Travel
This is Pulikkali — Kerala’s roaring Onam dance
Thrissur's traditional Pulikkali street performance, part of the Onam festival, involves locals painting themselves as leopards, tigers and lions. The 200-year-old tradition is accompanied by percussion beats. The event is a big tourist attraction in the state.
Trekking through Kashmir’s great lakes
The Kashmir ‘great lakes’ trek is a stunning adventure in the Himalayas, starting from Sonamarg. The 5-6 day tour takes you through lakes, mountains, meadows and glaciers, making it a rewarding journey.
Cham – the mask dance of monks
Cham dance has been an integral part of the life of Tibetan Buddhists – exploring the themes of human life and death, good and evil. The dancers (mostly monks) offer their body, speech and mind (three vajra) while performing and are highly considered a religious dance.
Maharashtra village blossoms into green haven
With over 32,000 trees flourishing under its care, and waste management and healthcare upgrades under its belt, Gamewadi village in Maharashtra is now marching towards becoming a tourist hub for nature lovers.
Puppets in Jaisalmer museum preserve old tradition
Storytelling through puppetry is being kept alive at this museum, but more needs to be done if the ancient art form is to thrive.
Here’s all that happened at Ladakh Nomadic Festival
The Ladakh Nomadic Festival's third edition in Hanle village was a vibrant carnival attended by locals and tourists alike. The two-day event showcased traditional dances, folk songs, cultural performances, indigenous sports, and more.
Stepping into the tiger’s reserve
Project Tiger was initiated in 1973 at Corbett Tiger Reserve with the primary aim of safeguarding and fostering the tiger species. On this International Tiger Day on July 29, we join a safari jeep driver on one of his trips. He tells us what it’s like to live on the fringes of the forest and work in the reserve, and what tiger conservation means to him.
Karnataka youth aims for the sky with astro-tourism
Niranjan Kanagoudar from Haveri district has set up powerful telescopes in his farmland to let people watch distant stars for a reasonable price.
Unique homestays in Munsiari
Homestays in this Himalayan village serve as the base for nature and adventure tourists while offering a livelihood for the local people, especially women.
Ladakh longs for tourists who give region a miss
Suspension of flights by ultra-budget S. Airlines together with late arrival of summer trigger a decline in footfalls and a rise in anguish among tour operators.
Rural homestays for solo, offbeat travellers
Rural homestays near Orchha provide offbeat tourists and solo women travellers with a serene getaway while boosting the rural economy.
Madhya Pradesh activist gifts home for tribal museum
Born in a poor family, Subhadra Khaperde, 56, is doing her bit for uplifting the downtrodden, including turning her own modest home into a tribal museum.
Turtuk villagers piece together their broken pasts
The village that became a part of India overnight in 1971 stands witness to the longing felt by the residents who hold to the memories of their broken families and cultural landscape.
Sariska sets its natives on tiger’s trail
Local youth have been hired as trackers in Sariska tiger reserve that now has 28 tigers. In 2004, it lost its entire Royal Bengal population due to poaching.
Live like a tribal at these Bastar homestays
With Bastar opening up as a tourist destination lately, homestays are providing additional income to tribal villagers and reducing seasonal migration of locals to cities in search of work.
Shirui lilies add to Manipur colour amid concerns
Locals say Manipur’s state flower faces serious threats from the influx of tourists who will descend shortly like every year to witness them bloom in Kashong peak.
Youngsters ditch restaurants, boost roadside stalls in Matheran
Young tourists on shoestring budgets skip restaurants and eat at roadside stalls or buy fresh fruits and berries sold by people living in the valley below Matheran.
Visit these lesser-known heritage sites of rural India
There are close to 40 UNESCO World Heritage sites in India, but have you heard about these hidden gems?
Get weather predictions at Jharkhand’s Sarhul festival
Celebrated to mark the new year by the tribal groups of Jharkhand, Sarhul is a three-day event observed after the new moon during the Hindu month of Chaitra (March 22 to April 20 this year). What essentially marks the arrival of spring also sees the prediction of rain by the pahan (tribal priest) only after which the people plant their crops. To mark the celebrations, members of the tribal communities in villages and towns wear traditional clothes and dance as they take out processions.
FTLO art, visit this West Bengal village
Country folks from a rugged, tree-lined rural corner of West Bengal that only a handful had ever heard of have transformed their village into one giant art project.