“In India even the most mundane inquiries have a habit of ending this way. There may be two answers, there may be five, a dozen or a hundred; the only thing that is certain is that all will be different.” ― Eric Newby, Slowly Down the Ganges While India’s freedom struggle and her epic battle for independence inevitably focuses on the…
Life is a song – sing it. Life is a game – play it. Life is a challenge – meet it. Life is a dream – realize it. Life is a sacrifice – offer it. Life is love – enjoy it. – Sai Baba As the end of October draws near, excitement crackles as the air turns cooler and as India gears up for Sharad Navratri. Families and social organizations compete to throw the best Navratri parties, and food, drink and entertainment flow like there’s no tomorrow. For the mythical demon King Ravanna, there really isn’t a tomorrow since…
“The Indian Summer has its own rainbow in nature… the vermillion flower on the Gulmohar, the canary yellow blossom of the Laburnum, violet virulence on the Jacaranda and pristine white Jasmine emits an unbelievable sweetness under a starry night sky.” While most people across the world rue the Indian Summer as a hot and dry season, we embrace it! As we celebrated Holi last week, here in India, the colours of spring only remind us of the rich kaleidoscope (Click here to access our Travel Scope Kaleidoscope of Ideas) of things that once can do during the summer in India. We…
{ “What do you do?” “I am a dream-catcher. I take your reality and weave you a fantasy.” } This is a story that begins in the heart of Calcutta, just before the turn of the century. The moving image had come to town and a far-sighted Bengali gentleman named Hiralal Sen brought the stage to screen with his moving biopics. [Cut to Mumbai.] On the other side of the country, Mumbai’s Marathi speakers were a visionary and cultural bunch. The stage was set with a strong tradition of theater already in place. The Wrestlers (1899) by H. S.…
“Travel brings power and love back to your life” – Rumi While Western world civilizations from the Mayans to the Norse predict the end of the world in this century, our eastern roots urge us to look at every death as a rebirth, every misstep as a step in a new direction, every end as a new beginning. In a year where the world precariously draws on hope as it crawls out of the vortex of recession, perhaps the lesson should be not to grasp those things that are without, but those things that are within. (Contact us today to learn…
While Western world civilizations from the Mayans to the Norse predict the end of the world in this century, our eastern roots urge us to look at every death as a rebirth, every misstep as a step in a new direction, every end as a new beginning. In a year where the world precariously draws on hope as it crawls out of the vortex of recession, perhaps the lesson should be not to grasp those things that are without, but those things that are within. Pause – to imbibe the scent of the forest floor. [image: forest walks…
Let your life lightly dance on the edges of Time like dew on the tip of a leaf. – Rabindranath Tagore The Girls from Guwhati… One of the first things I learnt from our hosts in Guwahati (the capital of Assam) was the words Lahi Lahi, which signifies a slow pace of life. Guwahati was our gateway to the North East of India and Papori, a native of Assam, and her sister became not only our hosts but baptized us in the ways of the North East. Papori’s sister fed us a sumptuous meal of local delicacies at…
“We gonna run run run To the cities of the future Take what we can and bring it back homeSo take me down to the cities of the future Everybody’s happy and I feel at home” – Lyrics: Cities of the Future – Infected Mushroom One only has to touch down in India at any major gateway (and some not so major ones) to know that things have taken a step up since the last century. India’s new airports are no longer just functional points of entry where you can get your passport stamped – but at the same time…
“Only when you drink from the river of silence, shall you indeed sing. And when you have reached the mountain-top, then you shall begin to climb. And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.” – Khalil Gibran Music Makes Us Smile! In the far reaches of Ladakh’s outdoors, one hears…the Indus and the Zanskar dribbling over pebbly riverbeds, the wind whisper and howl alternatively through the crevices in the Transhimalaya, and the bird song. Soft, incessant tweets that rent the air with symphonies so sweet, they move grown men to tears. But if you move…
Jodhpur: Beyond the pale in the Blue City The whole experience was wonderful, stimulating and very exciting! Travel Scope did a great job in making all the arrangements and we would definitely recommend this trip to our friends! Nancy Schapiro and Gerald Portnoy There is a stark strength to Jodhpur. The city stands as the last frontier – coexisting with the sand-dunes of the Thar Desert. A walk through the marketplace, Jodhpur Perhaps it’s the muscle of Meherangarh Fort which towers protectively over the skyline. Or the sprawling handsomeness of Umaid Bhawan Palace, whose dome is a landmark for miles…