Narkanda: An ideal destination for summers; Lucknow, the City of Nawabs, beckons tourists; Wood carving industry dying a slow death in Uttaranchal; Agra takes to pigeon flights after 20 years; Tourists flock to Auli; India Travel Times, Indian News, Tourism, Tourist, Cuisine, Taj Mahal, Ayurveda, Yoga, Festival, Temple, Trekking, Hotels, Airlines,

An ideal destination for summers Narkanda

Narkanda: (Himachal Pradesh): Far from the maddening crowd and located 9000 feet above sea level, Narkanda is an ideal destination in summers for adventure and nature loving tourists, offering rich treasures of flora and fauna. Narkanda, the gateway to Spiti and Kinnaur, is nature's treasure of tranquillity and floral and faunal wealth. Located at an altitude of approximately 9000 feet above the sea level on the Hindustan-Tibet Road, this beautiful town where snow registers its presence even in the summer months, is located amidst fragrant pine and deodar forests. It is about 65 km from Shimla. Surrounded by green forests, the place is an ideal retreat for nature-loving tourists.

However, not many are aware that this small sleepy town also serves as an ideal summer destination. A sought-after ski resort in winters, a number of tourists come here for rock climbing and other adventurous activities during the summer months. With no efforts from the government to popularise and promote the place, the vast tourism potential of Narkanda has remained untapped so far. Narkanda does not find a proper mention even in the brochures published by the Tourism Department of the state. "The Government has done nothing for Narkanda. Though a number of steps have been taken to promote skiing, but all other adventure sports have been neglected. Tourists would be benefited if government does something in this regard," says Rupesh Kanwal, Secretary of Himachal Pradesh Adventure Games Association. He adds, "Even the marketing by the Tourism Department for Narkanda is nil. Government can at least advertise about the place. There are so many options available for advertising and marketing nowadays. It can be done easily on the Internet. Even the brochures don't have any mention of this place." According to Kanwal, if the government pays attention to its flora, fauna, orchards and lakes, the eco-friendly tourism drive by the government will become more profound. However, even without proper advertising and efforts to popularise Narkanda, a number of tourists frequent the place. "It's really interesting. It's for the first time that we have come to Narkanda. We saw snow. Temperature is moderate. Now we are looking forward to do some rock climbing,' said Anuj, a tourist from Chandigarh. An uphill trek through the woods leads to the famous Hatu Peak offers a magical view of the Himalayan range.
- April 16, 2005

Lucknow, the City of Nawabs, beckons tourists (Go to Top)

Lucknow: The city of Nawabs, Lucknow, has earned the sobriquet of a major tourist destination across the globe. Rich repertoire of ancient monuments such as forts, mausoleums and palaces make it a major tourist attraction among Indians as well as foreigners. The city is known for its magnificent monuments, which attract the tourists most. Its historical monuments such as Akbari Gate, Husnebahar, The Asafi Mosque, Daulat Khana, the Residency, Bibiapur Kothi, and Chowk Market, Ghazi-ud-din Haider, Moti Mahal, Mubarak Manzil, and tombs of Saadat Ali and Khurshidzadi, The Hussainabad Imambada, Bari Jama Masjid, Hussainabad Baradari, and a few other buildings draw the attention of tourists.

The city has a special affinity to cuisines. The Lucknowi delicacies have a big fan following and the city boasts of a strong Hindustani food tradition. "People are really good and friendly here. I really like their Hindi accent; they are really soft-spoken. And as far as food is concerned, Lucknow is really good at cuisines. Awesome food they cook with good varieties, said Shobham, a tourist from Assam. Pakistan's President's son Bilal, who was also on a visit to Lucknow, seemed to be overwhelmed by the city's beauty. "I really liked Bhool-Bhulayiya, my grandmother had suggested me to visit this place and I am surprised to see that the times when less of technology was used, there existed genius brains. I really liked this place," said Bilal.

Apart from monuments and food, embroidery work, popularly known as chicken work is another source of attraction of Lucknow. This embroidery is famous all over the country. A multitude of warrior kings, poets, musicians and saints together contribute in making it a renowned city throughout the country.
- April 10, 2005

Wood carving industry dying a slow death in Uttaranchal (Go to Top)

Nainital: Uttaranchal's famous handicrafts industry of softwood wood-carving is dying a slow death as less and less artisans are opting for the trade. The wood carving of the region is breath taking for its simple designs on doors, windows, furniture and also miniature forms of Gods and Goddesses, animals and humans in wood. However, with no proper training facilities available in the state and no help from the government's side to existing craftsmen, the industry is on the verge of extinction. According to Ramlal Arya, a master craftsman, non-availability of raw material is one major problem besides government's apathy. "First of all, we do not get proper raw material. We also don't get any help from the government. I thought of expanding my work, but I couldn't. Uttar Pradesh government really helped us, but since Uttaranchal has come into existence, we are not getting any help," says Arya, who owns a small workshop and a shop in Nainital. According to Arya, the outlook of the youth towards the trade has also changed. Now they opt for alternate means of livelihood as they find it unprofitable and labourious. The craftsman failed to teach the art to his sons, as they were simply not interested. "Today's youth is highly educated. He is not interested in such work. He wants to make money quickly, which is not possible in this trade. Even my children are not interested in carving wood," he adds. Arya says government help is very crucial to revive the dying art form. "The art is on the verge of extinction. I am tired. If the new generation doesn't take interest in it, it will die," says Arya, who has two awards for wood carving from the Uttar Pradesh government to his credit. If government pays attention, wood carving can turn out to be a profitable business as the carved products are in high demand in the international market.

Agra: Competitive pigeon flights are once again gaining popularity in Agra, 20 years after they were stopped. On Monday as part of the preparations for the forthcoming Taj Mahotsav, hundreds of people were given an opportunity to witness a pigeon flying competition. The competition, organised by the local administration, included six teams from in and around Agra and about 1,500 pigeons, both grey and white species.

The city administration is celebrating 350 years of the Taj Mahal, which draws tourists from all over the world. The competition, known as "Kul Kul", was started during the rule of the Mughal kings, but was discontinued owing to the general public's lack of interest. R.K.Singh, the Additional District Magistrate of Agra, said he was hopeful about the competition taking place in the future as well. "The participation of the public and the participants is great and we will make all the arrangements in future also so that this competition draws huge crowds," he said. Kallo Ustad, a participant, said it was heartening to see the revival of a traditional sport. "For 20 years the competition did not happen because of no space here. A lot of industries were set up and urbanisation took place. The pigeons also cost a lot," he said. Pigeons are specially trained for the competitions. A racing pigeon is a specially trained homing pigeon. Racing pigeons are trained and motivated to fly from a designated release point to their home loft as quickly as possible.
- Feb 15, 2005

Aizawl: Manipur, it seems, is Auli: Skiing enthusiasts from all over the world have arrived on the near-perfect slopes of Auli, scheduled to hold an annual winter game extravaganza next month. Situated at an altitude of 3,049 metres (11,000 feet) and in the vicinity of mountains Nanda Devi, Kamet and Mana Parvat, Auli, often called the Switzerland of the east, lies in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttaranchal. The pristine hamlet has been covered in a blanket of white as India's northern reaches reel under their heaviest snowfall in over 20 years. While in some areas the snow has blocked out tourists, in Auli, it's boom time. "It's good skiing, the weather is good, the Himalayas are fantastic. I think as scenery goes and skiing itself it is one of the best places to visit in the world. The mountain views are fantastic, the journey here was out of this world I have been to New Zealand, France and America and this is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is absolutely fantastic," said James Nagi, a British tourist. Apart from the magnificent Alpine slopes, Auli has a 3.9 kilometres ropeway, the largest in Asia, linking it with downtown Joshimath. Besides, an 800 metres long ski lift and 500 metres chair lift add to the thrill. "The kind of snowfall we have had this year, I think it's the best since the last two to three decades. This is a very good thing for skiing and we have made special arrangement to capitalise on them. We already have Asia's longest ropeway the four kilometre rope from Joshimath to Auli, besides that we have ski lifts, chairlifts and we have also got snow beaters to level the snow on the slopes," said the secretary for tourism, NN Prasad.
-Feb, 2005