I wrote my first post for Altai Pilgrim blog five years ago in 2010. It was the year of the white tiger, a year of which it is said, that any new endeavours undertaken will surely come to fruition. The image here is the image I placed in that post, the first image I ever shared online, a painting by the magnificent Altai artist, Grigory Gurkin.
I would like to thank everyone who has supported me over the past five years by subscribing, commenting, and sharing my posts.
A throat singer in Siberia once said to me, that knowledge of the sacred Altai comes in five year cycles. Back then, five years seemed a very long time. I had not heard of Facebook. I could only get access to the internet by balancing my mobile phone on top of the curtain rail, and standing on a frozen windowsill. And yet here I am, ready for the second five year cycle.
Fabulous as it is, Altai Pilgrim is ready for a makeover. The launch page to the new site is here and will pave the way for the new, fresher and altogether more radiant Altai Pilgrim Studio. I will continue to share information on cultural heritage projects, navigating indigenous landscapes, voices from the field and creative writing. I will also be adding some really beautiful products to the site and making editing and translation services available to other writers via the Studio too.
It would make a big difference to me now if you would continue to offer your support and sign up on the launch page. You will receive fresh updates but only at polite intervals.
Altai Pilgrim was never meant to be just about one person. It is a shared waypoint for all ‘pilgrims’ who appreciate creative writing, soulful journeys, indigenous cultures, and who sense that there is a special nuance to these things in the context of the Altai, Siberia.
Altai Pilgrim 