Here is a wonderful opportunity to get paid to be culturally sensitive!
Caleidoscope Cultural Magazine is seeking out Cultural Crusaders who are always on the hunt to discover something unique about India and tell the world about it.
What we want our Cultural Crusaders to do –
Seek and dig out the hidden secrets of an offbeat travel destination
Understand a region’s art & culture and write about it crisply
Click vivid pictures that entice viewers to visit the place
Keenly participate in all kinds of cultural events and concerts
There are some exciting prizes to be won for all this crusading for culture!
Who said art & culture doesn’t pay?
Indian Cultural Photographer
Create a photo feature on a particular cultural theme
The theme can be related to culture, fine art, heritage, history, etc.
Composition, lighting and timing of the moment captured will matter most
First prize – Rs.10,000 | Second prize – Rs.5,000 | Consolation prizes – Rs.2,000
Rules of the contest –
Photo features must have 6 images at least
All images must be own copyright and proof of ownership must be proven if needed
Pictures uploaded by friends & relatives can be submitted, but get their written permission
Each photo must a detailed caption of minimum 30 words
Images must be submitted in JPG format with a minimum size of 800×600 pixels
Judges have the right to reject any image that does not conform to Caleidoscope’s editorial policy.
A panel of eminent writers will judge and select the winning articles and photo features.
All the articles and images sent to Caleidoscope become our property, which will be published in whatever way we deem necessary.
All the contest entries will be published on Caleidoscope after the contest results are announced.
*Note: If we do not get a minimum of 10 entries for each contest, we will be forced to cancel the announced cash prizes. However, the participants who have already sent their entries will be assured of a consolation prize.
Most cities in India have one particular terrain as their focal point of attraction. It could be a beach, a mountain range, religious places or some significant monuments of historical value. Seldom do you come across a city that boasts of such diverse locations within a striking distance, offering you an ultimate holiday destination list!
Pune, being a city steeped in ancient traditions, loves its religious and cultural festivals. As the cultural capital of Maharashtra, the city hosts various Hindustani classical music concerts and folk art festivals. The city and its surroundings are dotted with numerous archaeological remains and historical monuments that are a treat for history buffs.
Surrounded by the Sahyadri mountain range, Pune has a lot to offer for adventure trips and trekking enthusiasts. Even within the city limits, one can find some good sightseeing spots to visit. The nearby mountain ranges offer a range of options – right from serious rock climbing to just fun and frolicking under a waterfall, to lazing at the beach. From, from clear sunny beaches to foggy mountain tops, from river rafting to serene boat rides, this city offers you everything you want all within a radius of 500km.
Authentic food, religious places, street shopping, museums, forts, palaces, you could spend a couple of days just exploring this city. Spend some more time and try to get to know the people as well. Proud Punekars love to talk, and they would love give you some tips about their city and help you go around. But be careful, Punekars are extremely frank; you might just find yourself lost for words while having a conversation with them!
Have a look at our Pune Sightseeing Guide to check out the places to visit near pune that you could visit while you are in Pune. Your holiday could be a short weekend getaway or a long stay, we are sure you will easily find a suitable holiday destination.
During a conservation outreach road trip with a few friends, I was on a mission to find pretty and endemic snake species of the Western Ghats like the Hump-nosed Pit Viper, Ornate Flying Snake etc. Kuveshi was one of the destinations we visited. It is 12 km from Castle Rock and 64 km from the famous Dudhsagar Falls and is surrounded by Dandeli Tiger Reserve protected area. As such, from time to time, gaurs, sambars, spotted deer, mouse deer and leopards can be seen in the village. It is a haven for botanists and wildlife enthusiasts as the Flora and Fauna of this place is pristine.
I am a city dweller and belong to a place where all my necessities are a simple phone-call or a click of a button away. Kuveshi took my traditional beliefs on a roller-coaster ride and restructured them for good. Kuveshi comprises 29 closely knit families – 29 houses spread over a small area. Farming is the chief occupation here, paddy being the major crop. The area witnesses heavy rainfall during the monsoon season, which explains the dense rainforest that shelters the village. Every family has its own livestock and two men volunteer each day to graze the livestock twice a day. Every household has a dog, primarily to chase monkeys. However, they ensure that the dogs sleep in the house at night so as not to fall prey to the leopards that frequent the village. One of the villagers nonchalantly told us that from time to time leopards pick up their cattle, but they have learnt to live with it. The sense of community is very strong and evident in the village.
They have two primary schools for their children – old houses turned into educational institutes. There are two teachers, one per school, who come from a nearby village to teach. There are six and twelve students, respectively, studying from 1st to 5th grade. What is interesting is all the six/twelve students sit in the same classroom with its four rows of benches. The teacher customizes the syllabus for each student. I was glad to know that women also complete their primary education so they can read and write. I guess we could say that this village is 100% literate. After the completion of primary school, children go to Castle Rock for their secondary education.
The school in Castle Rock has about 60 children and has a hostel which is run by people from nearby villages. One family takes turn every month and volunteers to tend to the children at the hostel and facilitate their education.
There are no means of transportation and the villagers travel 12 km by foot to reach the only shop that sells essential goods. In my opinion, introducing horse-drawn or bullock carts here would be quite a good idea.
Although electricity was first introduced in India in 1899, my jaw dropped to the ground when I found out that this little village still survives without it. Only in the recent past, Hypnale (named after the Latin name of the Hump-nosed Pit Viper), a private wildlife research organization based in the village, introduced the children to solar lanterns. I wonder how children in the big cities playing Temple Run all day on their private tablets would react to this. The solar lanterns have helped the villagers in preventing snakebites and other such accidents while stepping out in the night.
TVs run on batteries for one hour daily. Although many facets of modern civilisation are yet to touch the village, cricket mania has somehow made it in. Every time there is a live match on TV, the whole village gathers at one place with all the batteries available and watches it together. Truly, India is a cricket crazy nation.
What really stirred my soul was how happy the villagers seemed despite their modest way of life. Of course, they have their predicaments. But what is commendable about this village is that they are self-sufficient, something most people living closer to modern civilisation forgot centuries ago. The villagers never once complained about not having good roads, fast moving vehicles or electric power. Ignorance truly is bliss, I realized.
When Anant, our cook, told me stories about the village life and the lifestyle of the villagers, it dawned on me that we spend most of our valuable time on things that actually have no impact and very little relevance in living a good life. Most of the troubles we fret about are self-inflicted such as, using cars for the smallest of distances and whining about traffic, skyrocketing fuel and commodity prices and low salaries. We cut down trees to expand our roads to accommodate the rising vehicle population and then worry about pollution and hair fall.
I spent one night under starry skies while the glow-worms played hide and seek in the paddy fields, and the calls of toads and crickets provided soothing background music. It will take me months of meditation to experience the kind of peace I experienced here.
Although I spent very little time in this village, I came out feeling very inspired. For me, it has been a feast for all the senses. Kuveshi is the very epitome of the adage – ‘if we fasten our attention on what we have, rather than on what we lack, a little wealth is sufficient’.
Do you think being culturally sensitive can pay you good returns?
Here is a wonderful opportunity to get paid to be a Indian Cultural Crusader!
Caleidoscope Cultural Magazine is seeking out Indian Cultural Crusaders who are always on the hunt to discover something unique about India and tell the world about it.
What we want our Indian Cultural Crusaders to do –
Judges have the right to reject articles or images that do not conform to Caleidoscope’s editorial policy.
A panel of eminent writers will judge and select the winning articles and photo features.
All the articles and images sent to Caleidoscope become our property, which will be published in whatever way we deem necessary.
All the contest entries will be published on Caleidoscope soon after the contest results are announced.
If we do not get a minimum of 10 entries for each contest, we will be forced to cancel the announced cash prizes. However, the participants who have already sent their entries, will be assured of a consolation prize.
Present day travellers are fed up of the regular sightseeing tours, which drag them to all the main spots in a historical place, without allowing you to absorb anything. Such tourists are fascinated about understanding the history behind a place that they visit. They are also eager to discover the intriguing details of a bygone era that are now lost in the narrow bylanes of a city. The cultural capital of Karnataka, Mysore has something interesting to offer for such offbeat travellers who would want to go an experiential trip and discover some hidden gems lost in the pages of history.
Talking to Vinay Nagaraju of Royal Mysore Walks, I realised that people do have an interest in history and historical sites. Vinay clarifies, “Most of us learn history in terms of dates and people – Who did what and when? But if we learn about history as a story, wouldn’t it be much more interesting? There are numerous trivia that we can talk about Mysore’s history. For example, why does the space organisation NASA display a painting of Battle of Srirangapatnam? Or how are the American War, the French Revolution, and the Battle of Waterloo related to Mysore? Such intriguing questions make us wonder what lies beneath.”
Established in 2009, Royal Mysore Walks take travellers on a guided tour of interesting spots in and around Mysore, either on foot, on jeep or on a cycle. They organise 20 different kinds of themed tours ranging from the Colonial Mysore Tour to the Artisan Tour. There is even a Gravity Tour where travellers need to walk, cycle and trek up the Chamundi Hill!
But why walking tours? Vinay explains, “Tourists are no more interested in whirlwind tours across the city, which cover all the main spots in a day. They would rather walk down interesting avenues and narrow bylanes of the city and understand the culture, and imbibe the smells and sounds of a place. Discovering new things certainly gives a richer experience; so to cater to this need, we devised our Offbeat Tours”.
Offbeat Tours are more of an experiential trip where people interested in a particular theme such as fine art, music, spirituality are taken to specific places in the city. These customised tours are ideally done for a group of like-minded people who can choose either half or full day option. Under the Artisan Tour, travellers are introduced to Mysore’s renowned stone carving and wood inlay work artisans, who have fine tuned their skills through the knowledge tracing back to generations. Similarly, another fine art tour introduces you to the intricate art of Mysore Style Painting.
Yet another offbeat tour takes tourists on a journey to understand how Mysore Silk became the most famous export from this cultural capital, which has nurtured the art of silk worm rearing to weaving the purest form of silk sarees. Under the Colonial Mysore Tour, one gets to see the various palaces of Mysore the king built and understand the different architectural styles of the British Raj. Of course, there is the Food Tour that caters to the gastronomically inclined tourists! Since Mysore is well known for its culinary delicacies such as Mylari Masala Dosas, Mysore Pak, this theme is quite popular.
Royal Mysore Walks has an eco-friendly aspect as well. Its Cycle Tours are quite popular among foreign tourists who are accustomed to riding bicycles around the city, unlike we Indians! Moreover, cycles help in navigating narrow by lanes in the older parts of the city such as Agrahara – which still hold a lot of fragments of the bygone era. Seeing artisans skilfully producing handmade incense sticks and inhaling the intoxicating smell is a truly memorable experience!
The most basic tour is the Royal Walk, which covers some of the major attractions around the Mysore Palace such as town hall, Devaraja Market, etc. The Best of Mysore Walk provides an insight into the best features of Mysore, the colonial connection, the era of the Mysore Maharaja, the stories and the people of Mysore. The basic package begins at Rs.600 and the higher end themed tours can cost you up to Rs.2,000. Tour activities are organised throughout the week and interested travellers can log onto the company’s website to book the tour of their interest.
Vinay states that finding guides who will explain the historic aspects in detail was never a hassle. Everyone at Royal Mysore Walks has left their mainstream job as an engineer, architect or as a company secretary to become a guide, mainly because of their passion. They have devoted themselves towards building awareness and promoting the cultural heritage of Mysore, a city which is close to their hearts. One tends to wonder, how a young team of working professionals can be so fascinated about history and archaeology!
MTB-Himalaya – Riding on slushy grassland is a tough task
I opened my eyes to the golden rays of sun, filtering through the tall deodar trees. The crispy clear atmosphere was disturbed only by the camp fire smoke. Just then someone called me out and I realised I am not dreaming and I am really amidst the most pristine surroundings in the Himalayas. Throughout my journey from Delhi to Shimla, I was daydreaming about being surrounded by nature’s beauty, but I couldn’t have imagined it such a serene setting.
Night view of Shimla city
My journey to India’s famous mountain biking event “MTB-Himalaya-2013” had started alone in the eerie calmness of the night. Being a solo woman traveller, it was difficult to travel in the night, but that sense of fear was not dominating enough to surpass my passion to ‘explore and click’. My heightened level of enthusiasm did not let me sleep the entire night. All the thoughts about new places to see and new people to work with were really pumping up my adrenaline. Those imagined glances of Shimla made me smile like a daydreamer!
Early morning view of famous Shimla ridge
There is no doubt that cycling has already established itself as a movement across metro cities in India. However, I didn’t know that mountain biking was such a serious sport until I joined the bikers at the MTB Himalaya-2013. MTB Himalaya is India’s premier mountain biking race that happens every year in Himachal Pradesh just before the onset of winter. Organised by the Himalayan Adventure Sports & Tourism Promotion Association (HASTPA), MTB Himalaya was first conducted in 2004 and is now in its tenth year.
Riding across the pictureque grassland
Being a part MTB-Himalaya was unforgettable. I still remember when I had got the media volunteer identity card for which I had waited so long, it was a melodramatic moment for me as I had mixed emotions of sentimental prick just as we see in Bollywood films!
Life is an uphill task!
It was not just about covering an event, rather it was an opportunity for me to understand and see the culture and tradition of a place where people share a common goal to disseminate their ideas. I was like that frog who just got an opportunity to jump out of its well to explore the surroundings. As a media person MTB Himalaya, I did the same – I interviewed people, I captured, I wrote, I explored at the end I got more encouraged and was more informative.
Bike marshals at time check posts
The best part of being as a team member of MTB Himalaya was that I got the chance to see directly the new facet of India and its people. As India changes from being an ‘underdeveloped’ to a ‘developing nation’, adventure sports have caused a major flutter among Indians. People are eager to indulge in these die-or-die scenarios. Moreover, women are no less hesitant in showing off their stronger side in this patriarchal world by participating in so called “men’s game”.
A brief stopover for a drink offer
This year, the eleventh edition of the event “Hero MTB Himalaya 2015” is underway with 65 national and international cyclists participating from across 12 countries. The cyclists will cover a distance of 500km at an elevation of approx 2,000-2,500m. The event features cross country, enduro type of race and cyclists will have show their talent in the section of off-road, broken tarmac, gravel, rocks, mud, sand, lose rock and single track.
<p><strong>Regional Champions in Indian Sports [Infographic] by caleidoscope.in</strong></p><p><img src='https://caleidoscope.in/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Regional-Sports-in-India_v11.png' alt='>Regional Champions in Indian Sports' width='100%' border='0' /></p>
The current trends in Indian sports indicate that a sleeping giant has at last woken up to perform. While our nation is finally performing like it should in various sports, it is interesting to observe that this performance is not coming from all across the nation. It is still certain pockets spread across some Indian states that are capturing all the glory. Here is a compilation of regional champions in national sports who excel in specific sports disciplines:
Weightlifting – Manipur
If there is a need to offer proof for the highly concentrated regions of sporting culture in India, then the weightlifting champions from Manipur provide it with a clean & jerk movement! Manipuri weightlifters have won 7 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals since 1998, which is unmatched by any other Indian state.
It all started with Kunjarani Devi winning the bronze in 1990 Asian Games, which was followed by her golds in 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games. Inspired by her success, a long line of champions such as Monika Devi, Sanamacha Chanu, Pratima Kumari, Ngangbam Soniya Chanu, Mirabai Chanu, Sanjita Khumukcham came out of this tiny state. Surprisingly, the glory of Manipuri women has not been shared by men. May be Manipuri men are busy in militancy for a separate nation!
Boxing – Haryana & Manipur
Bhiwani Boxing Club | Courtesy: Sportskeeda
It is again the land of Jats that captures glory in providing a fighting chance for India at international boxing events. In fact, it is just a single town that has been the breeding ground for Indian boxers – Bhiwani. Vijender Singh, Akhil Kumar, Jitender Kumar, Dinesh Kumar all hail from a single club in this small city, the Bhiwani Boxing Club. The club has produced nine out of India’s 16 Olympic qualifiers since 2004. Inspired by these champions, there are around 1,000 boys now training at the Sports Authority of India centre and half a dozen private coaching institutes that attract aspirants from the surrounding countryside.
Apart from Haryana, it is again the tiny North-eastern state of Manipur, which attracts all attention. Dingko Singh sparked the imagination of young Manipuris by winning the Asian games gold medal in 1998. His inspiring work was very well carried forward by the great Mary Kom who has motivated a generation of male and female boxers.
Tennis – Chennai
Tennis has been a rich man’s game right from the days of the British. Evidently, the game’s popularity was mainly concentrated in metro cities like Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai. Particularly, Chennai has been the cradle where future tennis stars were either born or nurtured. In the 1960s, the Amritraj brothers, Anand, Ashok and Vijay Amritraj laid the foundation for Indian tennis to grow and flourish. They were joined by the father-son duo of Ramanathan Krishnan and Ramesh Krishnan, who won many laurels in the professional tennis arena.
However, the arrival of Leander Paes in Indian tennis changed the scenario forever. Trained at the Britannia Amritraj Tennis Academy in the 1980s, Leander took the standards a notch higher when he became the first Indian after 40 years to win the first individual bronze medal at the Olympics in 1996. Since then, players from Tamil Nadu have won 5 gold and 2 bronze medals at various Asiad and Commonwealth Games. The current national champion Somdev Devvarman is also a protégé of tennis academies in Chennai. However, owing to Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi’s rise to fame, Hyderabad and Bengaluru have now emerged as major tennis hubs in India.
Badminton – Hyderabad
Pullela Gopichand | Courtesy: The Hindu
Badminton has been a game whose popularity has ebbed and risen along with the fortunes of Indian stars. In the 1980s, India was fortunate to have two top players of international repute who first challenged the domination of Far Eastern countries. Prakash Padukone and Syed Modi not only won Asian and Commonwealth titles, they were also crowned champions at the prestigious All England Open Badminton Championships.
In more recent times, the success of Pullela Gopichand turned the tide for Indian players. After he established the Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad in 2003, the tide turned into a flood of new talented Badminton players such as Saina Nehwal, Parupalli Kashyap, P. V. Sindhu and Gurusai Datt. Particularly, Saina Nehwal’s numerous successes in the international arena have created immense popularity, enabling Hyderabad-based players to win 3 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze medals during 1998-2010.
Archery – Jharkhand
Tata Archery Academy | Courtesy: G4SSport
Indian archery is the best example of right talent meeting the right infrastructure to produce a bunch of world champions. The tribal belt of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal states were traditionally the strongholds of the finest archers in the country. Among these states, Jharkhand has been the breeding ground for various top notch archers in the country.
Jamshedpur became the nerve centre of Indian archery after the Tata Archery Academy was established there in 1996. Since then, this centre has produced numerous illustrious archers such as Jayant Talukdar, Poornima Mahato, Premlata Agarwal, Deepika Kumari, Dola Bannerjee and Limba Ram, who won national and international honours. Particularly, the recent success of Deepika Kumari in the 2010 Commonwealth Games brought the limelight for archers in the tribal region. Archers from Jharkhand have won 1 gold and 4 bronze medals, while Bengali archers have won 1 gold and 5 bronze medals during 1998-2010.
The year is coming to an end and we are sure that every travel freak is planning for a trip to some of the best destinations across the globe. To be logical, the cheaper the destinations are, the longer you can afford to stay there. Thus, you can enjoy a longer version of your time. There are places where it is hard to get a hostel dorm bed at $50 per night while there are destinations where you can afford a luxury villa with a pool at the same price. The cost of flights is also increasing these days which is going to affect your overall travel budget. To make things easy for you, we have taken the initiative to make you well accustomed to some of the cheap destinations in the world. And if you are looking for some of the cheap flight deals then we recommend you to visit JustFly.
So keep reading ahead and we hope that you will discover something fruitful in our blog.
1. Indonesia
Image by Pixabay from Pixabay
Indonesia is one of the most loved countries on Earth. It is known for world-class surfing, scuba diving, white sand beaches, rice paddy scenery and a lot more. Indonesia offers mind-blowing incentives for settlement, nourishment, and transport. Here you can afford a beautiful villa or guest rooms at a cheap price of $20 per night. One can also have tasty and delicious seafood for $3 and can even get a motorbike at rent for a few dollars per day. You can also go for a car at a rate of $15 per day. The only thing that is not of extraordinary worth is liquor. Because of heavy taxes on them, an imported wine of low-quality costs around $20. You can go for local wine which ranges $13 to $15.
2. Mexico
Image by Gavin Seim from Pixabay
Mexico attracts travelers from all across the world each year because of its friendly environment, delicious and diverse foods, and outstanding beaches. Presently, the nation is theoretically 49 percent cheaper as a result of the money conversion to the USD. During the peak months i.e. from November to March, only the hotels costs are skyrocketed. Otherwise, Mexico will stun you with its incredible worth. You can get Coronas with a slice of lime at the cost of $1.5, fresh prawns at $3 per kilo, Tacos at 30 cents and strong margaritas at just $1. Mexico also contains its brand for grocery stores like Soriana and La Comer which are very much affordable. Buying your own desired groceries and cooking for own self is the best way to save money.
3. Colombia
Image by gustavo9917 from Pixabay
Colombia is really like a dream for travelers. Beautiful Spanish colonies, amazing beaches, inconceivably flawless and lavish wildernesses, and friendly people makes it all. Whether you are traveling with a pound, yen, dollar or yuan, Colombia is a superior arrangement now than it’s at any point been. The cost of Spanish guest houses is around $30 per night and one can also opt for Scuba diving at the cost of $24 for 10 dive pack in the Caribbean. One can also enjoy hotels with funky bars, Jacuzzi, rooftop pools, etc. There are unending astounding activities in Colombia, which can appear to be somewhat overpowering now and again.
4. Cuba
Image by David Mark from Pixabay
If you are searching to go on a pocket-friendly trip to the Caribbean then Cuba is the best option for you. Cuba is regarded as a diverse country having some outstanding landscapes, incredible beaches, a Spanish atmosphere and off course good foods. The people here are way too friendly. They will dance with you, will take you to hike in tobacco farms and also will party with you. Residing in Casa Particulares will make you familiar with these people’s cultures and traditions. This is the most ideal approach to meet the individuals and appreciate a credible encounter. For 2 people Casas will amount to $20 to $30 per night including breakfast. There are also discounts available for 1 person. The hotels available at this place starts from $25 to $180 per night. You can get a filling meal just at $5 to $10. Here cocktails costs from $2 to $3. If you are willing to try “peso food” then you would spend about $1 for a little dinner. Apart from that visiting a museum, riding horseback, caving and other tours will amount from $5 to $30. The expense of Cuba is unbelievably moderate, making it probably the least expensive nation to visit.
5. Bulgaria
Image by Arvid Olson from Pixabay
Bulgaria is the cheapest of all countries to visit in Europe. With flawless old towns, extraordinary wine, beautiful coastline, and excessively neighborly and ailak (loose) individuals, Bulgaria is likewise one of the top zones for travelers. You can have good food to eat at just $10 to $15. The hotel rooms are made inside ancient buildings which cost around $20 per night. The cost of bottles of wine is around $8. If one wants to visit Europe, experience its history, meet truly cool individuals and taste a portion of the world’s best wine while never burning up all available resources, Bulgaria ought to be on your travel list this year.
6. South Africa
Image by cocoparisienne from Pixabay
South Africa is like a heaven for travelers seeking for a pocket-friendly trip. With a rough and staggering coastline, mind-boggling natural wildlife, amazingly cordial individuals, delicious Indi-afro combination nourishment, respectable streets and an incredible price, you truly can’t beat SA. If you are a newbie in traveling then we highly recommend you to plan out for South Africa. The nation is moderately simple to travel, particularly on the off chance that you lease your vehicle. The cost of double rooms is around $40 per night. You will get meals at $7 and the entry fees at national parks are around $10.
6. Thailand
The land of smiles, Thailand, is one of the favorite spots for people who are budget backpackers. There are several destinations to visit in the country – whether you want cities, islands, National parks or jungles, there is always a place for you. Beach huts and guest houses costs around $15 per night, scuba diving will cost you just $20 and the Thai dishes will come at $2 per plate. The biggest expense that you can face is the traveling cost to Thailand, but once you have reached there we guarantee that you will enjoy the culture and warmth of the people who live here.
That’s all we have got on our list for some of the cheapest and pocket-friendly destinations. We hope that you will have a happy journey ahead.
Every time India participates in an international sporting event, we loved to talk about how we as a nation don’t have a sporting culture, how we lack the killer instinct, how rotten our Indian sports bodies are, so on and so forth. Thankfully, we are spared of such empty talk this sporting season where we had Commonwealth Games and Asian Games side by side. Our boys and girls are performing with such awe inspiring spirit, that most of our ever-critical mouths are busy gaping at their accomplishment!
Indian athletes garnered an all time high collection of 14 golds and 65 medals in total during the previous Asian Games in 2010. Hopefully they will emulate the record haul this year at the Incheon Asian Games. While our nation is finally performing like it should in various sports, it is interesting to observe that this performance is not coming from all across the nation. In fact, as per a study conducted by HT Mint on regional sports in India, it is still certain pockets spread across some states that are capturing all the glory. Here is a compilation of various regions in India that excel in specific sports disciplines:
Athletics – Kerala
P T Usha & 400m women relay team | Courtesy: NDTV-AFP
Athletics has been the natural sport in which India excelled in the early decades of 1950s-80s, where our country still collects medals even now. While this is a pan-Indian sport where we find Punjabis, Kannadigas and Bengalis sprinting ahead of the rest, it is the tiny state of Kerala that stands out. Kerala athletes have always lead the rest since the day when P T Usha captured the nation’s attention by narrowly missed a medal at the 1984 Olympics. Since 1998, Kerala athletes have won an amazing 10 golds, 8 silver and 4 bronze medals.
Since then, numerous stars have captured the limelight in the Asiad arena. Illustrious women such as Shiny Wilson, K. M. Beenamol, Mercy Kuttan, Chithra K Soman, Sini Jose, Anju Bobby George, Preeja Sreedharan were the leading lights who captured gold in numerous track events since 1982. Binu K M, Bobby Aloysius, Renjith Maheswary, T.C.Yohannan, Suresh Babu were some of the Malayali men who stood on the podium with medals in mainly field events. The high levels of education and women empowerment in the Malayali society is considered one of the reasons for this stupendous achievement!
Wrestling – Haryana
Sushil Kumar & Haryanvi wrestlers | Courtesy: HT Media
Wrestling has been a traditional game played in India since time immemorial. It was a sport that got royal patronage during the age of Maharajas, which had lost its preeminent position during 1950s-80s. Fortunately, the days of old glory are returning with the hunks of Haryana and Delhi wrestling their way to the top. Sonepat district in Haryana is the fountainhead for Indian wrestling where run by the Sports Authority of India’s Chaudhary Devi Lal Sports Centre is located, which nurtures budding wrestlers. Since 1998, Haryanvi wrestlers have won an amazing 7 gold, 5 silver and 9 bronze medals.
All the great names of Indian wrestling today, Sushil Kumar Solanki, Rajeev Tomar, Amit Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt, hail from Haryana. In fact, this state, which is considered the most backward in terms of women empowerment, has produced the nation’s best female wrestlers. Apart from Alka Tomar, the three Phogat sisters led by Geeta Phogat were nurtured and Mahavir Singh Phogat, a former wrestler who runs a wrestling school for girls in Balali. This enduring success can be traced to the thriving rural wrestling tradition in Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, where every large village has an akhara to train pehalwans.
Shooting – Delhi and Maharashtra
Rajyavardhan Rathore | Courtesy: Rajputanas.com
If we trace back India’s achievements in all recent international sporting events, shooting has a role to play in each one of them. It is surprising for a nation, which for an outsider looks like society that is wandering aimlessly, Indian shooters have shown to the world that there is something in our organised chaos that helps us focus! Two specific locations have emerged as the bull’s eye for our shooters – Delhi and Maharashtra.
Shooting has been a totally different story unlike any other sport in India due to one key element – world class infrastructure provided by the government. The Indian Army runs a training centre for sport shooting, the Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU), which used to produce the earliest champions. Delhi and Pune in Maharashtra have two of the country’s biggest and most well-equipped shooting ranges, which have nurtured numerous international shooters. Abhinav Bindra, Mansher Singh, Ronjan Sodhi, Jitu Rai, Rajyavardhan Rathore, Samaresh Jung, Jaspal Rana emerged from Delhi, while Gagan Narang, Heena Sidhu and Anjali Bhagwat came out of Maharashtra.
Many of my friends ask me, “Why do you travel all the way to painfully go through tiring 10-15 hours of journey and climb rocks, when you can happily stretch your legs and watch a movie at home?!” Well, my answer would be, “There is an element of craziness in all of us; we need to explore that. Remember that happiness is a way of travel – not a destination!”
I think everyone has their own passion and desires, and mine is to trek. Following my passion to undertake offbeat travel, I joined Great Hyderabad Adventure Club’s trekking expeditions across India. It was thrilling to experience the adrenanline rush I got from various adventure activities such as trekking, rock climbing, rappelling, valley crossing, forest camping, river rafting, etc. One of these expeditions was really memorable for me since we just climbed down a deep narrow valley without climbing back!
‘Sandhan Valley’, also known as the “Valley of Shadow”, is truly a marvel of nature. It is a 200 feet deep canyon carved into the massive rocks of Sahyadri Mountains in the Western Ghats. This water carved valley is just around 15-20 feet wide and sunlight barely trickles down the valley at midday. The brilliant and deep narrow rock floored ravine is located between the two high walls of mountain range. At some places its width is less than 3 feet and at some places Sun rays unable to reach the ground. Hence the name, “Valley of Shadow”!
Our proposed itinerary was for a three-day trek with around 16 of us left from Hyderabad on a cold night taking a train to Pune. We took a minibus to Samrad village, which is considered a base camp for the Sandhan Valley trek. There is literally no civilization around this valley nestled deep in the Sahyadri Mountains. The only village nearby is Samrad situated on the backwaters of Bhandardara Dam.
Despite the tiresome journey, we were all in high spirits and eager to begin our trek. After we reached Samrad, we had our breakfast and were briefed by our organizers, Swaminathan and Jamila about the tough trek ahead. Although it is not an extremely difficult trek, we need endurance to withstand the vigorous climb down the valley, which has some steep gorges. We trekked along the river stream and rappelled down steep edges of rock dropping 40-50 feet.
We had spent a lot of time here as we only had one harness and it took 10 to 15 minutes for each of us to climb down. Jamila was an expert in rappelling, who took time to explain some basic rules since there were many first time climbers among us. Further, we were fortunate enough that we had some company during the trek with some trekkers from Pune who were generous enough to lend their harness, which made our trek much easier.
Since we were delayed due to the treacherous climb, our organizer Swaminathan split our team and took the lead team to set up the camping spot. Later we all gathered at a 20 feet rock patch except for the first batch led by Swaminathan who had reached the camping spot before sunset. Swami came back for us and it was already dark so we had to take out our torches and go on.
After we enjoyed the natural light & sound show in the valley during the day, it was time for sparkling stars in the crystal clear sky. We were in a deep ravine completely surrounded by two massive walls of rock reaching to heights of 100 to 150 feet. The breathtaking sight of a river of sparkling stars enthralled us in the night!
The next day morning, everyone got ready and were all set to go by 8am after some photo sessions at our campsite. The second day was quite tiring since it was an uphill climb and we had to take a lot of breaks all along the way. Many of us we were literally dragging ourselves through exhausting journey and on top of this, there was no water and our throats were parched.
Finally, when we saw plain land and few huts at a distance, everybody’s spirits were up and we marched towards the village. We reached Samrad village by early evening and had a good lunch and headed back towards Pune. It was truly a memorable experience for all of us which we can look back with pride for having trekked such a tough treacherous valley!
