Upendra Swami

Where will you travel after COVID-19 lockdown ends!

Upendra SwamiMay 10, 20202896 Views0

It is indeed very frustrating to get locked up at home. Most of us love to travel and we would like to pack our bags and move out on the very first opportunity provided. But that does not seem to be happening in the near future. It is just a wild guess; everyone is making that when can we travel like a free bird again. But we can certainly make our priorities on where are we going to travel first, once this damn lockdown is lifted. As most of the countries are in lockdown and at least 93 percent of the global population now lives in countries with coronavirus-related travel restrictions, Tourism and Travel has become one of the most affected industries by COVID-19. iVisa has tried to understand how this context of fear and uncertainty is going to affect the future of travel. It conducted ...

IndiaPhotogallery

Lockdown Chronicles : Last 10 days which weren’t the last

Upendra SwamiMay 7, 20201095 Views0

What were presumably supposed to be the last ten days of a 40 day nationwide lockdown in two phases- a 21 day first phase and a 19 day second phase. Ten days of hope and anticipation, which actually concluded in start of another phase of distress. Altogether a big human tragedy has unfolded in all this, which reflects in the first image. Experiments with camera continued but many other things keep happening! Let's travel through these ten days. Also read: Lockdown chronicles : Photo diary of first 10 days of forced sit-in DAY 31 Lockdown Chronicles Day 31! : Life in a metro! With nowhere to go in the lockdown, this migrant labourer has nothing else but shade of an under-construction flyover to cook his daily meals! DAY 32 Lockdown Chronicles Day 32! : While everyone was...

IndiaPhotogallery

Lockdown chronicles : Another 10 days passed and ten more to go

Upendra SwamiApril 24, 20201372 Views2

So as expected, what was supposed to be the last day of initial 21day lockdown period, actually brought the confirmation of taking this to a 40 day sit-in. Now, another set of ten days has passed. It has been a month of being stopped into walls of the house, besides some bare minimum steps outside to get things for daily needs. There have been few other reasons to move out as well, such as providing relief to some very needy people around and field trips owing to journalistic profession. But, what continued unabated was putting camera to regular use. So here is the snapshot of third set of ten days into lockdown. Also read: Lockdown chronicles : Photo diary of the first 10 days of forced sit-in DAY 21 Lockdown Chronicles Day 21 : Looking back to the first phase! When life w...

IndiaPhotogallery

Lockdown chronicles : Next 10 days and counting

Upendra SwamiApril 14, 20201518 Views8

Things had taken a shape of routine in the next ten days of the lockdown due to COVID-19 spread. Well, I am talking about the photography routine. Although even without photography, watching these trees across and all the avian species moving around had become bit fascinating. Still, nothing can be compared to vagabonding around. That is yet some days away. Hope remained that 21st would be the last day, although all indications point to the contrary. Till then, here are the chronicles of the second set of ten days. (You can follow me on Instagram to see all these as daily feeds.) Also read: Lockdown chronicles : Photo diary of first 10 days of forced sit-in DAY 11 Lockdown Chronicles Day 11 : Almost four floor high neem tree is actually a landing and resting site for most of the...

IndiaPhotogallery

Lockdown reads: Walking down the Agra’s necropolis, in the shadow of the Taj

Upendra SwamiApril 5, 20202384 Views0

Walking around Taj Mahal is like roaming within different layers of Mughal history. Once you start peeling off these layers, you get to know—one after the other—many lesser known facts and events of the period which was largely overshadowed by a single story of love. As one of the curators of our walk, Shradha Arora would say it as the ‘shadow of the Taj’, a ‘necropolis’ where all dead lay buried, including the other queens of Shahjahan, all of whom have largely been forgotten. We all know about Mumtaz Mahal and the story of Taj Mahal. In an earlier post we also talked about the first wife of Emperor Shahjahan. Kandahari Begum, as she was know, has her tomb at Sandali Masjid complex on the other side of the Taj Mahal complex, but not the part of it. We are now going to talk about other...

IndiaPhotogallery

Lockdown chronicles : Photo diary of first 10 days of forced sit-in

Upendra SwamiApril 3, 20201337 Views2

For all travel bugs, it is hard to- not just stay at one place but confined to boundaries of their homes. No different for me. It isn't so that my routine has changed drastically, but it is in your mind that you have been forced to do something by a competitor who is in no mood to give you any chance. With spring travel planes shelved, I had to put camera to some use to keep my hands in habit of holding the five kilogram heavy tele lens. Trees across my first floor balcony became the frames and birds & flowers the characters. So, here are the modest offerings of the first ten days of nationwide lockdown due to coronavirus. DAY 1 Lockdown Chronicles Day 1! : Putting camera to some work during lockdown. A pair of yellow footed green pigeon on the tree right adjacent to my balcony...

IndiaInternationalNews

Lockdown reads: INDIA among most photogenic spiritual destinations in the World!

Upendra SwamiMarch 27, 20205638 Views4

Well, during this almost global lockdown due to coronavirus pandemic, all type of travels are suspended. Instagrammers who are used to post daily for their accounts are either digging photos from past travels or posting ‘stay safe’ messages. Until when the travels resume, that’s what they have to be content with. Afterall, what’s Instagram without daily dose of photographs from exotic locations around the world! So, while we wait anxiously to travel again, let’s look on some other interesting details about posts on Instagram. Ibiza Do you know, the tags on Instagram posts speak a lot about popularity of places and inclination of posts. Since these tags make your Insta posts searchable on Google, they also gives researchers some very interesting insights. For example, have you ever a...

India

Where a Shah Jahan’s queen lies in solitude on the other side of Taj

Upendra SwamiMarch 13, 20206514 Views8

At a very remote corner just outside the boundary of Taj Mahal complex towards its Eastern gate, when you climb the narrow stairs of Sandali Masjid you get an eerie feeling. With monkeys and dogs around, what attracts you more is the presence of a big number of cats, many of them black. Sandali Masjid is also called as Kali Masjid. Mosque is at the one side of the complex, with its back towards the Taj complex across the road. While right in front of the mosque, in the middle of a garden is an octagonal tomb. Its onion shaped dome in white marble signifies that it belongs to someone from the royal family. We are told that it belongs to the first queen of the fifth Mughal emperor Shah Jahan- Kandahari Begum. Platform of Kandahari Begum's tomb You will hardly find any tourists here. F...

International

A great night-life rendezvous at Brussels

Upendra SwamiMarch 8, 20203205 Views0

Well, people are afraid of travel in these times of Coronavirus, but then there are many incentives to show some courage to travel (with proper precautions ofcourse), even in these tough times. A vibrant nightlife at European capital Brussels is one among them. There can’t be a better time than spring to visit this beautiful city. In spring, clubs and organisers of evening events offer a wide range of activities of all kinds to the delight of night owls. Clubbers will be spoilt for choice, with the Listen! Festival, the Hangar evenings, Fuse and more. The cosmopolitan city of Brussels offers an impressive variety of night-time events for those going out. Fans of hip-hop, tech house and dance will find it impossible not to find an event they like. Today more than ever, many cl...

InternationalPromotions

Luxury meets tradition at Qatar

Upendra SwamiFebruary 25, 20203465 Views2

Qatar boasts a long tradition of luxury – from its days as a pearl diving settlement to the present day, where its hospitality, culture and retail offerings are steeped in extravagance, and its architecture seamlessly melds tradition with modernity. The Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition (DJWE) returns from 24-29 February for its seventeenth edition, encapsulates the country’s dedication to craftmanship and luxury. Over 500 jewellery and watch brands, with 127 local and international exhibitors representing 14 countries, are welcoming visitors on a journey of wonder in Qatar, while Turkish and Indian Pavilions bringing a taste of those countries to Qatar through their jewellery. DJWE provides a platform for both established brands and smaller niche designers to exhibit thei...