Dussehra in India

India is renowned for its rich culture and traditions. Though there are plenty of activities to do around, religious celebrations in India frame an imperative role. Indian festivals describe the religious and social significances of various religions and languages. Dussehra is a famous Indian festival that is celebrated from September to October by Hindus. It is celebrated to remark the success of good over immoral forces.  

Dusshera festival is also termed as Vijaya Dashami, Dasara or Durga Pooja. In India, it is grandly celebrated in Mysore, Assam, Jharkhand, Manipur, Tripura, West Bengal and Bihar. As the greater part of Bengali Hindus resides in Tripura and West Bengal, they celebrate Durga Pooja as the biggest event of the year. The conclusion of Navarathri festival is fêted as Dussehra. 

How Dussehra is Celebrated?

People throng to city’s prominent temples and offer special prayer meetings. Most of the Hindu belief people offer food to god from home or at temples. In some areas, people celebrate for up to ten days by organizing special events everyday. In Mysore, Dussehra festival is celebrated on a grand manner, which tourists from all over the world throng to watch the elaborate affair.

Mysore Palace

The Mysore Palace will be enlightened using one lakh light bulb on all ten days in the evenings (7 to 10 PM). It is said that they spend about Rs. 1 Crore every year for maintenance of the bulbs alone. In addition, various dances and cultural festivals, food festivals, wrestling, sports and film festival highlighting the event are performed in the Mysore palace.  Famous artists and musicians from all over the country perform and showcase their talents on this grand stage.

The major highlight of this event is, Holy Goddess Chamundeshwari will be adorned on a golden mantapa and be placed on top of a decorated elephant. Devotees worship the idol before it is placed in its possession. Mysore’s royal family offers special prayers on this auspicious occasion. The entire city witnesses colorful lights, cultural programmes, traditional music and enchanting celebration all over. 

Most of the Hindus have a belief that it is fortunate to start a new project or venture on this occasion. All cooking pans, vehicles, work related and household tools are blessed with special prayers. In the evening, the statues of Ravana are burnt on beacons.  The devotees in Bengal prepare alur dom (deep fried spicy potato snacks) and luchi (deep fried bread) as special foods on this event.

If you are planning on a trip to India, make sure you do not miss to watch this striking celebration. 

How To Get Passport In A Week?

Recently, the ministry of external affairs has declared two major changes to fasten the application process of passport applicants. The changes will enable the applicants to secure an appointment at the local passport seva kundra.

As per the news, it is informed that citizens will be granted a fresh passport in a week provided with all the documents such as Aadhaar card, electoral photo identity card (EPIC) and PAN Card. It is essential for the citizens to comply with all the policies mentioned in the application form. One should be a citizen of India, prompt submission of family details and should have no criminal records.

Usually, the process will take a month with the police verification and other formalities. The police verification will be conducted once the passport is issued. No extra charges will be levied for the applicants. The government authorities will validate your Aadhaar number online and approve from the granting officer.

In addition, the PAN cards and EPIC will also be validated by the officer at the earliest stage of application process. In case of any false reports, passport will be cancelled or rejected by the authorized persons.

Message from the Director

Anil Kumar Sobti, the director of passport division said that the upgrade process will help the applicants to get passport on earlier basis. He also stated that there are plenty of inbuilt safeguards in our system to find out fake identities and forgeries. Moreover, the link with Aadhaar database will easily guide us in conducting real-time verification of the applicant.

Indians can now get a passport in a week. Here is the process:

Step 1

Fill the application form for passport

Step 2

Attach a valid copy of Aadhaar Card

Step 3

Attach valid electoral photo identity card

Step 4

Submit a valid PAN Card

Camping Tips & Guidelines To Enjoy Pleasant Holidays

If you have planned to escape from the city life and enjoy the scenic nature, plan a camping trip. Camping is an adventure where you make use of caravan, tents or no shelter at all. It offers lot of fun and at the same time you must remain while camping. Check out the tips to completely enjoy your trip below:

Maintain Hygiene

Cleanliness is the first thing that you need to look on your camping. Make sure to clean your body and clothes well. It is always better to pack the basic things related to hygiene such as sanitizers, cotton balls, sponge, etc. Don’t use any fragrant lotions, scents or perfumes as it may attract the bugs.

Carry A Survival Kit

Be prepared to face all challenges in your camping travel. Pack all the essential equipments like survival knives, water purification tablets, waterproof matches and flashlights.

Leave Nothing At The Campsite After Leaving

Preserving nature should be the first goal of any traveller. You should move out of the place without leaving any trace or waste. Try to bury the human waste deep into the ground and don’t leave any equipment that harms the environment or animals.

A Sleeping Bag Is A Must

One has to carry a quality sleeping bag on their camping trip. This bag enhances the sleeping experience and help to rest peacefully. If you couldn’t find a one, make use of heavy duty plastic bag to cushion your head instead of a pillow.

Know The Camping Checklist

Here is the list of items that you must carry on your camping trip:

• Tent

• Ground cloth

• Axe

• Dust pan

• Sleeping bag

• Air pump

• Stove with fuel

• Matches/lighter

• Paper towels

• Cook utensils

• Towels

These are some of the important camping items. You may take more items suiting your trip. Follow the above tips and have a safe journey.

THE DRINKS OF INDIA-QUENCH YOUR THIRST

Indian beverages and drinks are unique and class apart. Tea is popular, but apart from it there is an impressive variety of Indian beverages which are extremely good in taste and are quite popular among the youngsters. Each state has its own legacy of a refreshing drink which is unparalleled in its taste and known for its nutritional value.

Here is a small attempt to present some of the famous drinks belonging to particular states and to highlight their specialty.

Lasssi From Punjab

The land of five rivers is famous all over the country for their vivaciousness and robust attitude. Their butter chicken and parathas are preferred by one and all. Besides this they have their own favourite refreshing Lassi, a drink that is filled with goodness of curd and cream reinvigorates the tired soul. The Punjabi lassi is sweet and is often customized in flavors of mango, kesar rose etc.

Chaach from Haryana

The Haryanvi variant of lassi is called chaach, which is a bit watery and salted. It is often flavored with ginger and mint, and is often known by other names in other parts of the country, especially in the southern states.

Pannah from Gujarat

Gujarat is an arid state but it has its own way of refreshing itself in the dry months of sweltering heat. Gujarat Aam Pannah is famous all over India. Mango being the king of fruits adds to the flavor of pannah, which is made of mango pulp, and spiced up with cardamom, pepper and salt. Aam pannah is an excellent drink which beats the heat.

Mahua from Chattisgarh

Mahua is traditional drink of Chattisgarh, which is prepared by fermenting the flowers of the mahua tree. Flowers of Mahua tree are known for their medicinal values. It is one of the favorite drinks of the tribal of this region and is often consumed during various festivals.

Fenny from Goa

Fenny is the indigenous drink of Goa and is very popular among the holiday revelers. It is made of coconut extracts or from cashew nuts and is known to have a strong pungent aroma. Its value is very high in Goa but people with very low alcohol tolerance should not try fenny as it is very strong.

Noon Chai From Jammu and Kashmir

Noon Chai or Pink Tea is the traditional refreshment drink of Jammu and Kashmir. It is generally a savory tea that is prepared along with a pinch of salt and the pink colour comes with the addition of baking soda. Spices like cardamom, cinnamom are used liberally along with almonds and pistachios to balance the saltiness of the tea and to give a warm, spicey flavor and beautiful aroma.

Sattu Sharbat from Bihar

A hugely refreshing drink of Bihar is Sattu Sharbat. It is made of roasted gram flour which is full of protein and is indispensable during the summer days. It is known for its meal value and energizing quality.

Kallu From Kerala

Kallu is a white palm wine which is made from the sap of the palm trees. It is a local product of Kerala and is made commercially. It is very strong and the sweet concoction should be consumed only if the person can tackle strong alcoholic beverages.

Zutho from Nagaland

Zutho is a rice beer which is famous in Nagaland and is made by fermenting the rice. The drink has a pleasant fruit flavor and is a frothy beer which is often served alongside roasted millet, soya bean and red chilli.

Kyat from Meghalaya

Kyat is also a type of rice beer and is a local drink of Meghalaya. It is low on alcohol content and has a faint sweet taste but is tart and pungent. It gives a nice feeling after consuming a glass or two.

All the states of India have their own local drinks, which are unique in taste, aroma and color. So pack your backpack and set out on an enthralling journey across the states to refresh yourself with all these drinks.

The Big Fat Budget Wedding Tips

“Marriages are made in heaven”…..but the reality of planning a wedding is a bit different from a heavenly experience. Witnessing a beautiful, well orchestrated wedding is amazing but the toil and labour and most important of all the finances involved in it are often not so pleasant and offer a stark difference from the portrayed reality. Planning a wedding is difficult and expenses, if not managed properly often soar up exorbitantly. The bride and the groom both want the wedding to be exclusive and different, irrespective of it being funded by them or sponsored by their parents. Wedding experts stress on the fact that a budget can be developed if we set our priorities straight and know where to save.

Here are some easy ways of managing the costs, yet have a big fat wedding.

 

Dessert Management

Wedding experts like Los Angeles based Allison Erlikhman, suggests that the dessert budget can be controlled by keeping a small cake on display and having sheet cake at the background.  Majority of the guests will not be able to differentiate between the sheet cake and the wedding cake.

Light Up the Table

 This would save a lot of money being splurged on flowers like orchid and other seasonal flowers by decorating the table with beautiful, colorful candles of different shapes and sizes along with paper frills ribbons.

Hide Your Shoes

Brides often go overboard on their wedding trousseau and often end up buying designer gowns and designer shoes. Allison gives a very smart tip by saying that since the gown will cover the shoe, so a designer brand can be sacrificed and a more comfortable as well as affordable one can fill in the gap.

Open The Bar Early

Since most of the wedding venues charge high for late night alcohol consumption, so the cost effective option is that bars can be opened a tad bit early as people by the end of night get tired and the consumption of alcohol slows down.

Use Uncommon Wild Flowers

Many wedding planners’ quips in by saying that wild flowers being used at weddings are the latest trend as they are not very expensive and they add volume to the arrangements. Seasonal flowers are also great fillers and affordable as they are readily available and need not be brought from anywhere else.

How To Find Cheap Airfare Using Google Flights

Google Flights is considered to be the solid tool for booking flights across the world. With this effective system, you will be able to find the best price for flights, browse on your dates and save lot of money. We have collected some useful facts and shared with you. This can help to plan your travel budget accordingly.

Find the Cheapest Months to Fly

Once you have decided the place, then you need to fix a date for travelling. If you are planning to fly to Dubai, then you can’t book your tickets on high peak season as it would be expensive. Look on the internet for the cheapest months to fly in a year. Get the estimates and try to match with your travel dates. You can also search for cheap flights in Google flights tool.

Enter your destination, select “flexible dates” and wait for the current price list to show. “The flexible dates” will show you the list of air fares on month basis on graph basis. If you are planning to save money, then you can escape the popular travel months from the list.

Browse Cheap Travel Options By Month

Few people would know when to travel but they won’t be sure of the destinations. You would have a holiday on May but not sure of where to go during that season. In such a case, the Google Flights will be a helpful tool. They have recently released a tool that allows you to find destinations based on month and duration. All you have to do is to enter the date and click “Discover Destinations”.

Here, you need not enter the exact date rather select a month and general time frame i.e weekend, 1 week or 2 weeks. You will get a list of popular destinations like North America, Asia, Europe and Oceania along with prices. For those who are interested to take food-focused vacation can find the list of affordable cities in the search list.

Exploring the destinations using the map version offers a fun time. When you click the map version, you will get a clear view of the destinations and prices across the world.

Get Notifications for Changing Flight Prices

One of the most important points to remember is tracking of flight prices. Usually, the prices will fluctuate and hence it is essential to get the best deal. Tracking in advance i.e 54 days in advance can offer you cheap flight tickets. Google Flights helps you to save your itineraries and plan according to the season.

Apart from this, there are lot of features in the Google Flights tool. You can visit the website and explore more. This effective tool enables you to plan your holidays in a smooth manner.

Start using Google Flights and optimise your travel effectively!

Top 5 Reasons to Visit Goa In This Summer

Are you a person who has travelled to Goa? What do you do? You just hangout in the beach, enjoy the water sports, you party, indulge in delicious seafood and get back to hotel.

But the question is “How do you spend the best time in Goa during this summer season?” Ofcourse, it’s going to be hot and hectic during the summers. Many people plan their parties in Goa in this time. It’s actually a brave idea! If you are still confused, then look at the top 5 reasons why Goa is an ideal destination to visit in summer below:

Super Economical

Stepping into Goa on this summer season will really make you feel loved. Well, everything becomes cheap during summers. From flight tickets, hotel bookings, sightseeing tours to delicious food, you get amazing discounts on everything you buy. Tourists get a great opportunity to explore the tourist attractions as well enjoy the beaches at lowest cost. What else needed?

Shopping Extravaganza

Shopping at Goa will be wonderful during the summers. You can find the markets lined up with variety of goods at affordable cost. The money you save on your travel can be used here. People can bargain and get some quality products at the beach side stalls. Every product will be different and new.

Only Few Tourists, More Fun!

Many people don’t like the heat and so they avoid going to Goa in this season. But, those people are missing a lot of fun and entertainment. As a result, Goa will be less crowded and you get a chance to enjoy more fun at the beach.

Parasailing

Wow! Goa is a perfect spot to try out the adventure of parasailing. Moreover, the summers would be the best time to indulge in this sport activity and experience a real thrill like ever before. This activity is amazing and less cost during this season. You definitely need to try this!

Camera’s Click!

Yes. Clicking pictures on summers will be enjoyable compared to other season. Do you know how? Well, there will be less people in beach and so you can pose and take any number of selfies. You can take your own time and take the best picture of you.