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         Panaji: Goa went into a carnival mood on Monday as the annual "Shigmotsav", a week-long festival marking the onset of spring, opened with a bang. Roads in Panaji reverberated with the sound of drums and music as tableaux of various hues criss-crossed the city. Celebrated in tandem with Holi, the carnival brought together the state's Hindu traditions, otherwise not very prevalent in the largely Christian state.

         Traditionally, the "Shigmotsav" is organised by farmers to realax after the winter harvest, ahead of next season's sowing. "This festival is basically for the hardworking people. Once the harvest season is over people enjoy with Shigmotsav and it is celebrated in every village," Milind, a resident, said. Goa, known for its carnivals and New Year raves, has over the years begun to celebrate other festivals with aplomb. The carnival brings to life the diverse cultural traditions of this former Portuguese colony.

         "This is celebrated after Holi and it is actually a form of Holi for us," said Ravi Naik, president of the Shigmotsav organising committee. Goa's golden beaches and swaying palms attract thousands of visitors from Britain, Germany, the United States, Australia and Israel particularly during the Christmas and New Year holiday.
March 9, 2004

Buddha Purnima festival under way in Ladakh (Go to Top)

          Leh (Jammu and Kashmir): The people in Ladakh are ushering in the Buddhist New Year with a fortnight long festival, the Dharma Chakra Buddha Purnima. The festival, which spans the first fortnight of the Buddhist New Year, is one of the most sacred and auspicious of all Buddhist festivals and stresses on the cleansing of the "soul". Buddhists across the region observe fasts and abstain from alcohol during the festival.

          Many also visit monasteries and practise silence during the fortnight, during which Lord Buddha is believed to have turned the miraculous "wheel of wisdom", or Dharmachakra and salvaged countless sufferers from the 18 realms of hell. Lobzang Nayantak, a Buddhist monk, said the day is celebrated all over the region. "During all these 15 days, the Buddhists observe fast followed by silence every second day and the last day on the occasion of Purnima day. On the occasion, all Buddhists go to their sacred places-the temples, stupas and we observe it as a very important day," said Nyantak. Remote mountain-bound Ladakh is the Buddhist dominated area of Jammu and Kashmir, India's only Muslim majority state where Islamic guerrillas are fighting New Delhi's rule. But Ladakh, except for a brief period in 1999 when India and Pakistan came close to a war over incursions in the Kargil area, has remained calm.
March 8, 2004

Elephant festival enthralls tourists in Jaipur (Go to Top)

          Jaipur: An elephant festival on Saturday attracted hundreds of foreign tourists to Jaipur. The idea of an elephant festival was conceived by the state's tourism department to let the tourists have a close encounter with elephants. The festival coincides with the spring festival of Holi, in which people throw colours and water on each other and unsuspecting passers by. The festival symbolises the victory of good over the evil. Unlike in the past, when the pachyderms were confined to the Chaugan stadium, this year the elephants walked the main roads of the city in a procession.

          In all 41 elephants marched on majestically. The leading elephant was decorated with a five-colour flag "Fathe Nishan" (Emblem of Supremacy). It was followed by two elephants carrying muscians who played wind instruments. Some elephants carried a 'Howda' (Silver Chair) on which foreign tourists enjoyed the ride. A carriage drawn by an elephant was an added attraction. Hundreds of tourists who watched the procession were enthralled by the veritable feast of colour, music and dance. Rajasthan, or the land of kings , is a major tourist attraction owing to its rich heritage. Lavish palaces, lakes and traditional music and dance draw a large number of tourists to the desert state.
March 6, 2004

Pak, India urged to ease visa curbs (Go to Top)

          Lahore: Pakistan and India should ease visa restrictions to boost travel and tourism and to strengthen their economies, said Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) President Balbir S Mayal. "There should be no visas for Pakistanis and Indians to move between the two countries, except for arrival and departure," he told the Dawn.

         Mayal, who is visiting Pakistan at the head of a 16-member Indian business delegation, said his team had been invited by the Travel Agents Association of Pakistan (TAAP) to work out the arrangements for next month's four-day joint conference titled "Tourism - Bridge to Peace and Prosperity" here. Sialkot-born Mayal further went on to say that the peace steps taken by Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf had been welcomed by all. He stressed that people in both the countries should try to remain in touch with each other and promote tourism. The TAAI would also invite a TAAP delegation.

          PATA chairman-elect Ram Kohli said that the tourism sector in the subcontinent had so much potential that they could prosper even if no other country's tourist came to the region. Kohli said 300 Indian delegates were expected to attend the forthcoming conference. TAAP vice-chairman Muhammad Akhtar Mumunka, said the Pakistan government must consider allowing more and more people from India to visit here and boost its economy. March 6, 2004

Keralites celebrate Thiruvathira (Go to Top)

          Kadakkal (Kerala): People in Kadakkal in Kerala celebrated with traditional fervour the seven-day Thiruvathira festival, which came to a close on Wednesday. The festival is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The main event of the celebrations was a mammoth chariot which was taken out in a procession. The special feature of the chariot, an important part of the procession, is that it is not pulled by wheels, but is carried by thousands of devotees. Traditionlly, Thiruvathira festival is celebrated to commemorate the death of Kamadeva, the mythological God of love. According to another version, Thiruvathira is the birthday of Lord Siva. The festival has some similarities with the Adra Darshan festival of neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
March 4, 2004

Foreigners throng Brahmakumari ashram in Mt Abu (Go to Top)

          Mount Abu: The Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya, a 60-year-old woman-dominated order headquartered at Mount Abu in Rajasthan, has become one of the most popular destinations for the spritually inclined. Hundreds of people from India and abroad, in search of peace and tranquility, find the Brahma Kumari Ashram or Home in Mount Abu, literally meaning the "mountain of wisdom", an ideal haven. At an altitude of 1220 m, Mount Abu is Rajasthan's only hill station and was the summer resort for the Maharajas to escape the sweltering desert heat. The Brahma Kumari sect, which made the serene environs of Mount Abu its headquarters over five decades ago, stresses on meditation to bring about soul-consciousness and advocates abjuration of rites, rituals and idol worship.

          For many coming to the Academy, it has been a transcendental experience which enabled them to become better persons. "Really, I feel I have calmed down much more in daily life. Even my business, it is more successful. So that's why many people, even my old friends say that I have changed a lot. And my family and others who are following this also say that I have changed," said Ching, a devotee from China. Others said that by adopting the Brahmakumari philosophy, they were able to have a more objective approach towards life. "I am able to face whatever difficulties and problems that come to me, instead of running away from them, or escaping or giving excuses. It gives me power in facing the challenges in my life," said Lee, another devotee from Taiwan.

         Half a century since its inception, the Brahma Kumari mission has snowballed into a mass movement. It has 400,000 lay members, some 5,000 surrendered sisters and 1,000 men, and over 4,500 centres in 66 countries. For their mammoth efforts, the Brahma Kumaris have been awarded a Peace Medal and six 'Peace Messenger Awards' by the UN. The group is also affiliated as an NGO with the Economic and Social Council of the UN and the UNICEF
March 4, 2004

Indian tourism team arrives in Pak on Friday (Go to Top)

          Lahore: A 16-member tourism delegation headed by Balbir S. Mayal, the president of the Travel Agents Association of India, will arrive here on a four-day visit on Friday. The delegation, which has been invited by the Travel Agents Association of Pakistan (TAAP), will discuss details to hold a joint conference with its Pakistani counterpart and officials of tourism ministry. The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) at Lahore will organize the conference by the end of April. TAAP vice-chairman Akhtar Mummunka said here that the conference titled "Tourism - A Bridge to Peace and Prosperity" would focus on reviving tourism around the globe. He further went on to say that Pakistan's tourism industry that provided a livelihood, directly or indirectly, to over a million people, was on the verge of collapse since 9/11.
March 4, 2004

Buddhists flock to Himachal lake (Go to Top)

         Mandi (HP): Thousands of Buddhist devotees thronged the banks of Rewalsar lake in Himachal Pradesh for the two-day festival, known as the "Buddhist Kumbh Mela", celebrated every 12 years. The fair is being celebrated for centuries by Buddhist devotees to commemorate the birthday of their guru, Padma Sambhava on the 10th day of the first month of every new year, according to the Tibetan Calendar (10th of Dawa Thangpo). Padma Sambhava came to Tibet from Nepal and preached Buddhism there in 747 AD. He meditated for many years on the banks of the sacred lake. Hundreds of people sat in rapt attention as the Dalai Lama addressed the devotees.

         Devotees from Germany, Japan, France and Bhutan arrived in Himachal Pradesh to take part in the celebrations. Most of them said they had come to see the Buddhist spiritual head, the Dalai Lama. "I came to see his Holiness (the Dalai Lama) ... I know about him. He got great energy and it's good to see him," Samantha, a devotee from Germany, said. The rich and religious cultural heritage of Himachal Pradesh was also put on display for the festival. A predomianatly Hindu state, Himachal is also home to thousands of Tibetans, who moved here after the Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 and settled in Dharamsala town. The pitcher festival is part of a series of Buddhist festivals being celebrated across the country and is aimed at promoting the Buddhist legacy of India. India has earmarked over 60 million rupees to promote Buddhist tourism in Himachal Pradesh.
March 2, 2004

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