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serairesidency

@serairesidency

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A residency for artists, writers, educators, and change makers from across the Global South. Hosted in an apple orchard at @nomadgallu

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Thank you for your applications!

We have been overwhelmed, in the best possible way, by the incredible work, ideas and dreams that have come our way through this year’s applications.

This year we heard from people across so many different parts of the world including regions we haven’t heard from before — from Latin America and Africa to West and Central Asia, with applications from places including Armenia, Iran, Yemen, Palestine and many more.

To see the kind of work being done, imagined, created and carried forward across all these places has been deeply inspiring. More than anything it has reminded us of how many people, in many different contexts are working towards a more just and joyful world.

We are now passing all this on to our jury, who have a rather difficult task of choosing this year’s fellows.

Results will be announced mid October. Thank for trusting us with your work, your ideas and your time.

Thank you for finding your way to Serai 🤍 by @serairesidency

Serai applications close today at midnight IST!
Apply via link in bio. by @serairesidency

What might a day at Serai look like?

Serai is a space for deep work, rest, and community. Here, your days are yours to shape: On any given day, you could dig deep into your own project, read a book from our Global South library, walk through the mountains, or simply stare out from your window seat and do nothing for a while.

At Serai, we trust each fellow’s individual process, and we leave room for days to unfold at their own pace. And in the evenings, we gather together for shared meals, conversations, and learning from one another.

Applications for the third edition of the Serai Residency are open. Apply via the link in bio. by @serairesidency

At Serai, we dream of building a more just and joyful world, and this begins with creating a nurturing space for the people working towards it.

The residency is interdisciplinary— welcoming writers, artists, educators and change makers from across the Global South. The goal is pause, deep work, and intentional community.

Swipe through to see all the categories and if you see yourself in there, apply!

Link in bio. by @serairesidency

Applications are now open for the third edition of the Serai Residency — a residency in the Himalayas for writers, artists, educators, and changemakers from across the Global South.

This year, we’re offering the option to choose between 2 or 4 weeks at Serai, depending on what works best for you.

Serai is a space for pause connection and deep work— offering rest, companionship, and community.

The residency is fully funded with accommodation, meals and workspace all covered.
To see the eligibility criteria and fill the application form, click on the link in bio.

🗓️ Applications close on 30th September 2026

📍Nomad Eco Retreat, Gallu, Himachal Pradesh by @serairesidency

At Serai residency the fellows find their own rhythm of work and their own corners to think!

We hosted eight fellows last year and each of them brought their rituals and made new ones. As we are getting ready for this year’s residency, here’s a glimpse into the days of last year’s!

Applications open soon.

#residency #globalsouth #creativeresidency #fellowship #himachal by @serairesidency

We’re delighted to share that Serai Fellow Abdirahman Fiili’s film, The Grave of Garbages, written during his time at Serai, has secured its first European co-production (Somalia–Italy).

Congratulations, Abdirahman.

This is why residencies matter — to give work the time and space to begin, and the momentum to continue beyond it. by @serairesidency

A throwback to an afternoon in the Nomad kitchen with the Serai Fellows.

Fransisca and Tulsi cooking Indonesian-style pork alongside ragi mudde — recipes crossing borders, techniques explained mid-stir, spices adjusted by instinct.

The table filled slowly. Plates passed hands. Someone went back for seconds.

And because it was December, the evening ended with a generous Christmas cake — sweet, dense, and cut into uneven slices.

Some exchanges happen on the page.
Some happen over a stove.

Both feel just as essential. by @serairesidency

Each Serai fellow found their own rhythm of work.
Some moved through the day with ease and sunlight, others settled into stillness and quiet.
Some filled their walls with colour; others kept a single notebook and a view of the trees.

The days shaped themselves
around books, brush pens, afternoon hush, and sudden bursts of laughter.
Studios emerged in corners, windows became invitations, and slow rituals gave form to the work.

Here is a glimpse into that rhythm. by @serairesidency

Over the past weeks at the Serai Residency Fellowship, our founder, Sijo Varghese, has had the opportunity to pause, reflect, and share his journey, a journey shaped profoundly by his life with a spinal cord injury.

It was here that Sijo opened up about how the Bahaal Foundation came into being: born from resilience, shaped by lived experience, and driven by the vision of restoring freedom, dignity, and hope for people with spinal cord injuries.

During the fellowship, Sijo has been developing Mind Over Matter, a psychosocial support project that aims to strengthen mental health, build peer networks, and empower individuals navigating life after a spinal cord injury.

The serene environment of the residency offered him the calm and clarity to think more deeply, allowing the project to grow with greater intention and depth.

Meaningful interactions with other fellows, each bringing unique perspectives and experiences, have helped him expand the project, adding components that make it more holistic, inclusive, and impactful.

The Serai Fellowship has not only nurtured a project but also strengthened a purpose: to create a community where no one has to walk their journey alone.

#seraifellowship #rohininilekaniphilanthropies #bahaalfoundation #mindovermatter #SpinalCordInjury #Inclusion #mentalhealthwarrior #rehabilitation #leadershipjourney #socialimpact #fellowshiplife by @serairesidency

Most evenings at Serai ended around the fireplace—with games of Snakes & Ladders, Sequence, and the occasional fiercely competitive round of Uno. The mood was light, the jokes flew easily, and the board game nights became their own kind of ritual—offering laughter, play, and a winding down that everyone looked forward to. by @serairesidency

One evening, the group gathered for a film screening by fellow @beingfiili
With warm chai and popcorn in hand, they sat under blankets and watched the story unfold. After the screening, Fiili spoke about the film’s making, and the conversation drifted into craft, process, and where stories come from. It was intimate, generous, and just right. by @serairesidency