Getting away from gunshots

It has been over a week since Jish (name changed to protect privacy) arrived in India after completing his mandatory military service in Israel. He savours a lemon pie and ginger tea at a popular vegan bakery-cum-café located in the narrow market lane of Dharamkot, a misty village in Himachal Pradesh’s rain-washed pine forests. A popular destination among Israeli backpackers along the Hummus Trail, Dharamkot is about two-three kilometres uphill from Mcleodganj. “This is my second visit to India,” he says, just before setting off for his painting class — one of the ways he chooses to unwind in the Himalayan landscape.