Having noticed over the past few weeks a distinct reduction in the number of Golden Mahseer in this part of the Maharana Pratap waters, we have decided that from now on all Mahseer will be on a strict CPR (Catch, Photograph and Release) basis at Basunti.
This decision made, we decided to spend the […]
12th-19th October, 2012
Following the success of CinemaXanadu’s Film lovers retreat in October 2010, Basunti is looking forward to their return in 2012. CinemaXanadu is a film club based in a small privately owned cinema in London. The club focuses on films that are outside of the mainstream tradition.
Films will be shown […]
The retreat at Basunti was even better than dreamed or imagined. It was a larger, three dimensional and vibrant version of the pictures on the Basunti website – a walk-in photo shoot with all senses awakened.
It felt that the yoga was restorative with ancient techniques practiced in the land of their origin. Certainly […]
The last yoga group of the spring season departed on the 15th April, hopefully everyone left feeling happy, relaxed and well fed.
After contemplating my four and a half coming months of total freedom, decided to spend the first few days in the garden giving everything a much needed watering. Also started preparing all […]
This year’s potato crop was planted early in November last year. The seed potatoes, which I had pre-ordered, came from the Barot Valley. This valley is renowned for its potato growing and discerning potato eaters buy the crops in advance from the farmers, so very little actually gets to the market.
I have harvested […]
With temperatures beginning to rise in the Western Himalayas of India, I have started devising some strategies on how best to catch that elusive monster, Golden Mahseer. The water level in the lake is dropping fast, which means the water temperature will also be rising. This is so important for a good fishing season, as […]
This morning the wind was coming off the lake and standing by the cliff face I could smell the sweet odour of rotting flesh. The leopard definitely has a kill stashed somewhere below. This is most probably not a monkey, as it would be consumed in either one or two feeds, but more likely it […]
For the last three days the monkeys have been keeping a very low profile. All three troupes have gone up to the little town of Khatiar where they have camped as close to human habitation as possible. The cows have also been very reluctant to leave the village, as normally you would find them foraging […]
Every winter the Black Redstart spends his time at the Basunti gardens, which causes major territory battles with the resident Indian Robin. Both birds are of the same size and have similar habits and the disputes have therefore been intense.
Over the last few years they seem to have reached a status quo, […]
While preparing our Fishing for the Golden Mahseer tour in India this year (click here for details), I was preoccupied with concerns about conservation.
Although a lot has been stated about various efforts to preserve the remarkable Golden Mahseer in India, my own experiences paint a slightly bleaker picture. Fortunately, Himachal does […]
