Mussoorie is a mountain destination which is nestled amidst pine trees, beautiful sunrises and snow capped peaks. It is the place where many couples went together to and fell in love. It is also the place where lost lovers met each other and rekindled their old spirits and found new energy. Mussoorie, has so many unexplored paths and offbeat local shops which are places where you can not only explore yourself, but also places where you can explore the person you love and may have lost touch with over time.
In relationships, you may continue loving the person, but you may end up losing the human touch which brings you emotionally close together. This makes travelling together very important because couples need to take time off their busy lives and invest time in each other as well. This makes both partners feel valued and kills the monotony which exists in the relationship.
Amidst snow capped peaks in Mussoorie, there is a hotel named “Savoy”. It looks like a grand palace from the outside and has a heritage element attached to it. The hotel has been there for almost 150 years. There are vast open gardens and lawns in the hotel where couples can relax and spend time with each other. Most of the rooms with a balcony opens up to a vast, open and unobstructed view of the Himalayas. This hotel forms a perfect setting for a getaway with your loved one.
The interiors of the hotel are quaint and english style. The area near the rooms has beautiful fountains with sculptures. The stairway to the dining room is made of marble and it opens to a huge room of woodwork. The Savoy has had many popular personalities drinking in their bar. Ruskin Bond and Jim Corbett are two of the more popular personalities who have been here in the past. For buffet, the hotel has a wide spread for all the meals and also has some fantastic a-la-carte. It is a great feeling to just sit by the window and enjoy the scrumptious meals while overlooking the himalayas. From the window, the Himalayas look so close that you can just put your arm out and touch the snow and at the same time they are far enough to feel safe.
In the evening, The Savoy has a charming guard change just like those in the Brisitsh era and it has a bonfire to keep yourself warm. As the sun descends, you can enjoy some tea and music by the bonfire. Mall road is at a walking distance from this hotel and you can walk around the quaint cafes and shops of mall road with your partner. Meeting Ruskin Bond and buying a book signed by him is one of the biggest highlights for lovers in Mussoorie. It’s a picture perfect trip, cut off from the world, where you can view the city lights of Dehradun from the mountains of Mussoorie. You can understand the mysteries which your partner has to offer to you and enjoy the silence of their company while you walk around the mountain. You can also explore some quaint places on the mountain side and simply take a midnight stroll.
It is very easy to find warmth on the mountain in someone you love, no matter how cold it gets outside. Mountains always have a strange way of making people come closer together. There is a certain beauty in the sunrise of the mountain which is able to bring in freshness and new beginnings. There is a wonderful scent in every flower which blooms on the streets lovers walk on in Mussoorie. You can find your lover again and explore them again on these mountains. You never know what the mountain has planned for you and you never know what secrets it holds.
Ladakh, the place is located at a height of 9,800 feet and is surrounded beautifully by the Himalayan mountain ranges is famously known as “THE LAND OF HIGH PASSES”. The Ladakh region comprises of some of the highest mountain passes in the world. Ladakh is the only cold desert of India and is surrounded by jagged mountain passes, plateaus and barren cliffs. Due to this, it offers various adventurous opportunities in water rafting, trekking and mountaineering. The Tibetan culture of the east is conglomerated with the Buddhist religion which adds an eccentric outlook to the region of Ladakh. Reflecting the rich Tibetan culture, the monasteries in Ladakh represent the true scintillating vibes of the Buddhist religion. Mostly located at the apex of the mountains, these monasteries offer an endearing picturesque view which showcases the peace and harmony of nature. Each monastery celebrates its own festival which reflects the unique culture prevalent in each of them. Ladakh has too much to offer…..particularly to the tourists…. right from the beautiful landscape to the refreshing rivers. Let’s take a look at some of the amazing and enriching monasteries of Ladakh.
1. Diskit Monastery
Image – Saurabh Chatterjee via Flickr
Diskit Monastery is located in Nubra Valley, which is a beautiful place surrounded by the Shylok river. The beauty of the valley can be viewed from atop the monastery. The Diskit Monastery consists of a 106 foot tall Maitreya Buddha at its entrance which is a representation of pure dharma and complete enlightenment of the Buddhist religion. It was founded by Changzem Tsera Zangpo in the 14th century and it belongs to the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism.
2. Hemis Monastery
Image – Saurabh Chatterjee via Flickr
The Hemis Monastery constitutes a famous museum which showcases a collection of various ancient artifacts, Buddhist relics and statues. Artistic paintings and pictures cover the walls of the verandahs beautifully. It is home to the statue of Guru Rimpoche who is believed to be the founder of the Hemis Monastery. Besides this, there are two Buddha statues which overall compliment the architectural features of the monastery.
Situated at an altitude of 11800 feet, the monastery is cared for by the people of the Yellow Hat Sect. The 49-feet tall statue of Maitreya Buddha is a famous attraction of the Thiksey Monastery. It is a twelve-storied monument which consists of ten beautiful temples. Thiksey Gustor festival is celebrated annually every tenth month according to the Tibetan calendar. There is a separate temple singularly dedicated to Goddess Tara. The prayer hall of the monastery consists of a 40-foot tall Lord Buddha statue seated on a lotus which represents cosmic renewal. The famous temples of Thiksey monastery are Lamokhang Temple and Tara Temple.
The ancient 11th and 12th century Indo-Himalayan styled wall paintings are the main attraction of the Alchi Monastery. Situated at an altitude of 10200 feet, this monastery was constructed between 958 and 1055 AD by Guru Rinchen Zangpo. The Gompa consists of images of Buddha statues made in clay and the walls are magnificently decorated with bright colours. It also has a dining hall known as “DUKHANG” which is exquisitely decorated in kashmiri architecture. Mahakal and the wheel of life are famous locations present inside the Dukhang. The monastery also consists of a three-story temple named SUMTSEG which is situated in the centre of it. The life of Lord Buddha along with images of his family and followers is beautifully defined in the form of paintings at Sumtseg.
5. Shey Monastery
Image – Saurabh Chatterjee via Flickr
Shey Monastery is located in the Shey city of Ladakh which is also the summer capital of the city. The monastery is divided into sections comprising of two floors. The ground floor is surrounded with amazing mural paintings while the first floor has various Buddha murals depicted holding different hand gestures and forms. The upper floor, on the other hand has a large library which houses the ancient manuscripts. The assembly hall has the Shakyamuni Buddha statue , while the walls of the hall are designed by the mesmerizing paintings of different sages. A small shrine is present near the Shey Monastery which has a Buddha statue. Butter lamps are used to enlighten the upper floor of the monastery which generally remains dark from the inside.
Also known as “Pethup Gompa”; the Spituk Monastery is a blend of both Buddhism and the Hindu culture. It has a large statue of goddess Kali. Spituk Monastery belongs to the era of the 15th century and the assembly hall comprises the largest portion of the monastery. The antique arms, thangka, miniature chortens, ancient masks and sculptures are displayed in the assembly hall. The courtyard of the monastery is painted with beautiful tibetan paintings, while the meditation hall remains open for those willing to perform prayers and meditation.
The sceneric view of the monastery is visible right from the foothill of the ranges. The Likir Monastery consists of two assembly halls wherein the new hall is about 200 years old. The courtyard consists of a large Juniper tree, while the collection room shows tibetan styled-ancient pots, thangka collections and manuscripts written in the Pali language. The paintings and a wheel of life is present in the verandah of the courtyard. The glass room present exactly opposite to the Gonkhang house remains open for the celebration of the dance festival held there.
8. Lamayuru Monastery
Image – Saurabh Chatterjee via Flickr
Also famously known as YURU MONASTERY, it is located near Lamayuru village and is known for its mask dance festival which takes place annually. The Lamayuru Monastery consists of prayer wheels, wall paintings and artifacts which shows the ancient culture of Buddhism and how it has evolved over the passage of time. A small portion of the ancient building still stands today while the remaining portion shows the ruined corners of the monastery. It consists of a beautiful prayer hall which remains open for the tourists to enjoy the rich culture of the monastery.
If you’ve ever been to a cultural event in Kerala or to a Malayali wedding, you would have noticed the unique Kerala sarees and mundus with a kasavu (gold zari) border. Kerala is known for its mundus and the Kerala saree, which are typically undyed cotton fabrics with color or kasavu (gold zari) borders and a kasavu stripe on the pallu. There are several regional variants in Kerala kasavu sarees, which have a few notable differences between them if you look closely at the fabric as well as the techniques used.
Basically there are four main centres for weaving the traditional handlooms of Kerala – Balaramapuram, Kuthampully, Chendamangalam, and Kasaragod. These centres specialize in the plain cotton designs with kasavu or half-fine zari border, while Kasaragod adopts simple patterns and colours. These textile designs have been given geographical indication tags (GI tags) to give importance to their uniqueness in Indian handloom sector.
Balaramapuram, being best-known places in Kerala for handloom, perhaps holds the monopoly over the traditional kasavu mundu (white cotton dhotis) and settu mundu (or mundum neriyathum). The tradition of weaving in Balaramapuram owes its patronage to the royal family of Travancore, which dates back to the end of the 18th century when Maharaja Balarama Varma brought weavers from what is now Valiyur in Tamil Nadu to weave clothing for the royal family.
Traditional Balaramapuram textiles have a gold zari border and usually a simple zari stripe at the end, and are typically woven from natural cotton yarn. Recently, experiments have been done with the patterns, such as weaving the same designs using coloured yarn for the weft, and the increasingly popular mural painting sarees – where fabric paints are used to recreate traditional Kerala temple art on the pallu of the saree. Given the light weight and coarse texture of the cotton fabric, these textiles are ideal for the warm and humid climate in Kerala.
Chendamangalam textiles (Ernakulam district)
The array of handloom fabrics woven in Chendamangalam is much the same as what one finds in Balaramapuram, but with less emphasis on kasavu patterns. Instead, the typical Chendamangalam mundu or settu mundu has coloured borders with a matching colour stripe, with only small amounts of kasavu for ornamentation. Like in other parts of Kerala, weavers in Chendamangalam were under official patronage of the feudal family of Paliam, who served as the chief ministers for the Rajas of Cochin. In terms of the actual process, Chendamangalam textiles are woven on frame looms, and their texture is slightly heavier than what one would find in the same types of fabrics from Balaramapuram.
Kuthampully textiles (Thrissur district)
Source
While Balaramapuram and Chendamangalam are known for traditional designs for mundus and sarees, Kuthampully sarees are the most visible style outside the state. These sarees are quite popular in Kerala as well, given the variety of jacquard designs that they are typically ornamented with – setting them apart from sarees woven elsewhere in the state. Since Kuthampully sarees are typically woven using half-fine zari, this keeps down on the cost of the final product and adds to its popularity. Another uniqueness of this design is that the kasavu border does not extend all of the way to the border, and this gap is white.
Like most other places in Kerala, the sarees woven here are generally off-white in colour, owing to the use of undyed cotton yarn. Kuthampully weavers have their roots in the Devanga Chettiar community from Mysore. They came under the patronage of the Kochi royal family, and originally had woven fabrics exclusively for the members of the palace – much like the weavers from Balaramapuram.
Kasargod textiles (Kasaragod district)
Source
There’s not a whole lot of difference in terms of design between the sarees woven in Kasargod and those woven in Mangalore – technically it’s the same design for the most part, which is woven all the way from Kannur to Mangalore. Kasaragod’s weavers are originally from the Padmashaliya community, who were originally from Mysore. Surprisingly, there seems to be much more interest in the Kasargod saree than its counterpart in Mangalore. Kasargod sarees have got a GI tag while Mangalore sarees do not despite Karnataka having more GI products than any other state.
Kasargod sarees are the notable exception to the popular image of the Kerala saree being natural cotton and decorated with kasavu – instead, a variety of colours are popular and there is a lack of any zari ornamentation. Having said that, the design aesthetic remains relatively simple, much in line with what one would expect of the relatively sober preferences in Kerala. Vat dyes are commonly used for Kasaragod sarees, owing to the colour fastness as compared to most other commercially available dyes.
Other Centres for Handloom in Kerala
In addition to these places of traditional textiles, there are a few other centres for handloom in Kerala. Kannur manufactures a good deal of handloom running fabrics but few sarees, and this is typically done on frame looms. Palakkad is known these days for handloom sarees, but the style woven there typically bears more resemblance to those woven in Bengal than elsewhere in Kerala. There are even a few places where sarees with ikat patterns are woven, reminiscent of some of the simpler designs from Orissa and Telangana, but by and large most of the designs woven in Kerala are of the traditional varieties of mundus and sarees, with minor variations from the types woven at Balaramapuram, Chendamangalam, and Kuthampully.
In her early twenties, Sneha Suresh is every bit of an enthusiastic and aspiring youngster. Yet, there is one distinct factor that makes her stand out. Her love for the ancient and historic coupled with her artistic inclination has given rise to a wonderful repertoire of traditional visual art designs. The brain behind the Prajne and Inaipu series, she is also a proud entrepreneur of Tucksac.
Where Prajne was a series of illustrations that explained the utility of artifacts from Northern Kannada, Inaipu was an interesting take on Tamil letter forms and proverbs. Her most recent work is inspired by ‘Indian musical instruments that are either forgotten or on the verge of extinction.’
We spoke with Sneha about her latest projects, the need for preserving our heritage, her own brand and much more.
Tell us a bit about your series on Indian musical instruments. How many instruments have you illustrated and how did you go about your research for the same?
Lino Print of all artefacts together by Sneha Suresh
A year ago, my father visited his boarding school decades later where he found and re-united with his tabla after 48 whole years. The sheer joy on his face while holding an instrument that he played 48 years ago inspired me to work with Indian musical instruments that are lost in time.
This series of illustrations is a playful re-interpretation of lesser known Indian musical instruments that are either forgotten or on the verge of extinction. The purpose of this series is to preserve and pay tribute to these instruments and give them a new life through illustrations while keeping the essence of the old intact. Each illustration is a tribute to one such instrument with an aim to push people to think, wonder, imagine and perhaps even create.
This October I decided to take a few prompts from the #inktober2019 challenge and use them as cues to re-imagine and illustrate certain instruments that are on the verge of extinction. In each of the illustrations, the re-imagined instrument is painted in black and gold.
As a part of research, I did a lot of reading prior to a visit to IME (Indian Musical Experience), Bangalore. The museum was very well curated and gave me a better understanding of the context I’m dealing with. I’ve 4 illustrations that together cover 6 instruments.
The musical instruments are visually expressed as animals in your illustrations. Any reason why you chose to have this connection?
The instruments that I chose happened to be in the form of fish, crocodiles and snakes. For example, a ‘nagfani’ is an instrument that looks like a snake and translates to mean ‘snake hood’. And then, we also have a ‘makara yazh’ that looks like a crocodile and a ‘matsya yazh’ that looks like a fish. The words ‘makara’ and ‘matsya’ also mean crocodile and fish respectively.
How would you suggest reviving the use of these musical instruments?
There are museums in India that focus on tribal musical instruments and other instruments that are either endangered or forgotten. Some of these museums don’t have enough space to keep all the instruments that they have in their possession on display.
If given an opportunity, I would like to bring together collectors of such Indian musical instruments and artisans of India’s lesser known art forms. This would bring about awareness and give the history of these instruments a new life through work that tells their stories while also reviving art forms that are getting lost in time. The narratives could then be made more accessible through books and magazines in addition to being placed in the form of artwork along with the actual instrument at a museum. In museums that lack space, these narratives of instruments that are not on display along with a photograph of the instrument could be made available for viewers to pick and flip through.
The benefits of this project would be 2 fold – to preserve and pay tribute to India’s cultural heritage while also reviving dying art forms and giving artisans a sustainable stream of income.
Your earlier projects, Prajne and Inaipu also like your latest work is seated in the ancient or traditional realms. Being comparatively young what drives you to invest in older heritages?
I’m hugely inspired by Indian history, oral traditions, art forms and my cultural roots. Now that I think about it, this probably started when I was little. I was always drawn towards images of seals from the Indus Valley Civilization that featured in my school. Over the years, my love for people, conversations, communities and their practices continued to grow and that led me to dig a little deeper. While I also get inspired by our ‘everyday’, different cultures and traditions and all that we’re surrounded with here in India, my quest for narratives from the past continues to grow.
Out of the three projects, which one do you think was harder in terms of research and illustrations? Also, which one is closer to your heart?
In terms of which one is closer to my heart – I’d say Inaipu. I worked with my mother and both my grandmothers during the length of the project a couple of years ago and they helped me pull it off. We made memories that I’ll forever cherish.
In terms of research and illustrations being more challenging – I’d say Prajne. It was hard to get information about certain ancient artifacts even after speaking with historians, archaeologists and collectors. That series was also entirely lino-printed which is a very time consuming process.
Can the Prajne, Inaipu and illustrations on musical instruments also be purchased by art lovers?
At some point, yes!
Tell us the inspiration and motivation behind Tucksac.
In October 2014, I accidentally stumbled upon entrepreneurship when I got multiple orders for ‘roll-up stationery pouches’ that I had actually made for myself and my art professor to use. I was 18 back then, in my first year of Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology and decided to take my first baby steps into the world of entrepreneurship when I founded Tucksac. All that I knew back then was that I was passionate about textiles and wanted to avoid the use of leather and plastic while getting my products made.
Today, the brand works towards making certain narratives from the past more accessible while offering quality products for artists/designers. Tucksac also takes up commissions related to Branding, Surface Pattern Design, Wall Art for Commercial Spaces. You can find @tucksac on Instagram.
You call yourself a visual communicator. What does this mean?
My penchant for color, texture, pattern and text and image is what made me want specialize in Visual Communications and Strategic Branding.
I create with the intention of using visuals to tell a story that looks at particular theme through a different lens. Since what moves people in every case is the unknown, the aim is to tell a story through visuals that open doors for imagination in addition to creating awareness about a certain topic.
Which form of expression do you prefer more? Hand painting or digital designing?
That’s a tough one because though I enjoy hand painting and any kind of hands-on work more, I absolutely love combining that with digital work because of the endless possibilities that the medium offers. A good example of this would be Inaipu, where I first sketched all the letterforms out on paper, tweaked and composed them digitally and then eventually screen printed them on paper at home. In the case of Inaipu, though an important step was done digitally, the outcome involved hands-on work.
Who are your favorite illustrators or artist?
Chaaya Prabhat (Artist); Sophie Robinson (Interior Designer) My most favorite artist though is my little niece, who is just over 3 years of age. Her work amazes me while her carefree nature while creating inspires me. This 3 year old artist’s color vocabulary isn’t limited to yellow, blue and red but also includes words like “emerald/lime/olive green, turquoise, lavender and magenta”.
From ancient artifacts, to Tamil letters to musical instruments – do you plan to continue trying to revive or find meaning in traditional cultures or would you not mind switching to more modern topics in the future?
Just like any other creative practitioner, my practice is constantly evolving. For now, my work is also hugely inspired by nature. I trust the process, am open to and optimistic about the wonderful possibilities of the future.
Any thoughts or suggestions for youngsters trying to make their space in the artistic and entrepreneurial worlds.
The same things that I often tell myself:
Take one little step at a time, enjoy the process and know that whatever happens, really is for the best! 🙂
The belly dance is one of the most popular social performances whose history can be traced back to the 1920s when Egyptians converted this to a form to be presented on stage for an Oriental audience. Owing to its adaptability, it is one of the most widely practiced art forms worldwide. In India, the Nrityakosh dance company (based in Bangalore), established in 2017, by Debapriya Das, had a vision of introducing this dance form to an Indian audience, in a manner which created an association with the native culture without compromising the true spirit of belly dance.
Debapriya
Debapriya is not only a professional dancer and instructor trained in Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Ballet, Flamenco and contemporary dance, but also holds a master’s degree in Economics and has worked as a researcher for a leading India-based think tank in the fields of poverty, sustainable development and climate change adaptation. She has also represented India in several international oriental dance festivals – ‘5th International NY Cairo Raks Festival’, New York, ‘Cairo! 11th International Oriental Dance Festival’, Budapest, and ‘The 2019 Roma Tribal Meeting’, Rome. Debapriya is one of the principal dancers of Rhythmotion ensemble headed by Chitra Arvind and recently represented India at the Busan Dance Festival, 2018 which was funded by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations. Her specializations are Egyptian Oriental and Tribal Fusion Belly Dance, aside from being the artistic director of Nrityakosh. Debapriya’s work focuses on incorporating aesthetics from different dance forms into belly dance.
Some of Nrityakosh’s noteworthy works include Safar-E-Raqs, a theatrical belly dance production in collaboration with several independent belly dancers and theatre actors which showcases the adaptation of the form from the late 1970s to the present day through different cultures and audiences. In 2017 Nrityakosh explored the concept of the Bhava-Rasa theory of Natyashastra through belly dance in a collection of stories from the Ramayana as a part of a recital.
On 9th November Nrityakosh is set to present a production of belly dance, on the life of one of the most prolific poets of the Roma community – Papusza, at A.D.A. Rangamandira, Bangalore. It is a crowdfunded production as Nrityakosh has been able to raise 80% of the cost involved in staging. Romanis, popularly referred to as ‘gypsies’ in a derogatory manner, were an ethnic group that migrated out of Rajasthan and Punjab around 1,500 years ago. Papusza was a Polska Roma, a large ethno-subgroup in Poland. The Romanis were against female literacy and to this day, three quarters of Roma women are illiterate. As a female poet Papusza’s work was revolutionary and unheard of in the 1920s.
Debapriya comments, “Papusza’s life is both fascinating and tragic. She was a path-breaker, a female poet in a culture that deemed literacy ‘unsuitable’ for women. While her art made her the first Roma woman to be included in thePolish Literary Union, it also led to her being exiled by her own people.” Her poetry focused on poverty, impossible love, rootlessness, and life on the long road. After the Holocaust victimized the Romas along with the Jews, she wrote of their sufferings in war. “The production is the story of her relentless spirit and her quest for freedom to express herself through her art.” Debapriya added.
Since its inception, Nrityakosh has ventured to curate and convey through belly dance performances that are socially, culturally, and politically relevant, combining elements from storytelling and Oriental Dance vocabulary. In this regard Debapriya remarked, “In Papusza’s story, we find a tale that mirrors the story of the time we live in”, for it highlights the battles of artists who have been silenced for expressing themselves through their art.
Debapriya believes that “questioning and pushing cultural norms” is always the first tenet of art, and hence Papusza’s story is inspiring, for her bravery and belief in her art. This particular production shall employ several styles of belly dance and its fusion forms – Muwashshahat, Classical Egyptian oriental, Modern oriental, Hagallah, influences from American Tribal Style and Tribal Fusion. Certain pieces will also include Kathak, Flamenco, and contemporary vocabulary. Such varied styles and fusion forms of belly dance will be presented as a part of a production for the first time in Bangalore.
With trends changing every day, fashionistas sometimes find it hard to keep up with it. The audience has also become very diverse and susceptible to change. Indian and international brands have very well understood this consumer behaviour and have modified their collection accordingly. There are now many brands that are emerging as the new favourite among customers due to the wide array of options they provide. There are also many Indian, homegrown brands on the list too.
Shopping online has become very common these days. With websites offering the assured quality of products at a reasonable price, customers have their needs fulfilled. One such website is Flipkart. The deals and offers make it more desirable to the customers. Flipkart also has leading brands for women to shop from.
Here we discuss on the women brands available on Flipkart. You can find discount offers on Flipkart to avail these brands at a great price.
Allen Solly
A division of Aditya Birla group, this is one of the largest growing apparel company. From fancy tees to beautiful dresses, you can find them all under this name. The quality of clothes is what wins the likes of its customers. You can also find these at great Flipkart offers online.
FabIndia
Preparing for a colleague’s wedding or something to wear on an ethnic day, FabIndia has your back. One of the country’s most loved ethnic brands, FanIndia has a diverse collection of women wear. Watch out for the unique print kurta and pair them with jhumkas for a gorgeous look.
Biba
Another ethnic brand, Biba is known for its simple yet elegant look. The clothes are comfortable and the quality is top-notch. If you are looking for something to gift your mom, you have a wide range of options that fit in your exact choice here. Watch out for sales and offers to avail it at a good price.
Pepe Jeans
Are you looking for casual yet typical denim? Pepe Jeans is here for you. One of the favourite brands of women, PepeJeans is also known for its printed tees, sweatshirts, skirts, short and of course slim jeans.
Vero Moda
This is undoubtedly one of the favourite brands of the country. Whether you are looking something casual or something for a formal event, Vero Moda has it all. The brand knows the likes of people and modifies designs according to the latest trends.
These were some of the brands for women available online on Flipkart. Find your fit online at significant discounts and stay updated with the fashion trends.
Are you a cricket fan? If yes, you might have heard of the Mohali stadium that hosts many IPL and Indian cricket tournaments every year. Cricket is not the only thing this city is popular for. Mohali is a cultural city in Punjab. Also known as Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, this cultural hub is rich in attractions and tourist destinations.
Mohali has amusement parks, sanctuaries, sacred places, Gurdwara, lakes, parks, and historical places, and other eye-catching places. Let’s find out more about Mohali and the top destinations this city has to offer to its tourists.
Fateh Burj
Fateh Burj is new to the Mohali attraction list. The Minaret was inaugurated in 2011. It is a perfect destination for tourists who want to honour the victory of Banda Singh Bahadur (the Sikh fighter) who defeated the Mughals. The tower has a height of 100 meters (highest Minaret in the country). Once you reach the top of the Minaret, Mohali and surrounding regions will look effortlessly beautiful from the top.
The mounds and ponds can also be seen in Fateh Burj. These are the spots where the war between Sikhs and Mughals took place. This Mohali destination will help you know more about the battle and Sikh warriors.
Amb Sahib Gurdwara
Your Mohali trip will be incomplete without a visit to the Amb Sahib Gurdwara. This Gurdwara is not only the holy place of Sikhs but a brilliant example of fine architecture. If you are in Mohali, you can visit the sacred places to experience some spiritual activities and watch the brilliant architecture of Sikhs.
Amb Sahib is the popular Gurdwara of Mohali. As soon as you get to the location, the pillared corridor with different archways and a flawless white structure will stun you. Do not forget to eat mangoes here, since the place is especially known for its exceptional mango trees that bear fruit throughout the year.
Thunder Zone Amusement Park
Amusement parks are always exciting. The water rides, wet clothes, memorable experiences, and the fresh swimming pools at Thunder Zone amusement park is pretty captivating. Whether you are visiting Mohali alone or with family, a visit to the amusement park is a must. Avail a cheap and dependable taxi service in Mohaliand reach this water park located at Mohali-Sirhind Road.
The Octopus, Swinging Chairs, and Columbus ride fill the tourists with excitement. No matter how many times you take these rides, you are not getting bored with them anytime soon. To relax for a while, you can get on the boat and take a relaxing ride in the waters. The park is open throughout the year, while the timings of the opening may vary in winter and summer.
Cricket Stadium Mohali
No matter how many attractions this city has, the cricket stadium is what makes this city famous. In fact, Mohali receives most of its tourists in the month of April and May when IPL (Indian Premier League) is organized. Many matches are played in Mohali ground and the stadium gets crowded with thousands of tourists worldwide.
Apart from IPL, Mohali ground hosts world cups, test matches, and other cricket tournaments. In 1996, India played against Pakistan on Mohali cricket ground and the former won the match. If you are a cricket fan, a visit to the Mohali stadium is a must. Which cricket fan wouldn’t want to stand on the cricket playground where India and their favourite IPL team has won several matches? For the best experience, plan a trip to Mohali during the IPL month. That’s the best time of the year since a lot of cricket matches are played on this ground.
North Country Mall
There is no fun in your Mohali visit if you don’t shop in this city. Mohali is a city in Punjab. It is known for the famous Punjabi Lassi, Chola Bhatura, Patiala Suit, Punjabi Jutti, and all the Punjabi accessories and food. You can head to North Country mall in Mohali and get everything you want under one roof.
You can play games, watch movies, and buy your favourite Punjabi apparel. If you get hunger pangs, head to the eatery section and order your favourite Punjabi cuisines. The complex has more than 100 brand shops that sell amazing products.
Rock Garden
Have you ever heard of an upcycling trend? Well, it was first introduced by Rock Garden years before it became a global sensation. Rock Garden is a few minutes’ drive from the city. As India is embracing the eco-friendly lifestyle, a visit to this garden can be inspiring. This place has eclectic installations that are produced from waste materials. The ceramic statues, waterfalls, and green surroundings are some of the main attractions in Rock Garden.
Renewing a passport, or any document for that matter is one of those tasks that no one wants to spend time on but has to since it is mandatory for international travel. The current generation works on getting everything done in as little time as possible so that they can focus on something else. Additionally, they aren’t going to spend time on something they aren’t interested in, which is why there was an urgent need to improve and speed up the passport renewal and application process.
Those were the initial stages of the coming up of the passport website for various states and countries around the world. Not only did this cut passport renewal time in less than a quarter but also encouraged more people to handle it since it made the process convenient.
How does the new passport website work?
The passport website has all the information one could need if they were to handle any aspect of the passport process.
Applying for a new passport
After mentioning the type of passport an applicant is looking to apply for, the website provides an online application enter to enter all their information. The most common passport is the general one, however, there are official and diplomatic passports that are applied for as well. Additionally, the website has various fields where they allow applicants to upload certain documents and make sure the information matches the forms filled out.
The passport website handles all the processing in the backend and provides a date by when it would be dispatched. People have to go to the passport office to produce additional information like their biometrics and photographs. However, if this process wasn’t handed through the website, heading to the passport office to gather forms would have been a more tedious process.
Applying for the renewal of your passport
Passports have to be renewed as they approach their expiration dates and it is advisable to get this done before they expire. If you have a passport that has surpassed its expiration date, the process of getting this done is a little tricky. There are additional forms and paperwork that has to be filled out and handled. However, with all the information gathered, the process should not take more than ten minutes for someone to get through it from beginning to end.
What if you are not tech-savvy?
The website has been built to encourage and assist people who might generally have trouble using the internet. It has information to prompt them on how to move ahead, which buttons make the most sense, where to add their information and anything else they might need. Additionally, the website informs them about the documents they have to upload and the right time to upload them.
It even has a Q&A section with all the answers to any questions relating to the passport renewal or application process. If applicants have questions, they can even get in touch with the team through the ‘Contact’ page. They are always more than happy to assist and help you get your passport troubles sorted.
There is an upsurge of young people taking on the cause of climate change. Our news and social media is flooded with youngsters and students taking on the streets, spreading awareness and demanding action for sustainability of earth’s resources. It is perhaps an apt time to look in house at some of our very own young innovators who are making an impact and doing their bit for the environment.
One such inspiration is Tenith Adithyaa M. Currently the CEO of the social network Altruu, Tenith is a ‘serial innovator, teenage scientist, researcher, software developer, motivational speaker, science campaigner, professional coin collector, Guinness World Record holder and a teacher at the age of 20 with 19 inventions’. One such important invention is the Banana Leaf Preservation Technology.
About the Technology
Banana Leaf Technology is a cellular eco-friendly technology that can preserve leaves and organic biomaterials for a year without using any chemicals. Leaves and many biomaterials have a small shelf life and they perish usually within three days. However, with this innovation, the leaves can be preserved for a year in its original state and for three years without their natural color. The technology also increases the durability, stretchability and crushability of leaves and biomaterials which can resist extreme temperatures and hold more weight than their own. These processed biomaterials are biodegradable, pathogenic resistant, healthy, human and animal friendly.
Banana Leaf Gift Wrap
What does this mean?
The Banana Leaf Technology hence provides for an excellent alternative to disposable items, such as plastic cups and plates. Today, plastic remains one of the main problems of our environment, essentially because it takes more than 7,30,000 days to degrade and get back into a natural process. This leads to landfills and is harmful for animals and natural habitats. On the other hand, using paper alternatives has its own disadvantages, such as deforestation. Thus, the technology enables to use a 100% biodegradable alternative that makes our environment, pockets and ultimately our conscious happy and at ease.
Some startling facts
Just to understand why plastic and paper items and disposables should be avoided, here is taking a look at some shuddering facts. More than half of the world’s plastic and paper is used for single-use products. This leads to an annual cutting of 7 billion trees.
Disposable items are not used for more than a few minutes or hours but they are discarded or put into trash immediately after use. Think about birthday parties, where piles of paper plates or plastic spoons end up in the dustbin in a matter of a couple of hours. The discarded plastic ends up ultimately in ocean or landfills which add to the total garbage of 1 billion tons per year.
With only 50% of world’s plastic being disposable there are estimates of 500 billion plus disposables being used every year. Out of this 32% of the packaging products find themselves in the ocean and 20% of landfills are in fact, caused by plastic alone.
Products made from banana Leaf
Benefits of the Banana Leaf Technology
The fact that the technology provides a natural alternative to plastic and paper packaging is its biggest advantage and benefit. Couple that with it being chemical free, organic and not in any way causing deforestation, landfills, waste productions, as well as, it being degradable and back in the soil within 28 days of discarding makes it worth using. If you don’t want to throw away the product, you can also feed it as fodder to animals. Also, quite cost effective with 0.01 USD as processing cost of a single leaf, this technology definitely merits attention.
Products
There is a vast possibility of using the processed banana leaves and biomaterials to produce packaging, as well as, any other kind of products. For now, the various products include banana plates, cups, cones, boxes, envelopes and of course, the leaf itself to create or customize into more items.
The processed biomaterial can replace multiple products in many industries and as of now is used in over 30 products with limitless applications. In fact, any commercial or non-commercial company can purchase the license to this technology by technology transfer. The license is granted for lifetime to operate worldwide.
How did it all start?
Finally, let’s go back a little when it all started. The Banana Leaf Technology was formulated in 2010 by the then 11 year old Tenith who resided in rural South India. The technology was experimented and made in his homemade laboratory and his will to ‘revive the forgotten traditional South-east Asian practice made this research an emotional struggle to the inventor that he longed to make global habit in this modern era’.
It began when Tenith saw farmers dump leaves as thrash and the question arose, ‘can these leaves be enhanced biologically?’ to fill up a big economic and environmental void. By trial and error which lasted a year, Tenith was finally able to realize his dream of preserving the leaves without any addition of chemicals. The technology advanced as a cellular enhancement after four more years of research and development. The first international award for this technology was awarded at the Global Invention Fair in Texas in 2014.
Maybe it is time to consider substitutes that are not harmful to our environment and surroundings. It is time to join a movement and thought process that has been on for many years and do our bit to ensure that we are rightful citizens of this natural planet. In fact, it is high time, that we start seriously examining alternate technologies which are safe, healthy and eco-friendly. If nothing else, we can at least, acknowledge and appreciate people like Tenith Adithyaa M whose inspiring works are probably the best way forward.
We are hoping to create awareness about our initiative and its impact on nature. If our initiative shares your passion towards environment, please do consider publishing about our green technology on your platform.
Tenith Adithyaa M Inventor & Innovation Scholar of India CEO, Altruu Social Network www.bananaleaftechnology.com
Mumbai is the city of extremes with multiple in-built paradoxes, with large metropolitan buildings and with slums inhabiting in the same 500 meter radius. Mumbai used to be the melting point for people from other Indian cities. Just like people from Dubai go to Goa to gamble since gambling is illegal in Dubai, people from other cities would come to explore the party culture in Mumbai due to a relatively well defined weekend party culture in the city. In many ways, Mumbai represented liberty, freedom and a liberal mindset which was largely lacking in other cities. However, other cities are now capitalizing on the tourist revenues which party culture brings to the city. Mumbai, is no more the destination where people come solely to party and explore nightlife and the youth recognizes that.
In the never ending argument about being a better city, everyone knows that Mumbai has more nightclubs and Delhi has more house parties. However, there has been a shift in the party trend in Mumbai from the youth simply going to party to nightclubs to the youth becoming more aware of the culturally rich part of Mumbai. I am a Mumbaikar and I love to party deep in my heart. But I have seen a rapid shift in the mindset of the youth when it comes to nightlife.
From going to a party every weekend, I have seen brunches becoming a more popular part of Mumbai culture. Instead of organizing night parties, more and more day parties are being organized around cricket match screenings, pool parties, and foam parties. Mumbaikars do not want to explore just nightlife anymore where the music is too loud and people cannot make conversations. Mumbaikars want much more than that. Nothing is constant in the city and trends constantly change, the new shift from nightclubs to day parties was one of the most unexpected shifts in Mumbai culture.
From being someone who parties thrice every week at a new nightclub, I am now a person who goes to explore the lighter sundowners, match screenings, pool parties and foam parties which I find much more destressing. These parties are like the parties you see in Hollywood movies about High school where you can go and meet new people and actually form friendships with them. Swimming with someone and bonding with people over a common cricket team you support is anyday stronger than bonding with people you go to party with.
There is a greater zeal in the youth to explore the city. A lot of friend groups go to cycle together, explore the city, visit museums and art galleries, or just for walks around the city and make drinking plans after that. Drinking is an important part of city culture and most of the youth practices it. It is almost like tradition when you go to meet friends, no peer pressure intended. However, with an increased awareness about cultural setting, most friends explore places together and drink at a restaurant or at someone’s house right after that.
Mumbai as a city, does not only belong to the people who have lived here since forever, but it also charts out its heart to the aspiring students who are here from different states to study. Student budget, often limited, does not extend towards contributing to expensive party culture. There has also been an increase in including live singers and rappers into the party culture. Instead of having DJ’s, many parties boast having famous musicians and bands playing.
In the traditional sense of the word, the party culture in Mumbai is often associated with nightclubs. The youth is redefining the party culture in Mumbai from a night party scene to a day party scene. From social taboo extended towards drinking in the day, more and more people engage in “day drinking”. There are more event centric parties related to match screenings and activities like swimming, playing poker or playing beer pong. Mumbaikars want to involve culture in their everyday lives and explore heritage with their friends. Drinking plans are often made in restaurants around that, but nightclubs are being left out of youth’s plans more and more often. Mumbai can never be a party free city, people need to relax after a tiring day, but there has surely been a revolution in the way we want our parties to be!
