Ahtushi Deshpande (b. 1969) is a travel journalist and one of India’s top 80 photographers, recognized by the India Photo Archive Foundation in 2022. Her recent book, Speaking Stones: Rock Art of Ladakh, was a finalist for the 2024 Banff International Mountain Book Award, showcasing her dedication to documenting cultural heritage. Ahtushi’s work has appeared in National Geographic Traveller, Marie Claire, and Outlook Traveller.

Her travelogue, To the Land of Snow, exploring high-altitude trekking along ancient Tibetan trade routes, is part of high school curricula. Ahtushi has curated three solo exhibitions: Therefore I Climb (2006), The Colour of My Cancer (2016), and Speaking Stones, recently shown at the Médiathèque Edmond Rostand in Paris. She has also delivered talks and presentations at renowned cultural festivals and institutions in India and abroad.