 | |
 |
|
 | |
             |
IR.V.RAO, Inf.officer, Indiatourism, Toronto, ON (February 9, 2006) -- Celebrations are the hallmark of January and February in many parts of India. Visit India and enjoy the local culture! 1. FESTIVALS CELEBRATE THE BOUNTY OF THE SUN, MID JANUARY New Delhi: India was in celebration mode mid January. While Punjab celebrated its traditional "Lohri" with bonfires and music on 13 January, Assam in the Northeast celebrated Bihu. Rajasthan was festooned with kites with eager buyers snapping them up. Gujarat celebrated Uttarayan or the northward passage of the sun towards Capricorn. The sky was covered with kites Kite flyers from 22 countries participated in the International kite festival held in Ahmedabad. Elsewhere people took a ritual bath in the rivers on Makar Sankranti (14 January). Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra had people giving thanks for a bountiful rice harvest with homes cleaned and decorated with Kolam (designs) at the entrance. 2. JET AIRWAYS BUYS SAHARA AIRLINES FOR US DOLLARS 500 MILLION New Delhi: Jet Airways, India's largest private carrier has purchased Sahara Airlines for add US dollars 500 million. This was announced at a Joint Press Conference by Mr. Subrata Roy, Chairman and Managing Worker, Sahara Group and Mr. Naresh Goyal, Chairman, Jet Airways India Ltd. 3. INDIA EXPO CENTER INAUGURATED BY PM New Delhi: A 2,35,000 square meter Exposition cum Mart center was inaugurated by the Prime Minister in Greater Noida (on the outskirts of New Delhi). It is set to become the largest exhibition center in Asia once all phases are commissioned. 4. SURAJ KUND MELA TO SPORT INTERNATIONAL COLOURS
The crafts fair, an event envisaged by the then Secretary, Tourism and Civil Aviation for Mr. S. K. Misra has become one of their most exciting events in the India capital region. 5. MR VISHWAPATI TRIVEDI NEW CEO OF INDIAN New Delhi: Mr. Vishwapati Trivedi has taken over as Chairman and Managing Director of Indian (formerly Indian Airlines). Mr. Trivedi is a senior bureaucrat belonging to the Indian Administrative Service (1977 batch). 6. 4TH PRAVASI BHARATIYA CONFERENCE HONOURS 15 PERSONS Hyderabad: The 4th Pravasi Barratry Conference (conference of People of Indian Origin) took place in Hyderabad from 7 to 9 January with 1150 delegates attending. It was inaugurated by the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. Mr. Ahmed Kathrada, a South African anti apartheid leader of Indian origin was the chief guest. 15 awards were given out to People of Indian origin (PIOs) which also included Sir Gulam Noon the "curry king" of UK, Mr. Fareed Zakaria of Newsweek and Mr. Raouf Bundhun, Vice President of Mauritius. 7. ITDC TO OPEN DUTY FREE SHOPS ON INDO PAK BORDER New Delhi: Munabao on the India-Pakistan border will be India's first railway station to have a duty free shop. This "oasis" in the Thar desert will have an ITDC (India Tourism Development Corporation) duty free shop selling alcohol, handicrafts etc. The shop will become operational once the Munabao Khokrapar line opens to traffic between the two countries. 8. NOW IT IS THE TURN OF COSMETIC TOURISM TO INDIA New Delhi: Close on the heels of medical tourism, cosmetic tourism to India is on the increase. From laser to botox to "nose jobs" some clinics have seen a 200% increase in overseas clients in the last 6 months. Americans are the biggest clients followed by tourists from Eastern Europe, Far East and even Japan. 9. SHRAVANABELGOLA MAHAMASTAKABHISHEK CEREMONY 8-19 FEBRUARY Bangalore: The 57-foot tall monolithic granite statue of Bahubali at Sravanabelgola near Bangalore is venerated by the Jains and visited by tourists year round. Once every 12 years a grand ceremonial bathing of the statue takes place called the spectacular Mahamastakabhishek. It will take place between 8 and 19 February this year with month long celebrations beginning 22 January. 10. BOMBAY CELEBRATES ANNUAL FESTIVAL 16-29 JANUARY Bombay: The Bombay festival 16-29 January is a profusion of colour with novel events such as auto-rickshaw races to involve everyone in the celebrations. Food fests, shopping fiestas encourage shoppers to shop till they drop with some stores closing only at 3 a.m. Some brave-hearts who showed courage during the Bombay floods of 26 July were given awards during the festival. 11. SRILANKAN CHAIN ATKINS SPENCE TO OPEN HOTELS IN INDIA New Delhi: Sri Lankan hospitality chain, Atkins Spence plans to set up resorts in the Andaman Islands. One resort is coming up in Havelock Island in partnership with a local party. A tie-up with a Delhi based real estate company to develop a 5 star hotel in the capital is also in the offing. Atkins Spence is the largest hotel chain in Sri Lanka with properties also in the Maldives. 12. FORTUNE PARK TO SET UP 50 HOTELS BY 2010 New Delhi: Fortune Park Hotels (a subsidiary of ITC Ltd) is planning on enlarging its footprint to 50 hotels by 2010. At present this 10 year old chain has 15 hotels with 6 in the pipeline. Expansion is planned in the second tier cities like Pune, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Amritsar and Jaipur etc. In the next 3 months Fortune Klassic will open in Lothian (Punjab) and Fortune Murli Park in Vijaywada ( A.P.). 13. GOA IN WORLDS TOP 10 "MUST SEE" 2006 LIST
14. GOA CARNIVAL 25-28 FEBRUARY TO ATTRACT MANY TOURISTS Panjim: Goa's annual 3-day Carnival, 25-28 February, is sure to attract many visitors. Float parades as usual will take center stage with Goa expecting at least 50,000 people to be present for them. 15. UNDERWATER SEA WALK OFF GOA'S COAST Panjim: India's first underwater sea walk was launched in Goa. Now tourists can walk on the sea bottom and view marine life for 20 minutes, swimmers and non-swimmers alike. 16. iEXPLORE'S TOP TRAVEL DESTINATIONS LIST HAS INDIA AT NO 5 SLOT New Delhi: Tourism to India is on a roll with Conde Nast and now iExplore position it at No 5 on the top 10 list. In calendar year 2005 India received 39,15,324 foreign visitors recording an increase of 13.2% over the previous year (34,57,477 in 2004) Foreign exchange earnings recorded a 20.2% increase in 2005 over the previous year. 17. CHELSEA CLINTON VISITS DELHI AND JAIPUR New Delhi: Chelsea Clinton like her father, former US President Bill Clinton seems to enjoy visiting India. In New Delhi she shopped at the up market Santushti Complex, enjoyed a meal at Bukhara (ITC Maurya Sheraton) before moving on to stay at the Raj Vilas in Jaipur. Jaipur is where Chelsea had her first yoga lesson on an earlier visit. 18. NIZAMUDDIN HERITAGE TO BE RESTORED COURTSEY AGA KHAN TRUST New Delhi: The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) has proposed to the Archeological Survey of India that it will help rejuvenate the historic area of Nizamuddin close to the Humayun's Tomb. The Trust will not only help restore several monuments here but also help improve the quality of life of local residents and make them take pride in their heritage. The project will be taken up as a joint project of AKTC and the National Culture Fund. 19. ANNUAL PUPPET FESTIVAL TAKES OFF IN DELHI 13 JANUARY New Delhi: Puppeteers from Japan, Iran, Taiwan, Sweden and Italy all showcased their art in the Capital from 13 January. This annual festival now in it's fourth year aims at giving puppetry a platform and encouraging the art. 20. FORMER HONG KONG GOVERNOR PATTEN'S DAUGHTER STARS IN BOMBAY FILM
21. TWO NEW LOW COST PLAYERS TO ENTER CROWDED INDIAN SKIES New Delhi: Jagson and Air Dravid will soon join the battle for customers in the low cost airline line up in the country. Jagson plans to buy 19 Airbus A321s to start its scheduled operation. Starting with linking 9 cities by year end the Delhi-Bangalore sector in May will be the first. Air Dravid will start operations with three 50 Easter Bombardier CRJ-200 jets using Madras as its base. 22. ANDAMAN ISLANDS RANK ON TOP OF DE RUITER'S LIST Port Blair: A former German tour operator Win De Ruiter, now an author, has named the areas containing the worlds 10 best beaches. "The Independent", carries his list which gave the Andaman Islands the top rank. The first four areas on the list are in the Indian Ocean; the Lakshadweep Islands, Maldives and the Seychelles. Factors such as quality of sand, colour and depth of water, angle of the sun, were all rated on a scale of 1 to 5 and the result mathematically arrived at. Even the Independent agreed that the Andamans and Lakshadweep were heavenly spots and justifiably termed tropical paradise. 23. EMIRATES TO FLY NON-STOP DUBAI-CALCUTTA Dubai: From 26 March Emirates will operate 6 non-stop flights a week, Dubai to Calcutta. It will use an Airbus A 330-200. 24. BHOPAL HAS A ROYAL BOURBON CONNECTION Bhopal: Balthazar Napoleon Bourbon a lawyer of Bhopal traces his lineage to the Bourbons who began ruling France in the 16 th century. The doorway of his house has a brass sign -- "House of Bourbon" and the crest of the fleur-de-lys. In the adjoining church lie the graves of Isabella Bourbon and her family. Jean-Philippe de Bourbon Navarre came to the court of Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1560 and soon became Akbar's brother-in-law by marrying a sister of one of the Emperor's wives. In November 2005 Balthazar of Bhopal met a relative from a European branch of the family, Prince Michael of Greece who lives in France. 25. MORE TOURISM OPTIONS IN MADHYA PRADESH Bhopal: Rafting safaris on the Betwa River for tourists visiting Orchha (the 16 th century temple town) are now a reality. A cruise boat on Bhopal's lake is another option for visitors to the state capital. The cruise boat also offers conference facilities for 40 persons. Madhya Pradesh Tourism will also hold its annual Dance Festival at Khajuraho from February 25 to March 3, 2006. 26. JAIPUR VIRASAT FESTIVAL IS A BIG DRAW Jaipur: Five hundred kites flown on a single string amid a sky ablaze with kites on Makar Sankranti (14 January) was the opening salvo for Jaipur's 10 day annual Virasat festival. Music, dance art exhibits and crafts meals showcases Rajasthan to the visitors and locals alike with events spread out at different venues in the city. 27. CHEFS ON AIR INDIA FLIGHTS FOR GOURMET SERVICE Bombay: Air India will soon start its gourmet service with chefs on board. Initially with Taj SATS, the airline will offer this service on its Bombay-London sector for a month beginning 5 January. The service will be available to all classes of travel. 28. BOMBAY MARATHON DREW 28,000 RUNNERS Bombay: While the full 42 km/26 miles marathon had serious professional runners taking part, the 21 km/13 miles half marathon had a few corporate employees running. The Dream Run of 7 km/4 miles had many corporate sponsored runners with the grand total going to 28,000. These dream runners ran to raise money for charities. Kenya's Daniel Rono (a maize/cow farmer) won the men's marathon, Ethiopian Mulu Seboka the women's competition 29. TRAVEL TRADE PROFESSIONALS HONOURED AT CHANDIGARH CONVENTION Chandigarh: Mr. Anil Bhandari Managing Director of International Travel House, Mr. Rabindra Seth and Mr. K. R. Wadhwaney, well known travel journalists were honoured at an International Convention of NRI's held in Chandigarh, which was inaugurated by the Punjab Governor, General S.F.S. Rodrigues. Also honoured were Mr. Ashok Pahwa, Secretary WTTC India and Mr. Navin Berry, Publisher Cross Section Publication. 30. ASHWANI LOHANI PENS SECOND BOOK New Delhi: Mr. Ashwani Lohani former Chairman and Managing Director of the India Tourism Development Corporation has written his second book, "Winning at work against all odds". His first book was "Smoking Beauties: steam engines of the world", about Railway Engine. 31. DESTINATION OF THE WEEK SHEKHAWATI: THE ART GALLERY THAT TIME FORGOT
The semi-desert Shekhawati region of Rajasthan lies in the triangle between Delhi-Bikaner and Jaipur. Once the pride of wealthy local merchants the Havelis lie bereft and forlorn, open to the vagaries of nature. They are the largest open air art gallery in the world visited largely by discerning European tourists who have recently discovered them. Ramgarh, Jhunjhunu, Mandawa, Dundlod, Navalgarh, Mukundgarh are the better known towns, where the murals present a record of the life of the times. Mandawa once on the caravan route to the ports of Gujarat was fortified in the 18th century It's most photographed Haveli (now a Bank) has a boy using a phone, a European woman in a chauffeur driven car, men attempting to fly a plane etc. Two Saraf Havelis and one chatri, the Murmuria Haveli, Goenka and Morarka Havelis are worth seeing. Mandawa Castle is now a heritage hotel. Stop for tea and soak in the history. Dundlod has a fort with the present incumbent a horse lover and owner of a stud farm. You can hire horses or go on a camel safari from here. The Goenka Haveli built in 1875 has beautiful murals. Navalgarh is a small town with a bustling bazaar and a unique donky cart stand. Small shops have craftsmen at work making lacquer-ware boxes and bangles. The tie dye saris and chunris (scarves) add colour to the narrow bylanes Dusty streets take you past Havelis belonging to the Morarkas, Goenkas among others and the Navalgarh Tikana to the outstanding Poddar Haveli. This Haveli has been restored and a school occupies half of it, whilst the other half houses a museum, which has a small but interesting collection of miniature paintings, gems, utensils, furniture etc. The Poddar Haveli is a jewel amongst the Havelis of Shekhawati and the most imposing. Mukandgarh has an interesting fort with frescoes. It houses several palaces interspersed with courtyards, overhanging balconies and arched windows. It is today a heritage hotel where you can stay and feel like royalty. It is essentially a place to relax after visiting the murals around the area. There are a couple of Havelis around the fort such as of the Nangalia, Kanodias and Jagannath Ganeriwala. In the evening folk dancers and puppeteers regale you with tales of Rajput valour and the love story of Dhola Maaru (Rajasthan's Romeo and Juliet). After a delicious Rajasthani meal of gatta, Dal-Bati-churma (defies translation!) you can enjoy a cup of coffee on the ramparts of the fort and almost touch the stars in the sky. Enjoy a camel cart ride in the morning before you leave Rajasthan's most famous art gallery of Skekhawati and head for the real world. For more information contact Rajasthan Tourism, Government Hostel Campus, Paryatan Bhawan, M.I. Road, Jaipur-302001,Rajasthan,Tel:+91-141-5110595-7, Fax:+91-141- 5110591, Email: queries@rajasthantourism.gov.in and website: http://www.rajasthantourism.gov.in FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
INDIA TOURISM TORONTO
60, Bloor street (West) Suite 1003,
Read about other India travel deals on evalu8.org.
To find out how to post your own Press Release on evalu8.org, click here.
|
|
|
Home | About | Contact Us | FAQs | Terms of Use | Privacy | Advertise | Affiliates | Partners | Links | Press Releases | Suggest a Site | Request a Review | Feedback
|
New Delhi: The annual Suraj Kund Crafts Mela (Bazaar) will be held from February 1 to 15, 2006. Spread over 15 days and in a simulated rural setting, the mela will feature some special crafts this year from SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bhutan and the Maldives.
Panjim: In a "must see" list compiled by Frommer's Guide, a leading travel publisher, Goa is one of the "10 must see places for 2006". Frommer's list of 10 includes "interesting affordable destinations" and is aimed at traveler's wanting a "different holiday experience". Goa was the most favored destinations of British tourists during the Christmas -- New Year holiday (2005-06) as per a survey by thetminute.com website in December 05 with Goa overtaking the US as the top long haul destination. Goa jumped from third to first place in 2005.
London: Chris Patten's (Britain's last Governor of Hong Kong) daughter Alice Patten has acted in a recent Bollywood release 
Shekhawati reminds you of an old French film, The last year at Marienbad, as you see the once palatial homes (Havelis) of the leading business families of Rajasthan deserted and home to pigeons. The Havelis sport beautiful murals both outside and inside as it must have been the genre of that day (18 th to early 20th century).