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Trek to Tungnath, Chopta

Travel

234 km from Haridwar, the high altitude meadows of Chopta at 10,000ft and above, are a hidden haven in the Garhwal Himalayas. Chopta is part of Kedarnath sanctuary and home to the snow-leopard, musk deer and monal pheasant too. The 4 km mountain track from Chopta to Tungnath temple, is a scenic delight. Snow peaks keep watch over meadows dotted with sheep and flowers.
Tags: India, Garhwal-Himalaya, Trek, Ganga, travelogue, Uttarakhand, Ukhimath
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Ganga Aarti at Rishikesh

Travel

Rishikesh, nestled in the Himalayas, alongside river Ganga spells mystique. Exploring the road from Laxman Jhoola to Parmarth Ashram for nothing less than four hours, I did reach Parmarth Ashram in time for Ganga Aarti in the evening. The head priest held the lamp which had hundreds of ghee-dipped wicks dancing with flames on their heads.
Tags: Rishikesh, India, Himalaya, Trek, Uttarakhand, India
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Weekend at Nathdwara, Mewar

Travel

Nathdwara near Udaipur in Rajasthan, lured jewellers Renu and Neeraj Rastogi from Lucknow for a weekend visit. Having spent a colourful day with Shri Govardhan Nath, they share their kaleidoscopic experience here...
Tags: India, Mewar, Rajasthan, Udaipur, travelogue, Krishna, Nathdwara
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River Kosi - Jim Corbett National Park

Travel

Tiger Camp on the outskirts of Jim Corbett National Park, Ramnagar, reverberated with our laughter. Our group of 60 got ready for a walk to the banks of river Kosi. We picked up tidbits of jungle wisdom from our guides while there.
Tags: Jim-Corbett-National-Park, Ramnagar, Migratory-birds, India, Uttarakhand, travelogue, National-Park, India
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Competing with Taj Mahal!

Travel

Lucknow temple at Vrindavan, with its blend of European architecture and Lucknow's romanticism, gives the world wonder, Taj Mahal, some competition! Nawab Wajid Ali Shah's Parikhana may not have survived the British, but Lucknow's opulence, aesthetic sensibility and Ishq still lives in Vrindavan, through this luxurious temple.
Tags: India, Vrindavan, Taj-Mahal, Uttar-Pradesh,
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You should be dancing

Relax

Dance gives you a positive body language, and improves presence of mind at the same time. Through it we connect to our true nature and our ego gets dissolved. And we can access and correct the imbalance that affects life from the outside. As an automatic therapeutic tool, dance helps the body, mind and spirit to de-stress and expand its potential.
Tags: Indian-dance, Kathak, Bharatnatyam, health
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Shovana Narayan on Kathak...

People

Shovana Narayan's Kathak performances attempt to bridge the gap between scriptural stories and their relevance today. "Surdas' Bal Krishna asked for the moon. And just look at it, don't today's children also ask for the impossible to be given to them? Nothing has changed."
Tags: Interview, Kathak, Indian-dance, Shovana-Narayan
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Wellness begins with me: Charaka Samhita

Ayurveda

Ayurveda suggests (Charaka Samhita): "What the patient knows about himself is more important than what the physician knows." Neuropsychiatrist, Dr Sanjay Chugh, explains: “Developing self-awareness can help us recognize when we are stressed. It is also a prerequisite for effective communication and interpersonal relations..."
Tags: Wellness, Interview, Dr-Sanjay-Chugh, Ayurveda, mental-health
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1857 revisited: Uttar Pradesh, India

Travel

Visitors to Uttar Pradesh in North India, find the year 1857 freedom struggle’s relics strewn all over the state. Anandway takes a quick round up… 24th April 1857 was the fateful day when Meerut city near Delhi, sparked the fire which then spread to Lucknow, Raebareilly, Unnao, Kanpur, Bithoor, Sitapur, Badaun, Bareilly, Hathras, Shahjahanpur, Mainpuri, Faizabad, Gorakhpur, Deoria, Azamgarh, Balia, Varanasi and Allahabad.
Tags: Lucknow, Agra, India, LaMartiniere, 1857, travel-guide, Uttar-Pradesh
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Destination Malaysia for our girl gang

Travel

Kuala Lumpur and Genting Heights, Malaysia, proved a perfect getaway for an all girls' trip, regales, Nalini Garg. The culture and people here are very tourist-friendly. The discipline, cleanliness and civic sense of citizens forced us to introspect about our role as citizens back home.
Tags: Malaysia, tourist, Indian food, traveller
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A Punjabi wedding

Relax

Punjabi culture is a synonym for fun. Wherever the Punjabis go, they take with them a hearty appetite for good food and warm company. A wedding being an opportunity to indulge in both, Balle balle is the way to go! This was the wedding-season’s first dinner for me this year. The venue, Surya auditorium was alight with two parallel wedding celebrations. Sheepishly I walked out of the wrong one.
Tags: Food, Punjabi, culture, Indian-wedding, India, Lucknow, Uttar-Pradesh
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Valley of Flowers, Garhwal Himalaya

Travel

In the Himalayan region of Garhwal, in Uttranchal state, the captivating Valley of Flowers is a paradise on Earth. With a touch of mystique and divine solitude, it inspires equanimity. A World Heritage Site since the year 1988, the Valley of Flowers has enraptured mountaineers and botanists alike much longer.
Tags: Himalaya, trek, flowers, Nanda-Devi-National-Park, Uttarakhand, travel, National-Park, India
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Declutter the mind

Relax

Thinking, is a feature that we are conscious of 24 hours a day; had it not been for snatches of sleep! Even in sleep, dreams colour the vista, simply because the mind is a think tank! Dr David Frawley, an eminent scholar and teacher of Ayurveda, says in his book Ayurveda and the Mind: "Much of healing consists of changing the thought forms that dominate our lives."
Tags: Ayurveda, Mind, David-Frawley, mental-health
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River Rafting in the Himalayas

Travel

White water rafting on Himalayan rivers is a great way to connect with the powers that be in nature. Ganga cradled me in her playful arms and gurgled with delight, while its rapid waters frolicked around solid boulders and my red raft with equal vigour. Security in turbulence: a note from experience...  
Tags: River-rafting, Garhwal-Himalaya, India, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand
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Knowing Srinagar in Garhwal Himalaya

Travel

This Srinagar, unlike the better known capital of Jammu and Kashmir, is tucked away in Garhwal Himalaya's Alaknanda river vally. A populous and picturesque city, once the capital of kings of Tehri, is a great winter destination, I discovered this New Year...
Tags: Srinagar, Garhwal-Himalaya, Alaknanda, Ganga, travelogue, travel, Uttarakhand
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Tigeress at Ranthambore, India

Travel

An evening on the outskirts of Ranthambore National Park, brought me face to face with a Royal Bengal tigeress... Her eyes sparkling a fluorescent yellow-green, reflecting the jeep’s headlights. She knew that we would not move ahead till she kept to the road.
Tags: India, Rajasthan, Ranthambore, tiger, trek, travelogue, travel, National-Park
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Magic of Spring

Relax

An Indian summer, especially in the Gangetic plains is beautifully announced by spring. While we celebrate spring with festivals like Basant Panchmi, Dol Utsav, Holi, Chaitra Navratri and Bihu, nature has its own celebration. The green sentinels of roads and gardens know that it is safe to turn on their effort and grow, as spring is the season for new beginnings.
Tags: Spring, India, Summer, Neem, Gardening
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Fasting for good health

Ayurveda

Fasting, or abstinence from food helps the body detoxify and cleanse itself, says holistic health consultant Vivek Bhardwaj `Jeevan’...
Tags: Ayurveda, fast, tulsi
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Sufi music

Relax

If love makes the world go round, it's no surprise that Sufi music dedicated to divine love is a hit. This music links Iran, Pakistan, Kashmir, Punjab, Bengal, Delhi and Lucknow, not to mention the interest it has generated in the West.
Tags: Sufi, music, India, Pakistan, Muzzafar-Ali, Indian-music
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Commonsense Ayurveda

Ayurveda

Ayurveda is all about a healthy lifestyle. It preempts illness, and cures disease. Dr Sharath Kumar, BAMS Ayurvedic medicine & surgery and MD Kaya Chikitsa (medicine), practicing Kerala Ayurveda, enlightens on this holistic healing system...
Tags: Panchkarma, Kerala-Ayurveda, Detoxify, Charak-Samhita, Sanskrit
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