Our Team

Meet our Team

Rajesh Ojha and Captain Ajay Sud

They started it all in 1994, giving birth to the very first Banjara Camp in the Sangla valley. It remains a labour of love for them and the realization of the dream for which they abandoned the pursuit of conventional careers.

There is no real division of roles in Team Banjara. However, because of his army background, over the years Ajay has naturally taken on the role of the logistics expert, ensuring that each of the camps and retreats run with informal yet military efficiency. On the other hand, the more affable Rajesh does what he does best, and as the person looking after marketing and guest relations, his face is the one you are likely to encounter more often.

Prakash Thakur

He was the village Pradhan of Thanedar from 1985 to 1995 and Zila Parishad member from 1999 to 2000. This young at heart gentleman farmer shares two vital traits with Team Banjara - an undying passion for the Himalayas, and an unyielding commitment to the preservation of the beautiful and enchanting way of life among these majestic mountains. Extremely warm, well-read, hospitable and articulate, Prakash is today a much loved member of the team.

Kavita Goel

Kavita drives our tours business, and is responsible for all bookings and reservations. She holds a masters' degree in Tourism Management and has over a decade's experience across the travel industry, spanning travel desks of blue chip companies, international tours and adventure tourism. Her zest to make others travel to offbeat places is surpassed only by her zeal to travel to remote places herself, consequently, she has traveled extensively both in India and abroad. Watch out for her, she is infectious and can infuse the travel bug even over a phone call.

Shardendu Pandey

Better known to all by the sobriquet, Sonu, he loves the outdoors and hates the prospect of sitting behind a workstation indoors. So, though he started his career at our Delhi office, he grabbed the first available opportunity to take up field responsibilities and currently manages our flagship property at Sangla. His military demeanour and stern appearance are just a façade, for he has a great sense of humour and is very adept at making sure that each one of our guests to Sangla has a fun filled and memorable holiday.

Om Prakash Thakur

Hailing from the Shimla region, Om Prakash knows Himachal and the high mountains like the back of his hand. He has been with us since the company's inception and has played out virtually every conceivable role, from a trek cook, to electrician… to retreat manager, with great aplomb. He is today responsible for all the infrastructure development and major maintenance work at our destinations and is usually based at our Sangla property- which he also manages in Sonu's absence. His physical prowess is legendary among the staff at our properties especially from the time when, for a wager, he consumed a kilogram of Desi Ghee (pure clarified butter) without a break, in just about the time that you've taken to read this section.

Sanjeev Chowdhury

A commerce graduate with vast experience in financial audits and book keeping, Sanjeev looks after our accounts with the proverbial hawk's eye. True to his professional calling, he is very tight fisted with the 'green bucks' especially when asked to issue credit notes to guests on account of bad weather, at times we actually have to convince him that it is not possible to drive passenger vehicles through two feet of snow even if it is just the last 10 km to the property a guest is supposed to reach.

Rishi Dev

Rishi comes from the Manali hills and is as comfortable as an Ibex in any kind of mountainous terrain. He looks after our retreat in Sojha and frequently leads our trekking groups across the Himalayan regions. His knack for ensuring immaculate hospitality in the most inhospitable of places has made innumerous treks and trips truly memorable for all.

K Srinivasa Varadan

An eternal nomad who believes that life is one big off-beat holiday, Srini is an MBA with eclectic professional experiences, before moving to Banjara. He claims to have finally found his calling here, in the remote destination tourism space and looks after our Ladakh tours, apart from assisting in the others. He also looks after the web based engagements and if you have any complaint about our e-mailers then he is the person you want to grab.

Sarabjit Singh

Minta, the name he is known by in the Banjara family, landed up in Sangla on a private visit in 1997, fell in love and married his present wife with whom he lives happily in his Punjab farm when he is not holding fort at Leh for us. A true peoples' person, Sarabjit loves to escort guests on trips to Nubra, Pangong Tso and other remote places whenever he can get time off from managing trips for our guests in the Ladakh region.

Sharmaji

Attar Singh Sharma, as he is formally known, has forever been in the hospitality industry. A very welcoming and affable man, Sharmaji is known for his 'never say no' attitude towards life. He is today the major domo atour Thanedar Retreat, and is truly hands-on playing multiple roles; from receiving guests to organizing their walks, supervising the kitchen and service, to ensuring the rooms are prim and proper… and all with a wide smile.

Dhanpat

A quiet man with a simple mission: 'feed all', Dhanpat has been with us since past 16 years, and is the indispensable chef-in-charge at Banjara Camps and Retreats. In his very rare free moments he loves playing TT, basketball and chess. A Himachali man with a special affinity for Punjabi songs, he also plays flute and recites poetry but it's not easy to persuade him to do so if the audience is any bigger than the blue Baspa flowing by the camp and a few of his chosen friends.

Mohan

This quiet Kullu boy is possibly the best 'service' can rise to. Although he is in charge of the service of the Camp area in Sangla, he can often be found accompanying the guests on the day walks and giving a helping hand in the river- crossing/rappelling activities.

Yashpal

One of the original 'Devi Ram boys' who rose to become the head cook at Tabo, Yashpal has since worked in that role at Chail and Kaza before now settling down at Sojha for the last half a dozen years. This efficient and shy guy is now a successful apple orchardist and looks forward to head back home to tend his growing orchard once he is through with the Retreat work in October every year.

Amit

Amit joined us five years back as an expert in South Indian cuisine which we were then lacking in our food repertoire. He is an efficient and friendly young man who loves to sing and joke when not busy with his camp work, and he eagerly looks forward to the cricket break in the evenings.

Vinod

Vinod has been with us since 1998. He is possibly the most meticulous man in our office. His attention to detail has helped us in some truly tight spots. Nothing can ruffle his calm. This is even more appreciable since he (until last 4 months) used to do all the running around in this mad city called Delhi. And he surely also makes best coffee and dal-chawal in the world.

Chota Master

How Ravinder got this name is a story we shall narrate on some other occasion, but the fact that these days he is being called 'Chota Om prakash', really illustrates his versatility. He is the quintessential camp hand. A cook, electrician, plumber, mason, carpenter … you name it. These days even we are not too sure how and where to best utilize the services of this gifted bar-be-cue expert.