Every time I visit Doon, I make sure to taste its chaat and momos: Raghav Juyal

From collaborating with his friends from the city (to come up with a music video), going for unexplored treks in the state to spearheading a cleanliness campaign with his friends, Doon boy Raghav Juyal is making good use of his three-month break from work and life in Mumbai. Raghav, who is in Doon these days, believes that it was very important for him to leave Mumbai and come back to the hills to get a sense of peace back.
'During this break, I am going to spend a lot of time with my childhood friends'
His Instagram posts are testimony of his love for nature and trekking as Raghav keeps coming back to the city to go for treks with his friends.On his current break, Raghav says, "The past one year has been quite busy for me. I completed my film, Nawabzade, and also did many TV shows. So ab mein sab chhodh kar Mumbai se teen months ka break lekar apne shehar mein rahunga. I have already started travelling in the hills and will go to different villages in the state. Bus aaram se bachpan ke doston ke saath kuch samay bitayunga. I will also go for winter treks in Uttarakhand. Apart from all this, I am also doing a lot of theatre these days to enhance my acting skills."

'People come to Doon for its natural beauty not for malls'
Talking about the development in the state, Raghav says, "People do not come here to see malls and buildings. Woh unke paas better hai humse. They come here to see the natural beauty of the state, our hills and our culture, which we are ruining. It is painful to see our city losing its forest cover and becoming a concrete jungle."
Raghav says, "We need to decentralise things now and shift our focus from Doon to other places in the state but in a planned way, without damaging the natural beauty there."

'Doon keeps me grounded'
After participating in and hosting a number of reality shows, Raghav has become a known face now. But he says that Doon helps him remain grounded. "Everything in Doon is still the same. Bahar kuch bhi ho, I am the same Raghav in Doon. I still have the same friends as before. People here will click pictures with me and caption it 'Bhai ke sath selfie' because they all consider me a friend. So Mumbai mein vanity hoti hai par Doon mein bhai hai sab, which keeps me grounded and connected to my roots."
Raghav Juyal (BCCL/Taresh Dutta)
'I am not dating anyone'
Recently, Raghav faced a humourous yet awkward situation when his parents, after reading a newspaper article, started asking him if he has a foreigner girlfriend. He shares with us, "When an article in a newspaper stated that I am dating a European girl, whom I am travelling with, I was bombarded with messages and funny reactions from my family. My dad called up and told me that everyone is asking him if Raghav has an angrez girlfriend now. I want to make it clear. The European girl I am travelling with is not my girlfriend. She is an artist and a very good friend of mine. For now, I only have friends in my life."