The Land of Moonlit Snows: & Other Real Travel Stories from the Indian Himalaya About the Author Born in UP and raised in Punjab, Gaurav Punj is the prototype of what the Himalayan folk are wary of. This hasn’t deterred him or diluted his unconditional love for the Himalaya though. A Berkeley, California graduate, GP is a bit of a conflicted soul who wears an aura of calm. He secretly hopes that not too many people come to the Himalaya even while he writes books on it and prays for them to become bestsellers.