“We must not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and to know the place for the first time.”
~ T. S. Eliot

Exploring to enrich ourselves and experiencing something new like you never have before. The next few places are known best for their greenery.

Kumarakom

Kumarakom is a tourist village situated in Kerala. It is a cluster of small islands on the Vembanad backwaters. What I did like most when I visited was the lush greenery that the place had. It was pleasant and not overwhelming. I would say that one drives down to the place so as to enjoy the best of nature.

Kumarakom enjoys a well-balanced tropical climate with temperatures ranging from 16 and 37.7 Celsius. These temperatures would mean having a cool, quiet vacation. The Monsoon season is from early June to early August and I say that it is a lovely time to visit. However slight drizzles do persist until early November.

You can get to this place by air, road or train. By air, you would have to take a flight to Cochin and from there travel either by car, bus, or train (75 Kms). By car from Cochin International Airport is around 2 hours. Buses are easily available from Kottayam and Cochin as well. By train it is around 16 Kms from Kottayam. When in Kumarakom, you could visit the Bird Sanctuary and the Bay Isalnd Driftwood Museum. Or you could always take a backwater boat ride or even hire a Boathouse to stay in. While there, I advise you to take a stroll around when not drizzling or raining to enjoy Kumarakom at its best.

Coorg

Also known as Kodagu, Coorg is known for its hospitality and the beautiful scenery. Tourists often visit Coorg for its picturesque natue and the mountain ranges that attract a lot of tourists every year.

When you are at Coorg, visit the Raja’s Seat (it is said that the kings of the yore used seat here and it also offeres fantastic views of the valley), Bagamandala (a temple is situated here; this is where Cauvery River confluences), Talakaveri / Talacauvery, Madikeri Fort, Mandalpatti- View point, Iruppu Falls and Dubare Elephant Camp. While there, you could also trek and walk around to catch a glimpse of local life as well the nature.

If you travelling by plane, you will have to fly in to Bangalore or Mangalore and then rent a cab or take a bus ride to Coorg. When you arrive at Coorg, you can hire a cab or retain the one that you travelled in to travel in to visit all the tourist hotspots.

Manali

Manali is a beautiful, quaint Hill Station located at the Northern end of Kullu Valley in Himachal Pradesh. It is a beautiful place to visit during the summer as well as in the winter (although it will be very cold). Manali is a popular tourist spot for Indians during Summer and in winter it becomes a beautiful snow-capped hill-station.

When in Manali, you could visit the Rohtang Pass which is at an altitude of 13,050 feet above sea level, Bes Kund – an igloo shaped temple, Hot water springs, Monasteries and temples of Tibetan Buddhist lineages which is located between old and new Manali. You could also walk into the town to experience life there and also try out some of the local food there.

One can reach Manali by Bus or car on the road from the Delhi or Bhuntar (Kullu) if you are coming in by plane; by train, Ambala Cantonment (200 km) or Chandigarh (250 km) from Indian Capital New Delhi.

While you are at these places, it is best that everyone sticks with their group or family – safety in numbers after all. Ensure that you are equipped with appropriate clothes according to the weather and time of visit to the place and more importantly dress according to the place that you would be visiting (for example – although it may seem conservative, you can’t visit a temple while wearing shorts and sleeveless). Pack just enough clothes and ensure that you keep your money and cards safe.

Like Francis Bacon said, “Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience.” So, what are you waiting for? Pack your bags and travel to these places!

source: http://www.coolage.in / Cool Age / Home> Lifestyle / by Pooja Svathi Mahesh, Jyoti Nivas College – Bangalore / May 07th, 2013

Preserving ones’ customs and traditions in the tangle of cross-cultural globalisation

It takes little to spark an inferno when it comes to community, beliefs and opinions. A seemingly innocent query into the relevance of old culture in our fast evolving modern day, turned foul when the enquirer stated his own sentiment. While he was happy to be associated with the community on its dedicated social networking forum, his views strongly suggested abandoning all traditional customs. Naturally, all hell broke loose and while the moderates tempered the situation, a question loomed: “Who are we, without our traditions?”

Far from our land of origin, far from the security of the familiar and most things we can call our own, this question becomes paramount to our sense of identity. At work, on campus and in cosmopolitan company, we don the culture of our residence to the best of our ability. But behind our private doors, we centre on preserving that identity — that single thing which is us, that which is unchallenged and that which no document can list otherwise.

For some, it is effortless. Others must adapt for the sake of survival. It is this duality that makes us versatile. And it is in a foreign land that the sweet smell of boiling rice becomes sweeter and that piece of ancestry, locked away unseen for years, becomes the most prized possession.

Because, it is when we are away that we realise just how close we are to our roots. How much they make us who we are. And how much we really love where we come from. When I relocated to London, I was young and brought up to be a well-rounded Indian. We celebrated all festivals and ate anything. Revelries were taken for granted. Time was an entity to be acutely aware of, not counted. Very quickly, the clinical regimentation of western routine made every little breath, matter. Birthday celebrations were postponed to the next official holiday. Festivals became organised events to be collectively enjoyed. Traditional practices had to be consciously performed, lest they be forgotten, in the rush to beat time.

I appreciated, more and more, all the things that I had taken-for-granted all my life. I was very happy. But something else mattered more. In a multinational gathering, being Indian, was great. But in the midst of other Indians, I needed my own, even more distinct identity. I had one. And proud as I was of it, I, now, felt the need to urgently learn the threads of preserving this heritage.

And so I observed all the rituals that I, until then, had only merrily enjoyed. I started speaking more in our language so that my child would gain fair exposure to it. I cooked traditional food in the house, often. We attended every community get-together. I made sure that I made the community ‘familiar’ to my child, to ensure that he was as natural in being who he was, as his roots were natural to his being. Traditions define us. Customs identify us. Beliefs set us apart. But in a foreign land, these very things bring us together and keep us so. That’s why, consciously or sub-consciously, we find every means to protect them. To make the future so secure, that no generation yet to come, will ever lose its way in the tangle of cross cultural globalisation. And so, we survive. Microcosmically. Wholesomely.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / by Tejaswi Uthappa / May 06th, 2013