Explore India’s offbeat destinations: Malvan

Ethnically and traditionally important town, Malvan is located in Sindhudurg which is the southernmost district of Maharashtra State. Malvan is renowned for its Malvani cuisine, mangoes, and the famous historical monument, the Sindhudurg Fort. The Malvani language (Marathi and Konkani mix) and regional food signify a very distinctive culture of Malvan. Malvani cuisine mainly comprises of fish curry, rice, and coconut. Malvani Dashavtar, a critical artistic component of this region showcases the legendary stories through plays.

Malvan by Aditya Singh

Several places in Malvan are worth visiting during your trip. Sindhudurg fort built by the great Maratha warrior King Shivaji is a sight to behold. It is surrounded by water on all sides, and the only way to reach the fort is by boat. Apart from the splendid structure, Sindhudurg Fort is one of the best places in the country to try scuba diving and snorkelling.  The best way to get to Malvan is to book taxi to drive down the Konkan coast.

The rock garden is a place recommended for tourists who like to spend their evenings watching waves hit the rocks and enjoy the cool breeze. It is situated barely half a kilometre away from the Malvan jetty near Arase Mahal. Another interesting place to visit is the Jai Ganesha temple that has been transformed into its present structure by renovating an old house. This temple has a golden idol of Lord Ganesha and is very popular amongst the tourists.

Finally, let’s talk about beaches that have transformed Malvan into a tourist destination. The most famous beach of the region is the Tarkali beach which attracts visitors from around the world. Tarkarli Beach has everything that nature and sports enthusiast can dream. White sand, water sports, sea food, clear water that will make your visit memorable. When in Tarkarli do not forget to try the fantastic range of water sports such as scuba diving, Bumper boats, Banana boat ride, Parasailing, and Snorkelling that are available at very reasonable prices.

Malvan Fort by Manoj Patra

Other beaches that you can visit include the Devbaug beach, Chivla beach, and Kolamb beach. Chivala Beach is uncluttered and sparsely crowded making it perfect for tourists to relax amidst the cool breeze. If you want to spend time at a beach with no one around, head to Kolamb beach. There are hardly any tourists or locals in the vicinity.

Malvan Wild life Sanctuary, Rameshwar Temple, and Tsunami Islands are a few other places that should be visited provided you have time. The Malvan food is a bit on the spicier side, so please be careful before ordering. Some of the must try dishes include Murgh Malvani, Mori Masala, Kaju chi Aamti, and Solkadhi.

The best time to visit Malvan and Tarkali is from October to April which is primarily winter and early summer.  Malvan is 510 km away from Mumbai and at a distance of 200 km from Ratnagiri. The nearest airport is Dabolim airport in Goa, and the closest railway station is Kudal. State transport buses and Volvos are available from Pune and Mumbai. It is recommended that you hire a private taxi with Savaari Car Rentals from Pune or Mumbai to enjoy the pleasant roads en-route Malvan and Tarkali. Walking or hiring a bicycle is also suggested to explore Malvan. Happy Vacationing!

Best places to visit in Rajasthan during Diwali

Rajasthan is an Indian state that is known for its many big celebratory festivals and events that take place there each year. Although people are spread out over the state in small numbers, they all come together and forget about their troubled lives in order to celebrate the occasion. Out of all the festivals that take place in Rajasthan, the most popular one is the Diwali festival. The purpose of this festival is to celebrate light in every sense of the word. That is why it is nicknamed the Festival of Light.

Diwali fireworks

The creation of the Diwali festival can be linked to the ancient Hindu poem entitled “Ramayana.” In this poem, Lord Ram was in exile for 14 years and then finally returned to his kingdom called Ayodhya. As he arrived, there were lamps called diyas that were set up all throughout the kingdom to welcome him back. So, the tradition continued where the people in Rajasthan would set up as many illuminating objects as they could. When you go to Rajasthan on Diwali day, you will see electric lights, candles, diyas, fireworks and anything else that could possibly illuminate at night.

Johari Bazar Jaipur: Photo by Olga

Of course, Rajasthan is a big state so you might be wondering which towns and cities have the most exciting celebratory events to witness. There is no better city than the capital of Rajasthan, which is Jaipur. There you can visit the Johari Bazar at nighttime and just take a walk through this jewelry marketplace that is lit up like Broadway. Every single shop and dwelling along this marketplace will have decorative lights all over it. And if you see a piece of jewelry that catches your eye, you can purchase that too.

The Nahargarh Fort will give you a beautiful view of the entire city of Jaipur as it is lit up at nighttime during Diwali. You will see yellow lights, purple lights, and red lights spread out everywhere. The yellow lights, of course, dominate the city which is why it looks like a gold city from the point at Nahargarh Fort. Also, if you happen to travel near the Jal Mahal palace which lies in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake, then you will see the entire palace lit up out in the water too.

As a tourist, you can fly into Jaipur International Airport to land right in the middle of the festivities. You can also try Rajasthan tour package and let them find you the best places in Rajasthan. There are plenty of buses and taxis that can take you around the city and bring you to these locations where Diwali can be experienced at its best. Two roads in particular that you should travel on are Tonk Road and Mirza Ismail Road. There are so many different colored lights on these roads that it will make you feel like you’re driving down Las Vegas Blvd. The only difference is you’ll see people celebrating in the streets with live music and dancing. You’ll truly get a sense of the culture and historical significance of Diwali as you move throughout Jaipur at nighttime.

10 books to read before travelling to India

If you are visiting India this year and you want to learn a few things about the country then it is always a good idea to read something about the place. These books will give you an idea of what India is all about and prepare you for your trip to India. I have compiled some of the best books to read before travelling to India. I don’t recommended you carry all the books listed here so why not get yourself a kindle fire and buy the kindle edition of these books.

India After Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth

Nine Lives by William Dalrymple

Around India in 80 Trains by Monisha Rajesh

2 States: The Story of My Marriage by Chetan Bhagat

Eat Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo

Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found by

An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India by Shashi Tharoor

I hope you liked the list of some of the best books to read before travelling to India. If you have your favourite then feel free to list them below in the comments.

Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu and one of the four metropolitan cities of India was the third most visited city by foreigners after Mumbai and Delhi in 2007.  According to the source 8,30,620 domestic tourists arrived in Chennai in March 2011 in addition to 29,558 tourists who visited Mamallapuram. Now I guess you just realised how popular is this tourist destination.

Chennai is popularly known as “Gateway to South”. It has rich cultural and traditional importance. The city is the perfect blend of old and new where the modern beliefs and conventional ways coexist in harmony. Both domestic and international tourists are attracted to this amazing city. Chennai has so much to offer to tourists that many revisit this place again.Lets take a look at some of the best places to visit in Chennai.

Places to visit in Chennai

1. Fort St. George Fort St. George is a place of pride for the people of Chennai. Built in 1640 AD, Francis Day and Andrew Cogon of East India Company were the supervisors of this project. This fort houses St. Mary’s Church along with a museum. It is said that this house solemnised the marriages of Robert Clive and Governor Elihu Yale, the founders of the Yale University in the USA.

2. The Marina Beach It is the second longest beach in the World. It has a wide sandy foreshore. Another important attraction on this beach is the Anna and MGR Samadhis, the memorials of the most popular former Chief Ministers of the State. University of Chennai, Chepauk Palace, Senate House, Presidency College, aquarium and Ice House are all located on this beach drive.

3. Kapaleswara Temple This is the 8th Century Pallava Temple. The ‘Gopuram’ or the tower of the temple is in Dravidian style of architecture. There are bronze idols of 63 Saivaite Saints and the temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is located at Mylapore “Myil” means peacock and ‘Oor’ means town.

4. Guindy National Park This Park is the only Wild Life Sanctuary which is situated within a city’s limits. If you visit this awesome National Park you also stand a chance to visit other surrounding places like Raj Bhavan, Indian Institute of Technology, a Children’s Park with its own mini zoo, Snake Park, Memorials to Gandhiji, Rajaji, and Kamaraj. The Anna University of Technology, Central Leather Research Institute as well as the country’s finest Race-courses.

5. The High Court The high court of Chennai is the second largetst judicial complex in the world. The domes and corridors depict the Indo-Saracenic architecture.

6. Sri Parthasarathy Temple This is a Lord Krishna temple. Originally built by the Pallavas, this temple was later modified by the Chola and Vijayanagara Kings.

7. Valluvar Kottam This is a memorial built in the shape of the temple chariot in the memory of Tamil Poet-Saint Thiruvalluvar. A 33m tall life-size statue of the saint has been installed in the chariot. The auditorium at Valluvar Kottam can accommodate about 4000 people and is believed to be the Asia’s largest auditorium.

8. Birla Planetarium The Birla Planetarium at Kotturpura is the most modern planetarium in the country. It was constructed in the memory of B.M. Birla, one of the famous industrialists of India. Nearby is the Periyar Science and Technology Museum useful for young learners.

Anna Nagar tower park: Image by Aravindan Ganesan

9. Kalakshetra Kalakshetra was founded in 1936 by Rukmini Devi Arundale encourage and revive interest in Bharatanatyam. Bharatanatyam is the classical dance form of the state.

10. MGR Film City The film city has various film shooting locations and settings. It also has dubbing and recording studios. It was set up by the Government of Tamil Nadu and is located in Tharamani area.

11. Connemara Public Library The Library is located at Pantheon Road in Egmore. It is one of the well known National Libraries.

12. Crocodile Bank It is a research centre run by Romulus Whittaker .Crocodile Bank is about 42 kms from Chennai near to Mamallapuram. Varieties of Indian and African Crocodiles are reared and bred in this crocodile bank. There are about 6,000 different species of crocodiles and a snake farm is also present in the same area.

13. Amir Mahal Amir Mahal belongs to the Royal family of Arcot. It was established in 1789 and then later it was possessed by Arcot Royal family.

14. Anna Nagar Tower It is the highest park tower in Chennai located in Anna Nagar Park. It also has a special cyclic stairs.

15. Anna Zoological Park It is the biggest zoological park in South East Asia. It is the house for tropical mammals, birds and reptiles.

Beware of groping in India

Groping in India is nothing new. Nothing has changed since the Delhi gang-rape, no securities have been provided in Delhi or any other metros in India. Women continue to get groped on India’s public transport.

The way they do it is by deliberately touching body parts and pretending that it is an accident in the crowd. The most common parts where women are likely to be touched are the bottom and the breasts.

In western nations; when someone sits on the seat next to you, they will try not to touch you at all. But in India, it’s completely opposite. When a man with bad intent sits next to you, they will cosy up to you and deliberately touch you. In these circumstances, you will need to shout at the man to stop touching you. There are good people all around and many will want to help you.

Many of these men do it on purpose as they know that they can get away with it without being caught as the victim do not raise any voice against them for the fear of reprisal. Plus in a male dominated society as India’s, it’s usually the woman who gets the blame.

Watch some of these videos and you will get an idea about the plight of women being groped in Delhi the capital of India. Women travelling to India either alone or in groups are advised not to travel on public transport particularly the busses in Delhi and Mumbai.

India Travel Survival Guide For Women

It’s not just the buses; women are groped in broad daylight especially in crowded places. I remember once when I was about 15 years old, I was walking in narrow lanes of Chandni Chowk – it seemed as if every man who passed by wanted to touch me. In one incident when I was only 11 years old I was at the Railway station in Patna, a man came up to me, touched me and ran away. Incredible it may sound; this is ground reality of India. You might wish to read about the sexual harassment of Michaela Cross, a 23 year old American student on a study trip to India. Sometimes, you wonder if Indian men are the worst types of men on the planet.

My advice to those women travelling to India alone or otherwise MUST not get on these public transports. I rarely use these buses anymore. Hire an auto-rickshaw or a taxi and sit on the back seat. Always stay on the side of the road where you can see the traffic and the people coming towards you so you can keep a tab on things happening around you. There is a chapter on how to deal with groping in my book “India travel survival guide for women” if you really wanted to travel on these public transport.