Any place with a captivating degree of scenic lure, the Pandavas have been there before you. Seasoned domestic explorers will agree that the famous five have traipsed over every picturesque mountain and verdant vale, camped across the most spectacular lake and gushing river and traversed every panoramic forest. At least according to local lore. The locals of Kuttanad too believe the warrior brothers passed through the region; even cite passages from the Mahabharata to corroborate their claim. Of course then it was not the ‘rice bowl’ it is today, neither
The charlatans in Kerala didn’t need toadeaters; the people were too gullible to doubt or too nice to question the power of their potions and mantras. ‘Chathan Seva Madoms’ or shrines that deified the devil mushroomed in different parts of the state promising to annihilate your enemy, bankrupt your business rival or just make life miserable for that guy you never took to. The devotee just had to provide blood by the bucket – usually live dogs or chicken (humans earlier) – and later on sneak in and plant ash-filled
This year’s edition of Wayanad Splash – a genuine effort to promote rain tourism – takes off on July 12. Be there if serious off-roading, dirt biking or mud football floats your boat. And yes, business will meet business too. ‘It’s like the human brain. We know it but we don’t know it.’ This was Mr Joseph, in-charge of the Meteorological Centre, Trivandrum, explaining the state’s monsoon phenomenon in Alexander Frater’s ‘Chasing the monsoon.’ Now, how do we make sense of something we do not understand? Stop trying and celebrate
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
