After the Pandemic settled down and I was able to return to Taptkund (I was stuck 8 months in Karnataka), a lot of the local guys (in the 20s and 30s) began YouTube channels.

Word got around that I used to work in video and film production and was a multimedia teacher. Some of these YouTubers began to come over for tech advice: what kind of mic to use so that their voice could be heard clearly over the sound of the rushing river, how to stabilize the camera while I'm walking around or just shooting handheld, etc.

Raju stuck around for more. He started coming for shooting and editing advice.

I shared with him curriculum I used to use when I worked as a media teacher and edited a few scenes for him to get him started, showing him some editing techniques. Since then he has come a long way with his YouTube Channel.

View his channel here. 

Meanwhile below is a video Raju (Rakesh Joshi) shot and edited in 2024, while hanging around where I was living at Uma Giri's Kutir at Taptkund Mahadev Mandir, in Sailing Village, District Bageshwar, Uttarakhand India. We make coffee, discuss life and my journey from NYC to Taptkund. Premiered on YouTube - Apr 17, 2024.