It is one of those months, which have festivities right from start till end and that too almost in every corner of the country and with many shades. How wonderful to have all these occasions to supplement the usual zest for travel! And, what a diversity we have, it can be envious for any other country on the planet. Just consider this- the nine days before Vijayadashmi are celebrated as Durga Puja in Bengal, Garba in Gujarat, Ramlila in north and as Bathukamma in Telangana. All these festivals celebrated on same days of calendar have different myths, different customs, different performances, different food but same gusto. Even the ramlilas are different in different parts and so is Vijayadashami. Festival of prosperity & joy - Onam Festivities for the month start with Onam in Ke
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A yatra ends this month at Amarnath and another starts for another of Shiva's abode in Himalayas, a bit less challenging but equally fascinating. That's not all this month, this is actually start of the classical Indian festive season with two of most important religious celebrations- Janmashtami and Ganesh Chaturthi. But those are not only the ones which will catch your eyes, there is something else as golden as colour of turmeric which adds to the fervour of the month. Interestingly enough, in this peak monsoon time we already have an extended Independence day weekend in mid of month. There is also continuation of some excellent seasonal stuffs that have already taken off- boat races in Kerala and monastic festivals in Ladakh. Already soaked in? Come on! Its time to pack the bags to have...
Read MoreThis September month is special. Has some very different types of events in store. Top of them is Naroda festival in Ladakh in the north and in down south the last of season’s boat races in the month of Onam. Monsoon is still pretty there but to mark the beginning of the long Indian festive season we also have Ganeshotsav as well Ramlila from Ramnagar. There is lot more besides them. Choose your bit, while we have a look at them. Ladakh Lets start with Ladakh which has two reasons to go this month. First one is- Naropa, Kumbh of Ladakh: It could be one of the reasons of the lifetime to visit Ladakh, whomsoever have missed it so far. Another one for all those who have. Billed as the "Kumbh Mela of the Himalayas" and "Ladakh's Largest Buddhist Festival in History", the Naropa festival t
Read Moreकेरल का मानसून गोवा की ही तरह खास है। हरा-भरा, हर तरफ हरियाली, पानी और मस्ती। इसीलिए यहां नदियों व पानी के सबसे ज्यादा उत्सव इन्ही दिनों में हुआ करते हैं। केरल की सबसे लोकप्रिय बोट रेस प्रतिस्पर्धाएं मानसून में ही होती हैं, जिन्हें देखने के लिए दुनियाभर से सैलानी जुटते हैं। एक झलक केरल में इन दिनों होने वाले आयोजनों पर- नेहरू ट्रॉफी बोट रेस: अल्लपुझा के बैकवाटर्स में स्थित पुन्नमडा झील में होने वाली यह बोट रेस सबसे प्रसिद्ध है। हर साल अगस्त महीने के दूसरे शनिवार को होने वाली इस रेस का इस साल आयोजन 10 अगस्त को हुआ है। इस आयोजन में चुंदन वेलोम (स्नेक बोट) की पारंपरिक दौड़ के अलावा पानी पर झांकियां भी होती हैं। इस दौड़ को देखना अपने आप में दुर्लभ अनुभव है। पय्यपड़ बोट रेस: अल्लपुझा में ही पय्यपड़ नदी में एक अन्य बोट रेस हुआ करती है। नेहरू ट्रॉफी बोट रेस के बाद स्नेक बोट की सबसे बड़ी रेस ...
Read MoreWith unrelenting rains submerging parts of Alappuzha, organisers are fearing poor spectator response to the hugely popular Nehru Boat Race. The event is held every year on the second Saturday of August. Alappuzha has been hit by torrential rains, making life miserable. A good section of the working class is without work."Many parts of our town are submerged," said Tomy Pullikattil, one of the organisers of the famed race. He said ticket sales had not picked up like in earlier years. While tickets worth Rs.3.6 million got sold in the last edition, it is feared it will be difficult to touch that figure this time. It was in 1952 when then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru visited Kerala. A pageantry of boats accompanied him from Kottayam to Alappuzha. The race's origin was an impromptu race con
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