Garbage and eco-unfriendly trekkers and tourists
From bugyals to river beds, every possible place where trekkers, hikers, and travel-enthusiasts go, one sees irresponsible behavior. I saw a massive pile of plastic bottles and heaps of rubbish down a slope near the prime temple in Sonagir a few years back. Every tourist attraction is literally choked with garbage that everyone assumes is...
Travel sparks inspiration – Travelers inspire sparks
A friend once remarked: ‘Travel nurtures and strengthens an individual’s soul.’ ‘What?’ I said, ‘Is that the first line of your stand-up comedy?’ And then went on to tell this friend that when people talk about travel nurturing and nourishing souls do they even know what they are talking about? The soul, and I’m only...
Mughals for the travel enthusiast
The representation of the Mughal Era doesn’t revolve only around a road in Delhi named after Aurangzeb. Kebabs originating from the imperial kitchens of the Mughals, Persian that converged with Turkish and Arabic to transform into Urdu, art and painting styles, and architecture are just a few connections that still go on and converge with...
Indians are now savvy online travellers
There was nothing of the likes of the Google India-BCG Report in the mid-nineties to help me decide the intricacies of my travel plans. Specky was to fly to London as a Commonwealth scholar and a month later my son and I were to join her at York. Besides all the excited syllables floating around,...
A walk beyond the horizon
That kid in a pre-nursery classroom looking out of the open window. That’s me. That kid reading all the stories in his text-book even before the session begins. That’s me. That teenager using a lot of gestures and expressions while telling stories that he has just read. That’s me. That youngster scanning all travel adverts...
Plane Tales, Maharaja Style
Flying Air India can be quite something. More than a mere experience I’d say as even a few hours have the power to reward one with a lifetime of humorous tales. The plane, the staff, and the flyers come together as one to keep one entertained for the entire duration and sometimes one doesn’t get...
Let us get creative with tourism
Travel classification is evolving. It has to because almost every place talked about on the social media is over-flowing with people looking for something. In fact, every place not talked about on the social media is also full of curious people touching, feeling, and experiencing notions that they have as yet only read about. People…...
Gaumajus! Reaching Georgia is easier
I stepped out of the VFS Global complex in the Airport metro station on Baba Kharag Singh Marg and asked a well-dressed stranger with a bunch of passports in his hands, ‘I’m doing a short spot interview for my article. Just one question?’ ‘Yes please. Go ahead.’ ‘Have you ever traveled to Georgia?’ ‘Georgia? US?...
The tourist who wanted a new phone
This is commoner than most of us will seriously conclude… there are more tourists anywhere in the world who lose their phone and then remain restless as they watch everyone else in the group go click-tap-tap-click for no apparent reason! These are the sort of tourists who find a DSLR too difficult to understand, point-and-shoot...
Great tourism statistics has great ideas working for them
Great tourism statistics has great ideas working for them Look at any of the cities or countries where tourists queue to go to and the first realization is that the government, big corporates, and the people have come together and woven mysteries that bring in people with a lot of curiosity within them. I believe...
The seven essentials when it is cold
The seven essentials when it is cold If you trek on mountains cold Remember to carry in your pack Seven things, some you may fold And joy shall never turn its back! One rhyme is all that I need to remind me of the seven things that I always carry with me when travelling or...
On Cloud 9 and under an umbrella in Mumbai
On Cloud 9 and under an umbrella in Mumbai Mumbai in August can be charmingly unpredictable and yet smiles at you in a myriad ways. From couples huddling under an umbrella to a bhel-puri seller ready to prepare a helping for you from under his weather-beaten umbrella… from beach photographers protecting their DSLRs to your...
