A 24-hour new year retreat in the hills. Twelve senior professionals. The same canvas behind Viram, focused on a single year. You arrive at 11am carrying 2026. You leave at 11am the next morning with a picture of 2027 and an execution plan to make it real.
GST waived 14 days ahead · UPI or card accepted.
Think back to January 2026. You had a sense of what you wanted from it. A few goals. A quiet promise to do some things differently.
Then the first quarter arrived. Targets. Reviews. A reorganisation nobody planned for. By March, the year was running you.
Now the year is nearly over. You delivered a lot. And if you're honest, very little of it was what you meant to do.
This isn't a discipline problem. You are one of the most disciplined people you know.
It's a picture problem. You went into the year with goals but no picture of what it should feel like, what it was for, or what you'd say no to.
Aarambh exists so that 2027 starts with the picture.
Aarambh means beginning in Sanskrit. It's a 24-hour new year retreat in Dehradun and Lonavala, facilitated by Amit Chilka, an ICF-certified leadership coach and former CHRO. It uses the same method as Viram — the 4-day retreat — focused on twelve months instead of a whole life.
It is a structured pause, facilitated by someone who has run this exercise with hundreds of senior professionals.
It isn't a resolutions workshop, a productivity seminar or a wellness weekend. The plan comes after the picture, not instead of it.
It ends with an execution plan, not just a picture. Your first actions are in your calendar before you leave.
Painted by hand. On the left, 2026 as it actually was. On the right, December 2027 as you want it. In the middle, three moves. Most people hang it where they will see it every morning.
Each move becomes a first action for the coming week, a milestone for each month to March, and a clear sign of done. You name the one thing you will stop. Your first actions go into your calendar in the room.
Your answer to "what is this year for?", said out loud to a room of people who will remember it.
The canvas comes from Amit's own 2013 painting — the one that came true in 2025. Here it is adapted for a single year.
Amit Chilka spent 22 years in HR leadership, the last as CHRO of a technology company. He is an ICF-certified coach and the author of three books, including The Missing Blueprint.
In 2013 he painted his future on a canvas and pinned it to his bedroom wall: leave corporate, build his own work, live in the hills. In May 2025 he moved to Dehradun. The painting came true, on the timeline he had set. Read more about him →
Aarambh uses the same canvas.
Aarambh is new. These words come from people who did Viram — the 4-day retreat built on the same method.
“I was the most skeptical person in the room on Day 1. By Day 3 I was the one who didn't want to leave.”
“Twenty minutes in, Amit said something that I'd been avoiding saying to myself for two years.”
“I found stillness, deep conversations, and laughter with strangers who became friends.”
Coming alone or prefer your own room. All sessions, canvas, meals and stay included.
For partners, friends or colleagues booking as a pair. Each person paints their own canvas.
The Viram credit: join Viram within 90 days and ₹10,000 of your Aarambh fee comes off the Viram price.
It's less than most people spend on a weekend away. The difference is what you bring back: a year you've actually chosen, and a plan to live it.
Aarambh runs as a private new year retreat for teams of 8 to 12. The same 24 hours, plus a session on what the team's year is for.
Who else will be there?
Founders, CXOs and senior leaders, usually 15 or more years into their careers. Twelve people at most.
Do I have to share personal things with the group?
Only what you choose to. The canvas is yours. The circles are an invitation, never a requirement.
I'm not artistic.
Nobody in the room is. Amit's own 2013 canvas was stick figures and shaky arrows. The drawing isn't the point. What you draw is.
What about my phone?
It goes into a pouch on arrival. There are two short windows to check for anything urgent.
How is this different from Viram?
Viram is four days on your whole life with a 90-day support programme. Aarambh is 24 hours on one year. ₹10,000 of your fee counts toward Viram if you join within 90 days.
Can I come with my partner?
Yes. Book twin share for the two of you. Each of you paints your own canvas.
Can my company pay?
Yes. You'll get a GST invoice in your company's name — share the company GSTIN when you book.
What happens if the minimum isn't reached?
We'll tell you by 30 December (Lonavala) or 6 January (Dehradun). You choose a full refund or a seat on the other date.
What if I can't come?
Full refund up to 30 days before. 50% or move your seat up to 14 days before. Full terms at /aarambh-terms.
Can I bring my leadership team?
Yes. Aarambh runs as a private edition for teams of 8 to 12. See the corporate page →
On 1 January, 2027 begins whether you've decided what it's for or not.
Give it 24 hours first.
12 seats per date · GST waived 14 days ahead · ₹10,000 toward Viram · UPI or card