Uncover More with Jamshyd Sethna

By Arianna Sartzetakis at Uncover More

Welcome back to The Key, our Uncover More newsletter keeping up to date on the latest happenings.

In today's issue: where to shop in Jaipur and a conversation with Jamshyd Sethna of Shakti Himalaya.

ON OUR RADAR

Head to the Pink City, aka Jaipur? Add these 11 shops to your itinerary!

📌 Nila House: A concept space and foundation preserving India's craft heritage through natural dyes, hand-spinning, and handloom weaving. It supports rural artisans, creates livelihoods for women, and doubles as a platform for craft education.

📌 Bar Palladio: A jewel-box delicatessen and homeware pavilion in the Caffé Palladio garden, modelled after 18th-century baroque garden follies. Expect bold electric-blue murals, zig-zagged tented ceilings, and a homeware line — linens, glassware, pillows — that blends European and Indian sensibilities.

📌 Indie House: A contemporary lifestyle and design store with a cafe. Start with a coffee, stay for a pop-up or workshop, and shop the multi-designer space featuring 70+ brands, from Araana Home and Taran Living to Maple Leaf Collection.

📌 Cottons: Block-printed and screen-printed pieces for women, from pants and tops to dresses and sheets.

📌 Ecru: A Kuwait- and Jaipur-based lifestyle brand inspired by the ethos and culture of Arab hospitality. Shop everything from clothing to ceramics.

📌 Diane Singh: A concept store blending fashion, fine jewelry, and home, set in a gorgeous space.

📌 Idli: Thierry Journo's playful, color-drenched take on French-Indian fashion, layered in bold prints and joyful patterns. Don't miss the striped lamps!

📌 Hot Pink: A boutique tucked into Narain Niwas, stocking fashion, accessories, and gifts from Indian and international designers.

📌 The Palace Atelier: Both a museum store and a concept store, linked to the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum (MSMSII), well known for its collection of textiles, handicrafts, and architecture.

📌 The PDKF Store: An artisan collective celebrating handmade crafts, textiles, and homeware, with a mission to support local makers.

📌 Gem Palace: Legendary heritage jewelers on the historic Johri Bazaar, a Jaipur institution for generations and a favorite of royals and collectors worldwide.

Which shop is going straight to the top of your list? Let us know some of your favorite gems!

Shakti Himalaya is a pioneer of village-based luxury travel in the Indian Himalayas, offering private, all-inclusive journeys that trade the resort model for something quieter and more intimate. For two decades, Shakti has operated a network of carefully restored village houses across three regions — Ladakh, Kumaon, and Sikkim — each chosen for its authenticity and setting, from a house on the banks of the rushing Indus to an eagle's-nest perch facing the snowy wall of the Zanskar Range. Days unfold at their own pace: village walks between houses, camping odysseys through high desert valleys, and lunches sourced from the homeowners and the wider community. The seasons dictate the map from Ladakh's cool, luminous summers from May to September; Kumaon's post-monsoon blue skies and woodfire-warmed winters; to Sikkim's spring air across one of the most biodiverse landscapes on earth.

Jamshyd Sethna, founder of Shakti Himalaya, is a pioneer of immersive, purposeful travel in India. Born in Bombay and educated in Darjeeling, his love for the mountains deepened during his school years, leading to a career pivot from tea planting in Upper Assam to travel and tourism in Mumbai. Disillusioned by the superficiality of mass-market travel, he founded Banyan Tours in 1996 and Shakti in 2006, offering transformative, community-driven journeys through India’s most remote regions.

@shaktihimalaya | www.shaktihimalaya.com

Tell us about yourself!

I grew up in Bombay but spent part of my childhood in Darjeeling, which is where my love for the mountains began. I felt an almost instinctive connection to the landscape and the majesty of the Himalayas left a deep impression on me. That early exposure to the region’s beauty has stayed with me over the years and eventually led me to Shakti Himalaya. Today, I’m based in New Delhi, a city that continues to influence how I engage with and think about India’s evolving travel culture.

What inspires you to uncover more?

My career began in a Tea Plantation in Upper Assam, which gave me an early appreciation for life in remote landscapes and the rhythms of local communities. When I later transitioned into travel and tourism in Mumbai, I found myself increasingly disillusioned with the superficiality of mass-market travel. I felt there was a missing depth - an absence of genuine connection to place as well as quality service. That realization sparked a desire to create something more meaningful, which led to the founding of Banyan Tours in 1996, and later Shakti Himalaya in 2006. I was inspired to build experiences that allow travelers to engage with India in a way that truly respects and honors the culture, people, and landscapes in style and comfort throughout the regions of Kumaon, Sikkim, and Ladakh.

Where is your go-to spot when in NYC?

Katz Deli

Is there a secret, local-only spot you can share?

Markus Coffee on Connaught Street. Their Regent and Negresco blend is divine.

Where is your bucket-list destination? What makes you excited about visiting?

Burgundy in France - I would be in a wine and cheese heaven!