the head of MHE Adventures (Mercury Himalayan Explorations), he was instrumental in leading the expedition to Kumar Post, located at 15,632 feet on the Siachen glacier, as part of the Salute Siachen web series.

Picture Courtesy: Arif Khan

Mr Chougle went on to pursue his master’s degree in Syracuse, New York and that’s where he got introduced to snowboarding. An adventure enthusiast, in addition to being a snowboarder, he is also a Skydiver and a base jumper. He teaches Slack Lining on the weekends in Mumbai.

Picture Courtesy: Sahil Khandwala

Here are a few excerpts from the panel discussion.

Yuktie: Tell us about your fascination with snow?

Akshay: I’ve loved snow as a child. My father Col. Bull Kumar, is an army officer and an adventurous one at that. A skilled mountaineer, best known for securing the Siachen Glacier for India. He has been my inspiration.

Sajid: Being from the sweltering city of Mumbai, we dream of cooler destinations. All the while I was in town, I never got a chance to take a trip up north. Later, I travelled to the USA for my masters, and I can’t put into words my first snow experience. I lived in Syracuse that receives the highest amount of snowfall. In that extreme temperature, my fascination for snow just kept growing.

Yuktie: Akshay, over the past few years, there has been an increasing overlap between travel, adventure and fitness. In that aspect, do snow sports have specific disciplines?

Akshay: Alpine skiing, Nordic skiing (cross-country), Ice-Skating, Ice-Hockey, Ski-Jumping & Bobsledding are the key disciplines in snowsports. However, in India, they are not mainstream and hence are not backed by adequate infrastructure. That is why we fall short of participation in tournaments. In fact, ski-jumping and bobsledding won’t be possible for at least another decade due to lack of the sporting facilities. That notwithstanding, some Indian athletes opt for international training, like Shivaji. Training for snow sports like Alpine and Nordic skiing is expensive, but then that’s a personal choice. And it goes without saying, you need to be physically fit and mentally strong.

Yuktie: Absolutely. Sajid, you seem to have a wonderful backstory as to why you snowboard that I am sure the audience would love to hear.

Sajid: When you decide to pursue any snow sport, your body gets accustomed to it over a period. Some people can juggle between snowboarding and skiing. However, my first attempt at skiing hurt my knees. I kept falling and failing till I finally realised this is not meant to be. Did you know that years ago, snowboarders weren’t allowed into many skiing institutes in the USA? That is how the whole surf culture moved to snowboarding, and today it is one of the most prestigious sports worldwide. This history inspired me to opt for this sport. Skiing and Snowboarding differ in their dynamics, posture and moves. Snowboarding has more youthful patrons and has produced some great athletes. I am just another diehard fan, though. Last year, I revisited skiing and picked up the basics, but that messed up my ligaments. Appropriate gear is a big must have for such adventure sports.

Yuktie: Thank you Sajid, your snowboarding story is truly commendable. And I am so glad you speak about the importance of appropriate adventure snow sports gear. I can’t help but agree and happy to state, that’s where Kosha comes in with our extensive range. Our store consultants Altaf and Preeti will demonstrate our product forerunners in this range.

Akshay and Sajid spoke about how they find Kosha winter wear pioneers in the industry for snow sportswear and hence is their first choice, much to our delight. Happy customers are the best, don’t you think? Post the demonstration Yuktie announced the launch of MHE adventures skiing course packages and requested Akshay to shed some light on the different packages and offerings. Akshay spoke about winter sports and the available courses, especially skiing. At this point, Mr Mahesh, a member of the audience validated the MHE family packages and mentioned how proud he felt to see his 7-year-old son navigate the slopes. He also added that this was his son’s 3rd skiing camp to a room of applause.

Yuktie also added that Mr Mahesh was the one to inform us that an Indian passport holder can travel to 67 countries without a visa. A perfect travel-friendly trip for all wanderlusts, we think.

The Q&A session was a participative one with the audience asking questions to quell any doubts. One such query was of fake adventure sports insurance. Luckily for us, another audience member was an employee of an adventure insurance company, and he gave some great tips on safety and security while enjoying outdoor activities. Karan, another member of the audience, mentioned about the sustainability programme that he undertook during his trek. The conversation brought to the fore how essentially, travelling is inevitable and that every traveller is making that extra effort to make it a noteworthy one.

We ended the evening with the screening of The Unbecoming by 4Play, a fantastic short film on skiing. Our first edition of the Travel Talkies had exceeded our expectations. All thanks to our incredible speakers and the lovely audience. You made it exceptional!

A big shout-out to our media partner - 4Play, our knowledge partner - MHE Adventures and venue partner- Title Waves. A special mention to Shachi, our set-up designer and Munnabhai & team for the light set up. Last but not the least, Team Kosha who nailed this. Here’s looking at you, and the next chapter of Travel Talkies.

Do write to us what you’d like to talk about at the upcoming sessions. If you have any stories for us, then shoot us a mail at konnect@kosha.co

Also, say hello to us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and keep the travel bug going. Till next time, it is adios, amigos.