Handicrafts of Eastern India

Art floats in the air of East India. Although simple forms derived out of natural resources define handicrafts of this region, the beauty and variety are way beyond the capacity of words to describe. Most forms are also deeply inter-related with the history and religious beliefs and practices of the places.

Patta Chitra from Orissa has evolved from the age old practice of communication written on palm leaves. Also to maintain secrecy, pictorial representations were often used. At present, mythological representations are popular.

The fantastic pictorial conceptions, the idiosyncratic conventions, the extra-ordinary system of line formations and vibrant use of colors make this art form stand by itself. It is assumed that the uniqueness of this school of painting was derived from some primitive forms of aboriginal art from Orissa and its neighboring states.

A similar painting form is seen in West Bengal, called “Pata” or “Patua”, painted on cloth or handmade paper. They are unmounted panels sewn together to depict a story, which may be mythological, or related to natural calamities, or any other topic, which flows through vertical divisions of the individual panels. The sewn pieces are then rolled into a long scroll which varies from four to fifty feet. It would be unfair not to mention Madhubani paintings of Bihar in this flow. The source of colours is very innovative: black is derived from soot and cowdung, yellow from turmeric, blue from indigo, white from rice powder, etc.

Nandalal Bose and Jamini Roy are two famous painters from West Bengal who brought in a revolution in painting styles. Rebellions to break free from conventional practices have been seen in works of R. N. Tagore, who was also a nobel laureate for literature and a very talented poet and story teller. Shantiniketan is an institute set up by this great personality where his art forms and styles, his music and teachings are imparted.

Woodcrafts is unique in West Bengal, as is handloom. “Tnat”, a form of weaving cloth from cotton threads is very popular here. Also Baluchari silk with bold motifs and bright colours is famous from this state. Knatha, a form of fine stitches to form beautiful designs, Batik, a form of creating designs through wax, Sambalpuri sarees and Kotki prints from Bengal and Orissa are in high demand all over the country.

Paper pulp and wooden masks are marks of the tradition of Bengal, Orissa, Bihar and Jharkhand. Fierce mask of Jharkhand, Chhou mask of Purulia, painted wood masks from Orissa, “papier-mache” masks from Bihar are well known. Toy making is also a popular art, mostly used as show pieces, as they are finely crafted and beautiful. Terracotta from Bengal, Silverware from Orissa, Carpets and Lacquer work from Bihar and Woodwork from the dense woods of Jharkhand  are signatures of these states.

Responsible Tourism is tourism that has as little impact on the local environment and culture as possible, while being of benefit to the local people. An important step in responsible tourism, leading towards sustainability, is using local produce and eating local food. You can learn more about North-East India Craft and enjoy your stay at homestay property in North-east India – Khonoma Homestay in Kohima, Nagaland.

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Discover Taste of India: West Indian Food

Talk about West India and few images clicks in one’s mind instaneously. And the diversityof these fleeting impressions are worthy of awe. Maharashtra and Vada-pao, Bhelpuri at Chowpatti. Gujarat with its amazing milk products and preparations with a sweet touch. The very spicy Rajasthani cuisine offering Daal-Baati-Churma and Besan ki gatte ki sabzi . The tasty and sea food dominated preparations from Goa, Daman and Diu.

Western India is a composition of landforms: you will find mountain ranges, coastal plains and arid deserts. Variations in topography has brought about different cuisines which adapts to the landscape and geographical constraints.

Rice is the staple food, followed closely by wheat, jowar and bajra. In the coastal states such as Maharashtra and Goa, sea food is available in abundance with obvious Parsi and Portugese influence. Mumbai, the financial capital of the country, has seen the influx of migrants from all corners of India and has imbibed the variety of all regions. The night life of Mumbai with fast food joints open till wee hours is characteristic of this city.

On the contrast, Gujarat is an essentially vegetarian state, although Parsi styles have been adopted in this state as well. As observed in a popular movie from Bollywood, although Gujaratis are sweet people, their food sounds like missiles: Dhokla, Khandwa, Fafra, Thepla, Undio, etc.  The milk products of Gujarat and Rajasthan, curds and icecreams, shrikhands, ghees, cheese, butter milk are famous and coveted all over the country.

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Discover Taste of India: South Indian Food

The southern part of India has hot, humid climate and all its states are coastal. Rainfall is abundant and so is the supply of fresh fruit, vegetables and rice. The cuisine is mostly vegetarian, but innovative preparations of sea food can be found too. Famous for its wonderful mixing of rice and lentils to prepare lip smacking items, South Indian dishes are not just delicious, but also very easily to digest. In any city in our country, one can find a South Indian food outlet.

For someone who is not aware of the wide variety of the South Indian cuisine, the food from this region is all about

Dosas, Idlis, Vadas, Uttapams, Coconut Chutney, Rasam and Sambhar. Surprise awaits him in a South Indian menu card: the types of Dosas in theirselves have a number of variations!!

Some items characterize the South Indian platter: Shredded coconut, coconut oil, rice, daal, tamarind, curry leaves, dried chillis, mustard seeds, fenugreek, etc. But on a closer look, one would notice wide diversity across regions. The staple cereal of Karnataka is jowar and bajra. Majority of the residents are vegetarian, so is the cuisine. Curd is almost mandatory in every meal of Karnataka. While the preparations of Karnataka are in the Udupi style with gravies, drier preparations are more common in Kerala. Since coconut is the main produce of Kerala, use of the fruit in its natural form as well as derived forms is very popular. Also predominant is the consumption of sea food.

The cuisine of Andhra Pradesh is spicier, with thicker gravies. Different types of pickles and chutneys are typical of this region. Bisi bele bhaat and the biriyani of Hyderabad cooked in the style of Nizams during the Mughal rule are famous all over India. Tamil Nadu is best described as a mix of all these regions. The dishes are hot and pungent with fresh ground masalas. Chettinad style of non vegetarian cooking is famous from this state. Also famous are different rices (tamarind rice, lemon rice, curd rice,etc), appams, papads, banana chips and the South Indian’s love for filter coffee.

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Eco or Green Tourism is a New Mantra

Go Green is new Mantra. All over the world, people are becoming increasingly consciousness about the environment and the need to do something to preserve it. As a result now we see eco-friendly cars, fuels and even games! India hosted the world’s first green Common Wealth Games.

Today, the tourism industry, with an annual growth rate of 10-15%, is turning out to be the world’s biggest and the hottest industry. India’s share in this pie is also increasing as it fast emerges as a global tourist destination with a rich cultural heritage and scenic locations.

Like in other areas, in tourism too the idea of Green or Eco Tourism is becoming popular. Green tourism refers to responsible travel to areas that preserve nature and improve the well being of the local people. Negative impact on the environmental is minimal and efforts are made to encourage wildlife in their natural habitats. Ethical issues that have to be dealt with in green tourism are usually social injustice, human rights, animal rights and of course the environment. Infact issues relating to land and other natural resources are one of the major conflicting ethical issues.

Since tourism is an industry that involves huge amount of money and rapid growth, often, the well-being of the local people of such tourist places gets compromised. For example, in India, women in Rajasthanhave to walk for miles to fetch water, but the tourist spots in desert lands also have water in abundance. Farmers in Indonesia have been punished and murdered for protesting against development of tourist destination while in Mexico, farmers have been forced to give up their land for the development of golf courses. Green tourism does not only mean being responsible while traveling, but also requires one to act responsibly while choosing a place of visit. Green tourism all though protects environment but in many cases ends up harming the local population.

Just like a coin, green tourism also has two sides. On the one hand it protects the environment and is an eco-friendly way to travel but on the other hand it sometimes hurts things more important than environment and just like everything else in the world, it is important to strike a balance between the positive and negative effects of green tourism.

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Standardization of Services in Tourism Sector

The travel and tourism sector in India is highly disorganized. Perhaps, we can blame the government’s policies for it. Despite of spending mammoth amounts of money on Innovative campaigns like India Shining and Incredible India by the government, the country has failed to garner much interest among the tourists. The biggest reason which can be contributed to the aforesaid fact is the Non-Standardization of Tourism Services in our country. The Tourism Industry has the potential of generating maximum revenue to the Gross Domestic Product of a country if cultivated properly.

Standardization of Services in Tourism Sector is a prerequisite condition for any country to further capitalize the potential in the area. The need is to remove the ambiguity in the Travel and Tourism Services so that the Tourists do not feel confused and cheated on being supplied by different information by different agencies which might ultimately help to curb down the generation of back money.

The Foreigners, have a lot of grievances about the fact that the Government does nothing to standardize the Tourism Sector. Despite of various steps taken by the government to cater these issues like granting letters of approval of certification by the Deptt. of Tourism, providing licenses to various Tourism operators, various unorganized agencies and Touts who under the garb of Recognised Tour operators operate in the market and dupe people without having any skill, expertise or formal knowledge about the Industry.

The government should stringent its norms about the Standardization of Services in tourism sector so that only the people/organization who possess the Formal knowledge and expertise gained through proper authentic certification by the board of tourism and is subject to audit and review every year so that only the licenses of those agents are renewed who fulfill the criteria every year.

Also the government can devise certain plans as to the disclosure of mandatory information so as to enable uniformity in packages supplied by the agents.

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Differential Charging in Tourism

Differential charging has been an   unethical issue in today’s tourism industry.  Its has been  a very common  sighting  foreigners  being  charged excessively  not only by the  private service providers  but also  by the government. For example: I can locate the rate board  at the red fort  showing  huge differences in the rate for sight seeing for Indian as  they charge only Rs. 15 per person but for the foreigners  they charge around Rs. 50 per person.

In fact, such issue is not only prevalent in Delhi only but else where also. Such issue may hamper the industry to large extent as deferential treatments of the tourists erode the interest of the tourists and they may frame unimpressive opinion regarding our country. As a result people may avoid touring such place

Tourism is a huge industry. The profit generated from it may be an important source of income generation for our any nation. Even small villages can be tourism spot.  Once I had time to visit pure where I saw a village totally earning its income through art and craft material they prepare and sale to tourists. But the rate they charged was not appropriate. And therefore I avoided buying thing there.

The private service provider like the taxi drivers, the shopkeepers, hawkers and pundits at religious places are not always generous while treating the tourists. They charge unethically. Once I had been to Allahabad for a bath in the holy Sangam. The boat rowers took Rs. 1000 for only 2 persons, but later on I came to know that the fare was only Rs. 10 per person.

However it is very difficult to curb the disorganized unethical issues prevalent all over the industry. Charging the tourists differentially infact is loss making policy. Legal provision is needed in order to reduce such discrepancies in this sector.

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Spectacular Commonwealth Games failed to attract many foreigners

According to recent study published by Times of India on November 07, 2010 titled “Despite CWG hype, only 5% rise in foreign tourist inflow”, there is no substantial increase in tourists inflow for and after the Commonwealth Games 2010 in Delhi. There has been a paltry 5% increase in October 2010 as compared to October 2009. The number of foreign tourists arriving at Delhi airport has increased by a measly 5.1% as per data published by Union tourism ministry.The statistics for the rest of the country were hardly any better. Altogether, 487,000 foreign tourists visited India as against 446,000 during October 2009 registering an increase of 9%.

In the last six months, 4.3 million foreign tourists visited India during January-October 2010 with a growth rate of 9.9% as compared to last year. Increase in number of travelers indicates that travelers hit by economic recession were gradually bouncing back. Growth had dipped to 6.7% during January-October 2009 over the corresponding period of 2008.

Foreign exchange earnings from tourism during January- October 2010 were Rs 513.34 billion with a growth rate of 21.1%, as compared to Rs 423.9 billion with a growth of 4.1% during January-October 2009 over the corresponding period of 2008.

There is an increase in business and leisure travel. However, India failed to capitalise on the opportunity that the Games as an international sporting event offered, owing to negative publicity for the lack of enthusiasm abroad and absence of a focused, well-orchestrated campaign and planning. (Source: Times of India, November 07, 2010)

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The Pleasure of Adventure Tourism

If you are daring enough to face dangers and are more than eager to explore new places, adventure tourism is the right option to spend your vacations. Adventure tourism takes you to places where one is about to come crossways with the unforeseen. One such place that can offer you with chronological places, scenic beauty and true adventure would be Cincinnati, a city in the State of Ohio, United States of America. It is an unusual vacationing spot, and you will be able to reside in Cincinnati apartments. Cincinnati apartment rental is very nominal and it provides tourists with good quality service and livelihood.

With several types of tourism prevailing worldwide, adventure tourism has its own place. It is a fast mounting sector of tourism and is making a trend worldwide for adventure travelling. People, particularly tourists, prefer it over beach resort holidays. Adventure tourism adds the X-factor to your trip holiday. Imagine riding a horse or cycling through some wine country or wandering in the deserts or walking from side to side the deepest valleys of the Earth. No matter what experience you plan, it will be more than an adventure; it can be a life long recollection to cherish.

The tourists who are keen to put their hands into adventure tourism can arrogantly become members of adventure camp community. They will get to meet the right people, and the right knowledgeable tourists who will not only guide them around places but also will assist them with their experiences. A new adventure tourist needs to get associated with an organization that will guide him to places and will otherwise help him mature as a tourist. The choices of places anddestinations are endless, but the only way one will know which place is the most suitable is through professional experienced guide. They make you look at the world in a different perspective. Your understanding of life becomes clearer and your visions broaden up.

Curiosity plays a very important role in adventure tourism. Until and unless one does not have that urge to explore new places and things, he will not be able to succeed professionally. The other excellence which this action requires is passion. If you lack the necessary passion, you won’t be able to enjoy your trip. One needs to have that strength of mind and determination to achieve and to win.

There are special holiday services that are more offered to adventure tourists who wish to explore culture, history, soil and language. Though some is tending to puzzle adventure tourism with that of extreme tourism – also known as shock tourism as it involves travelling to unsafe destinations or the participation to dangerous events- the adrenaline rush one experiences as an adventurous tourist is of a lower risk level.

Wilderness is somewhat that should not be taken calmly, especially when it risks one’s own life. One need to be physically fit and psychologically strong but that does not mean that this is all what it requires.Adventure Tourism can be a lifetime experience to appreciate only if appropriately handled.

Camping Ground in Rajasthan, Jhajhar Khas

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Success or failure of Bed & Breakfast scheme in Delhi

India, is a travelers delight and its capital is obviously seen as a must visit place for more than one reason. Perhaps, this is where the need to have Bed & Breakfast Scheme in Delhi has become necessary. Though, Delhi is full of several hotels and guesthouses of different ranges, the homely feel is missed by domestic and foreign tourists and this can be fulfilled by a B&B scheme. Now, if you are thinking whether such a scheme will be successful in Delhi or not, then read on to get an answer yourself.

Bed & Breakfast Schemes in Delhi for Commonwealth Games Visitors

It is a truth unhidden that the reason forthe launch of Bed & Breakfast Scheme in  Delhi is the upcoming Commonwealth Games.. It has been observed that Delhi is in shortage of approximately 30,000 rooms for visitors for the upcoming games to be held in  October 2010. The ministry of tourism has estimated arrival of approximately, 53,000 domestic tourists and 140,000 foreign   tourists for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

So, many home owners have agreed to participate in the B&B scheme in order to earn an extra source of income by providing extra rooms to the tourists and offering them comfortable facilities required for a stay. Such B&B Schemes have been running in many other stats and countries of the world but not everywhere were they found to be successful. The main role of making the scheme successful lies is either in the hands of the government or the families that will provide theB&B facilities to the tourists.

Homestay in Delhi, Tez Abode

Things That Can Make B&B Scheme in Delhi Successful

It is not impossible to make B&B scheme in Delhi successful, provided the following things are fulfilled:

• If the tourists will get world class facilities with a homely touch, the scheme will be a hit in Delhi.
• All safety precautions and measures should be kept in mind by installing smoke detectors and by appointing security guards for the safety of the guests.
• A hospitable welcome and treatment by the host family to the guests in this scheme will cover up any shortcoming if any arising in the scheme.
• The scheme promises every comfort required for a stay, including the bed, breakfast, bathroom and other essential requirements. So, providing all these with hygiene and on time will make the scheme successful.
• Every measure should be taken by the government authorities to keep a check on the homes providing B&B facilities to the guests, so that the Chandigarh B&B case is not repeated, where the hosts made more and more guests stay in their basements and parkings.

To conclude, we can say that nothing can be said for sure about the success or failure of Bed & BreakfastScheme in Delhi. It will be seen and observed gradually but government is not leaving any stone untouched to make the scheme successful in the Indian capital.

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