There was Malabar. And there was the rest of Kerala. A landowner relative used to tell us he was going to Malabar and would be gone for weeks, sometimes months. From my early memories thus ‘Malabar’ meant ‘faraway’. A swank house would spring up overnight in the neighbourhood and we would be told the folks were from Malabar; Malabar meant money. There were occasional stories in the newspapers on secret ‘Chathan Seva Madoms’ or temples for devil worship frequented by the rich to kill or incapacitate a competitor which made
Yes, we have been travelling even before they were vague strokes on the drawing board. And yes, we will continue to travel even if we do not get to lay our hands on them. Then it doesn’t hurt to get to know some of the gears that have caught the recent fancy of the pleasure and the professional traveller – gears conceived out of sheer necessity and born of streetsmart ingenuity. Or you can actually go on and get them and make more of your next trip – more comfort,
Stormy dark clouds piloted an inclement weather. Slogans of dissension rippled over the backwater from hundreds of fisherfolk who gathered in their boats with families braving the monsoon shower. The media scrutiny was intense. And like any other episode of moment this one too was accompanied by bouquets, brickbats and high drama. Nonetheless, it was another first for Kerala. India’s first seaplane rose from Ashtamudi Lake in Kollam on June 2 this year. The applause was closely followed by the grumble of rain-laden clouds and protests by fishing communities who
(June is among the precious few months between life-stilling cold and landslide-prone monsoons in the Himalayas. The passes are open – well, most of them – and the snow is only starting to muck over. June is when most riders do the epic Khardung La run, through Leh and Ladakh regions. A month that sticks to rider memories forever. This narrative from my ride is for all those heading out this year. Ride safe.) A ride that lasts a fortnight, covering close to 3,000 km, through temperatures ranging from 45
“The museum is the first place I go to when I visit a new country or town,” the effervescent Hilary Taylor told me outside Tharu Cultural Museum along the fringes of the Chitwan National Park of Nepal. Being a paleontologist, Hilary has every reason to linger over and savour the indigenous artifacts, handicrafts and other antiquated articles of traditional and cultural value. Then, visting a museum in any strange land – before you set off exploring the bylanes and art, culture and pubs – gives the place a context. This
Since summer immemorial all of us from the rest of India have been heading to Kashmir for the salubrious climate guaranteed year-round by the encapsulating Zanskar and Pir Panjal mountain ranges. The Jhelum River that flows out of a spring in Anantnag meanders slowly and purposefully before exiting at Baramullah has also given the state the name ‘Jhelum Valley.’ And along the way it adds life and sparkle to hundreds of blue lakes and streams, wildflower meadows, hidden mountain valleys and grassy plains. Endless paddy and saffron fields extend beyond
Yash Chopra, the romance goes, promised his wife during their honeymoon in Switzerland that every movie he made would have at least one song or scene set in the Alpine land. He kept his promise and in the bargain did more for the country’s tourism than the government or the tourism body could accomplish: the number of Indians visiting Switzerland has doubled the past decade. Surely, these numbers are also about the democratisation of air travel and higher disposable incomes. Before Yash Chopra Raj Kapoor had shot parts of his
The era of the freeloading traveller came to an end with that of the great emperors. The dawn of democracy meant the wayfarer earn for the road ahead – giving rise to the breed of the ‘physical’ nomad – those who laboured bodily to fund their trips. This breed might be waning today with skills like bartending, dancing or teaching English not rich enough to fund a visit visa and short stay. Out of the embers rose the new tribe – the ‘digital’ nomads. A genre probably rooted all
Gold prices are plummeting. Make the most of it when you travel this summer. Wanderink brings you the states within the country where the yellow metal is art and history, pedigree and design. And hoarding it a virtue. How I wish my grandmother was alive today! That whole generation had an obsession bordering on the psychotic when it came to gold. Too much was never much. Even through the thick glasses I remember detecting her cataract-clouded eyes sparkle – giving the encrusted diamonds a run for their shine – as
Majestic are the moutains so why should staying there be anything less? This summer when you head out for your holiday in the Himalayas, stay in one of these manors tucked away and well into the verdant hillsides; these refurbished remnants of the colonial age, brimming with understated elegance and creature comforts thankfully more an afterthought than arbitrary attachments. A bit on the pricey side, it is because they don’t cater to numbers – for whom options are aplenty, a little bit lower in altitude and closer to town, if
