We walk you through the story of four guys, Nihar Nair, Jinks Saji, Shannon Lobo and Elton D’mello or as they call themselves—The Vagabonds, who refuse to stick to the ordinary, believe that they are true vagabonds at heart and encourage you to become one too.
How it all began
Their company, Vagabond, aims at providing unique travel experiences. Apart from their business venture, the group is currently pursuing further studies. Dahisar resident and Vagabond member Jinks Saji, who is currently pursuing his Masters in Ancient Indian Culture, says, “We were all from the same college; Nihar and I were classmates. I had the idea of doing something like this towards the end of college, which I discussed with Nihar and we started working on it. Later on, Shannon and Elton joined in and we expanded our work.”
Out-of-the-box events
Some of Vagabond’s most popular events are Fields of Sounds, Time Machine and Into the Wild. Fields of Sounds is a one-of-a-kind camping event conducted in Kolad replete with team activities, adventure sports like kayaking, flying fox, raft racing and swimming as well as a live acoustic music gig in the evening beside the lake. Into The Wild is one for lovers of the wild, who feel at home in the midst of nature. It includes trekking with minimal resources, sleeping under the stars, a night of live music by the fireside and waking up to birds chirping. Time Machine includes heritage walks in the heart of the city with tales such as the transition of Bombay to Mumbai and everything in between.
A personalised experience
Elton D’mello shares, “We craft the entire event such that the experience is personal and enjoyable. Since all four of us are music lovers, our events reflect that. We try and include music wherever possible. The ambience we create with every event cannot be replicated by anyone else.” When asked how the journey has been so far, group member Nihar Nair, Jogeshwari resident, says, “Honestly, the journey has just begun; so far we have made many mistakes and learnt many lessons. It is tough working with friends but the pros far outweigh the cons. A lot of people have helped us and our parents have also been very supportive.”
The X factor
Vagabond stands apart from other companies that organise such trips as they strive to add their personal touch to regular activities. Shannon Lobo, a freelance graphic designer and music artist with NSPA, says, “Most of the time, we ourselves play music and games with the participants, which breaks the organiser-participant barrier. We personalise the event to the participants’ liking.”
The group wants to take more people outdoors to enjoy the wild. While their current trips are restricted to Maharashtra, they wish to expand and organise trips all over the country and take Vagabond to everyone, everywhere.
The Vagabonds also organise OWL’s, which is considered the ultimate Harry Potter quiz and is extremely popular amongst their followers.