Man - The Traveller

Neelam (Neel) Thakur is an adventurer, a tourism entrepreneur and an Indian writer. Born in New Delhi, he comes from a Suryavanshi Rajput background and spent his early childhood under the care of his maternal grandmother.

After doing his schooling from a renowned public school, he pursued the bachelor’s degree in basic science under the university of Kurukshetra. Fascination for travel and adventure gripped him soon after, both of which became his uncompromised passions and turned into his life long priorities thereon.

Neel began to take part in mountain climbing expeditions into the Himalayas at a young age. Driven by a compelling spirit to explore nature and motivate the others, he started his professional journey with a brief stint as a student’s mentor for nature activities at a public school in the lower hills of Shimla. Deciding to turn his enthusiasm and passion into a serious career, he stepped into the tourism industry and soon became responsible for creating, planning and organising nature travel experiences for one of the largest travel organisations in the country. 

In mid 1980s when India’s tourism industry was still in its infancy, he founded his own organisation and began to explore new horizons and ways to promote ‘Destination India’ in the international markets. He went on to pioneer some of the most alluring tourism products and travel concepts for India and marketed them globally. He has been to over 30+ countries across the world and is a frequent traveller. 

Neel has been closely involved with various aspects of tourism and honoured with several prestigious awards and recognitions from a number of international partners and others. 

Inspired to bring education and eco-awareness amongst the rural communities, he also initiated ‘Silver Earth India’ (a non-profit project initiative). The initiative covered many primary schools in regions of North, South and Central India. 

The raw elements of untamed nature have been an important part of his life, he has visited many wildlife sanctuaries and indulged very actively in numerous nature and adventure sports across the years. He has been a leading part of several major expeditions into the high Himalayas.   

A man who has always underplayed his accomplishments and kept away from public eye and social media platforms, he has found joy in anonymity. Neel has the unique distinction of being amongst the very few people with such a diverse portfolio of real time hands-on experience in various challenging outdoor adventures and nature sports, spanning a period of over four decades. He was awarded by the President of India Shri V. V. Giri at a young age and has also received the ‘Prix-de-piolet d'honneur’ from Club Alpin Francais apart from several other certifications, awards and accolades.

Neel was unanimously elected in April 2025 as an honoured member of the management board of the American Center for Wellness and Spirituality Inc. in New York. He was appointed as their Advisor and was requested to support them with his vision for the strategic development of their wellness web-mag for its future expansion and global reach (ACWS, a not-for-profit corporation was formally launched at the Indian Consulate in New York in 2023).

A man of versatile dimensions, Neel is a writer by choice. He has been writing articles covering his travels and experiences at different destinations, presenting to the reader exciting facts and moments wrapped in his uniquely striking style of writing. Sometimes he also likes to write on matters of deeper human wellness and spiritual awareness. 

He often spends time in the tranquil environs of his Wilderness Farm near the Sariska Forest Reserve in the state of Rajasthan in India. Neel provides professional consultancy and expertise support for entrepreneurs and young people seeking to develop or start their own business.