The Art of Saying Yes: Lessons from a life in the Mountains
about dhananjay
There’s something about standing at 15,000 feet, oxygen thin, with a film crew looking at you expectantly, that teaches lessons no classroom ever could.
The Café Chronicles: Where It All Began
My education started between the clatter of coffee cups and the hum of cassette tapes at my father’s café on The Mall in Shimla. In between memorizing textbooks and sports, I was absorbing stories, tales of distant lands from travelers who’d park themselves at our tables, nursing endless cups of chai and sharing adventures that seemed impossibly far from our mountain town.
What I Learned Then
– Every person carries a story worth hearing.
– Every conversation is a potential doorway.
– Listen first, judge never.
Those early years taught me that hospitality isn’t just about service, it’s about creating space for stories to unfold. A skill that would prove invaluable when, decades later, I’d find myself managing film crews in remote valleys, where the success of a shoot often hinges on making everyone feel heard, valued, and part of something larger than themselves.
learning systems under pressure
the rally years
At thirteen, in class 8th during 1988, marshaling checkpoints during the Himalayan Car Rally, I discovered something profound: when everything is at stake, systems save lives.
No GPS. No phones. Just instinct, teamwork, and the kind of pressure that either breaks you or builds unshakeable foundations. Watching cars navigate impossible terrain taught me that preparation isn’t paranoia, it’s respect for the mountain, the machine, and the people depending on you.
This early taste of motorsport ignited a passion that would grow into something much larger. From those teenage checkpoint duties emerged a lifelong love affair with motorsport that would see me become a founding member of Team Avalanche, one of India’s oldest motorsport clubs. What began as curiosity evolved into officiating rallies across the country, learning that great events are built on invisible systems that function flawlessly under pressure.
What I Unlearned
That improvisation and planning are opposites. In reality, the best improvisers are the most prepared. Every successful film shoot in challenging terrain since then has proven this truth.
Each project carries lessons about logistics, creativity, human nature, and the magic that happens when passion meets preparation.
The Parallel Universe: Music, Cooking, and the Great Outdoors
The Divine Language of Music
Music has been my driving force since childhood, my parallel universe where everything makes sense. When I shift into that portal, listening or composing, the world transforms. All music happens because of divine blessings, just like all writing. It’s never forced, never manufactured, it simply flows when the conditions are right.
This understanding profoundly shaped how I approach film production. Great content, like great music, can’t be forced. You create the right environment, the right conditions, and magic happens. Whether I’m coordinating a complex shoot in Spiti or organizing the logistics for a 300-person crew, I listen for the rhythm beneath the chaos.
The Meditation of Cooking
I’m not a big foodie, but I love to cook. It gives me peace, whether it was at my café years ago or mostly at home now, where I can pour my heart into creating something my son loves. There’s something profoundly grounding about transforming simple ingredients into nourishment, about the rhythm of chopping, stirring, seasoning.
Cooking taught me patience and attention to detail, skills that translate directly to line production. Both require understanding that timing is everything, that each element must be prepared perfectly for the whole to succeed. Whether you’re coordinating meal logistics for a crew at altitude or ensuring camera equipment functions in sub-zero temperatures, the principles remain the same.
The Call of the Outdoors
And of course, there’s the outdoors, the stage where all my stories unfold. The mountains aren’t just my workplace; they’re my teacher, my inspiration, my constant reminder that humans are small but capable of extraordinary things when they work in harmony with forces larger than themselves.
meticulous planning, flawless execution, and the ability to adapt
From Mountains to Global Stages: mountain biking & being out there
MTB Himalaya opened doors I never expected. Organizing India’s first premier mountain biking race taught me about scaling dreams , but it also led to something bigger: the opportunity to bring international cycling events to India.
The success of MTB Himachal caught the attention of the cycling world. Soon I found myself integral to the Delhi Cyclothon, the curtain raiser for the Commonwealth Games. Standing at Vijay Chowk, watching cyclists from around the world test the same route that would later host the Commonwealth Games, I realized that great events create ripple effects far beyond their immediate scope.
This led to an even bigger opportunity: leading the Tour de India, a UCI-certified race spanning Mumbai and Nasik. Working with the Union Cycliste Internationale, bringing together international teams, organizing the first-ever cycling event on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, it was audacious event management at its finest.
What These Experiences Taught Me
Whether you’re organizing a mountain bike race in Himachal or coordinating international cycling events in metropolitan cities, the fundamentals remain the same, meticulous planning, flawless execution, and the ability to adapt when the unexpected happens.
The Philosophy of “Being Out There”
When I founded Being Out There in 2012, it wasn’t just a travel company, it was a manifestation of everything I’d learned from motorsport, cycling, and automotive storytelling. The name itself embodied my philosophy: that growth happens at the edges of comfort zones, that the best stories unfold when you step beyond the familiar, that adventure is less about geography and more about willingness.
Our Manali-to-Leh rides became legendary not because of the altitude or the passes, but because of what happened to people during those journeys. City executives discovering they could push beyond perceived limits. Artists finding inspiration in landscapes that challenged their assumptions about beauty. Each trip was less about reaching a destination and more about who you became along the way.
The hard lesson: Growth comes with cost. The 2020 lockdown ended Being Out There, but not before it had changed hundreds of lives, including my own. Sometimes you build something beautiful knowing it might not last forever, and that’s still worth doing.
Line production in the Himalayas isn’t just logistics; it’s orchestrating controlled chaos at altitude.
The Production Pivot: When Serendipity Calls
That 2012 call from Endemol for National Geographic’s Mission Arctic changed everything. One project became many. Multi-format, multi-agency, multi-altitude. What I discovered was that all my seemingly disconnected experiences, motorsport officiating, international cycling events, automotive storytelling, adventure tourism, music, cooking, had been preparing me for this moment.
Line production in the Himalayas isn’t just logistics; it’s orchestrating controlled chaos at altitude. It’s knowing that when you’re filming at Khardung La, battery performance drops 40% and you need backup power solutions that work at minus temperatures. It’s understanding that permit pathways in Spiti require different approaches than in Uttarakhand.
The philosophical shift: I stopped seeing myself as someone who organizes adventures and started understanding that every film shoot is an expedition where creativity meets terrain.
shaping the craft
Here’s what two decades of adventure and production have taught me about delivering value:
Systems thinking saves productions: Whether it’s motorsport officiating, cycling events, automotive storytelling, or complex film shoots, every successful project relies on interlocking systems working in harmony.
Local knowledge amplifies creativity: Understanding not just locations but communities, weather patterns, cultural sensitivities, and seasonal variations turns constraints into creative opportunities.
Safety enables artistry: When crews trust that safety protocols are bulletproof, they take creative risks that produce extraordinary content.
Adaptability multiplies impact: The best projects aren’t the ones that go exactly as planned, they’re the ones that transform unexpected challenges into memorable moments.
The Unlearning: What Experience Taught Me to Release
Perfectionism: Early in my career, I believed flawless execution meant controlling every variable. The mountains taught me that adaptability trumps perfection every time.
Hero Complex: I used to think success meant being indispensable. Now I understand that the best producers create systems where everyone can excel, where creativity flows because the logistics are invisible.
Scarcity Thinking: Growing up in a small mountain town, I initially approached opportunities with a fear of not enough. Travel and adventure taught me that the world is abundant with stories waiting to be told.
Great content isn’t manufactured, it’s discovered – authentic stories emerge when preparation meets serendipity.
listen deeply, prepare thoroughly, adapt gracefully, and always, always say yes to the next untold story.
The philosophy behind it all
Great content isn’t manufactured, it’s discovered. When you create the right conditions, authentic stories emerge. Whether you’re organizing a mountain bike race, coordinating a film shoot, developing a travel show, leading motorcycling expeditions, capturing automotive poetry with PowerDrift, or listening for that perfect melody, the magic happens when preparation meets serendipity.
The Stories Yet to Be Told
Every shoot has been a story, and I will write about them here in this blog. From the frozen rivers of Mission Arctic to the sun-baked highways of the K2K journey. From the snow-covered peaks where we filmed the Thar to the technical precision required for Hyundai at Gata Loops. Each project carries lessons about logistics, creativity, human nature, and the magic that happens when passion meets preparation.
The Calling Continues
What drives me today is the same curiosity that drew me to travelers’ stories in that Shimla café decades ago. Whether I’m coordinating a complex multi-location shoot for Endemol Shine, designing adventure sequences for PowerDrift, leading MOTORATI (that is our motorcycling & overland adventures outfit) expeditions through Himalayan passes, cooking something special for my son, or losing myself in a musical composition, the core mission remains unchanged: create conditions where compelling stories can unfold.
The mountains taught me that every sunrise offers new possibilities. Every project is a chance to push boundaries, creative, logistical, personal. Every collaboration is an opportunity to turn what seems impossible into something inevitable.
In the end, whether you’re marshaling rally checkpoints at thirteen or managing film crews, organizing international cycling events or coordinating survival shows, founding motorsport clubs or motorcycle tour companies, creating automotive poetry or building friendships through lockdown challenges, composing music or cooking with love, the principles remain constant: listen deeply, prepare thoroughly, adapt gracefully, and always, always say yes to the next untold story.
The mountains are still calling. The engines are still roaring. The cameras are still rolling. The music is still flowing. The stories are still waiting. And I’m still that curious kid from the café, ready to help turn someone’s vision into filmed reality, one carefully orchestrated adventure at a time.
Thank you for Reading.
cinematic filmmaking in the himalayas
Locations, Gear, Production Tips, Behind the Scenes, Recce Journeys, Stories & More
Through the inrahi.com/blog, Dhananjay transforms behind-the-scenes film production into an art of precision, trust, and discovery – where every mountain trail and lens focus redefines storytelling. This blog isn’t just insight; it’s ignition, for creators ready to film beyond limits. Stay tuned, stay inspired, and let your next location find you before you even look for it.
You can reach me on my mobile: +91-98057-96495 & +91-93173-33106
My email: dj@inrahi.com , ahluwaliadhananjay@gmail.com , inrahifilms@gmail.com