BY RASHMI SINGH Mamallapuram, also called Mahabalipuram or Seven Pagodas, is an historic town, in northeast Tamil Nadu state, in south eastern India. It lies along the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal 37 miles (60 km) south of Chennai (Madras). The town’s religious centre was founded by a 7th-century-CE Hindu Pallava king—Narasimhavarman, also known as Mamalla—for whom the town was named. Ancient Chinese, … Continue reading The Seven Pagodas
BY RASHMI SINGH The hippie trail is the name given to the overland journey taken by members of the hippie subculture and others from the mid-1950s to the late 1970s between Europe and South Asia, mainly from Turkey through Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, to Nepal; an alternative route ran from Turkey to the Levant. The hippie trail was a form of alternative tourism, and one … Continue reading Following the Hippie Trail
BY CSMI STAFF WRITER While there isn’t an official international standard of rating that lets a hotel earn a 7 star category or tag, the benchmarking is usually done on the basis of the levels of luxury, comfort and hospitality offered by the property, and the overall experience that can be defined as nothing short of a grandiose. The term “7-star hotel” was coined by … Continue reading 7 Star Luxury in Hyderabad
BY AJAI SINGH I‘m not sure if this place is really hidden from tourists or not but this place certainly boasts of its own set of admirers both commoners as well as eminent personalities. The place I’m talking about is Kasar Devi. Perched just 8 kms from Almora, a district in Kumaon division of Uttarakhand, Kasar Devi is a hushed hamlet situated in the silence … Continue reading Off the Beaten Track
BY VIRESH RAY Nestled amidst Nilgiri hills, Ooty, also known as Udagamandalam, is a hill station in Tamil Nadu which serves as a top-rated tourist destination. Once regarded as the summer headquarters of the East India Company, the Queen of the hills is a picturesque getaway. Dotted with tea gardens, serene waterfalls, winding country lanes, and charming colonial architecture, Ooty is the perfect respite everyone. … Continue reading Delightful Ooty
BY ANJALI HIREGANGE “Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair” mused the philosopher-poet Khalil Gibran, and that was exactly what I was gifted upon my winding travels in the South Indian ghats of Palani. Having alighted at a little town called Perumalmalai, right after the Kodaikanal stop, I made my way to … Continue reading Leave The Roads, Take The Trails
BY ARUNDHATI GHOSH Episode 1: Borders as Rivers, Rivers as Bridges Ichhamoti is a woman seeped in desire. When a river that flows across the border of two nations born out of the pain of partition, the struggle for freedom and the suffering of millions, carries that name, it takes on many worlds of meanings. Ichhamoti meanders between India and Bangladesh, rippling down right atop … Continue reading Footloosing Frontiers
BY VIBHA MITRA I was inching forward at the crossing of Lansdowne Road and Lansdowne Terrace, opposite Ramakrishna Mission Hospital, when boom a bus coming down at breakneck speed crashed into my left side and zoomed ahead regardless. The police on duty and bystanders rushed ahead and stopped the bus to reprimand him. Concerned that it could have been worse and I looked rattled. No … Continue reading Bus Bas
BY PIYUSH DIL The power of the Indian passport has improved, with the country climbing seven places to rank in 83rd place in the Henley Passport Index, up from the 90th position in previous year’s rankings. The Henley Global Mobility Report 2022 Q1, published quarterly by global immigration consultant firm Henley & Partners, shows that the Indian passport now has visa-free access to 60 destinations … Continue reading India Improves its Passport Power
COUNTRY SQUIRE INDIA 