The Red Taj and More of Less-Seen Agra
First blank then incredulous stares are flung my way when I ask a local the way to Taj Mahal. ‘In a city that grew around the Taj, you don’t know the way?’ They seem to ask. Awkward tinged in condescension raises a nodding head when the ‘dummy out of town’ realisation sinks in. Ask a […]
Indian Grand Prix: The Last Lap?
Bernie Ecclestone is to Formula One what N Srinivasan is to Indian – and by extension international – cricket. At 82, the patriarch of the sport is an angry old man. What cheesed him off were the tough Indian tax laws and of course, the ubiquitous red tape which we the natives have come to […]
Why We Don’t See the Viceregal Lodge
Disclaimer: You are forgiven if you start to strut about, one hand behind your back, head tilted at an imperious angle. No hard feelings if you give the gardens a critical once over, though impeccably maintained your disdain frowns forth. However that glint of pride in your eyes is hard to conceal – can be […]
Survival Guide for the Lone Female Traveller in India
The gory so far. A Swiss tourist was gangraped while cycling with a friend from Orchha in Madhya Pradesh to Agra. The assailants – five of them – then decamped with her mobile phone and cash. A British national had to jump off the second floor of her hotel room in Agra after the property […]
Back to Raj at the Taj
Dogs and Indians were infamously kept away from the clubs and restaurants frequented by Europeans during the colonial days under the British. While we do not know how the dogs took the ‘Dogs and Indians not allowed’ signboards – or how it kept them away, for that matter – it definitely struck a bitter […]
Think rich: The responsibility in luxury travel
All the things I could do If I had a little money… Goes the ABBA hit ‘Money, money, money.’ I, for one, would travel responsibly by taking only direct flights to cut down on my carbon footprint. And what I still emit, I would gladly offset. I would make my other jetsetter pals do the […]
In good company: Responsibly yours,
All I said was ‘Tashi Delek!’ Now my camera batteries were getting charged. I polished off one serving of special momos (momos with more meat and an extra helping of blazing-hot chutney), washed down with strong Tiger beer. I was fleece-fitted snugly in the midst of Sherpas and porters – the kind of crowd you […]
Saving the world, one trip at a time: Different responsible travels
Unless you are eyeing the strip passport world championship, you can afford to travel responsibly. Responsible travel is essentially slow travel, less invasive and more beneficial to the host community and environment. At the core of travel – and not just responsible travel – are new experiences, discovering new places, making new friends, facing new […]
Know your neighbour: Responsible tourism, need of the hour
The last time there was so much anticipation – and speculation – in the air was when Willy Wonka was giving away tickets to visit his chocolate factory. Today hundreds of thousands have applied for Mars One – the mission to colonise Mars with humans by 2023. The shortlisting is on and finally a handful […]