India as a country has so much to offer, that you feel you are going to be running out of time. Rajasthan has palaces and hotels like Palaces. Karnataka has coffee plantations and interesting food to offer. Himachal has mountains North India has its winter. Gujrat has its history. But, have you wondered what Madhya Pradesh has? Madhya Pradesh has temples and fort that have the detailing like no other temples across India and has a terrain region like the Grand Canyon of the USA. A few structures of the temples were similar to the ones in Hampi, Karnataka. Yet so different in history. Then why is it still unexplored and the least travelled region of India? On our recent visit to Gwalior a city in Madhya Pradesh, We came across temples and structures that were so beautiful and intricate in detail, that we questioned ourselves, what made us delay our plans for the last two years? As soon we began sharing our tourist exploration on social media. Many asked, where is the place? It was quite a surprise not many knew the beauty of this side of the country. India is always known for cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Jaipur. The other cities are less explored and undiscovered by the local citizens. The food in the city was both vegetarian & non-vegetarian, with a lot of Indian food available. In street Food, the Kachori and chaats were the most popular snacks of the region.
It might seem The southern part of India is my favourite. But, even I am not sure, what influences me to travel to that part of the country!
It was work for one part of it, It was sightseeing the Other Time and it was food and rejuvenation for this time.
All the sides of the South have so much to offer! Just like the other states of India! But, the flavours in the South are all so different.
While the common element remains the coconut in the flavours, Pepper and Masala in each of these states enhance the taste of the food.
South Indian Food
Kochi! Was such a food experience. The freshness of seafood, The softness of meat & Pork. The sharpness of Pepper and Rice and fullness of Appams was a treat every meal!
Backwaters Calmness and quietness through the journey in the boat was an experience of Stillness in a world of technology.
The Night at the Allepy snoozed us at 10 after another meal of Fish & Vegetable Stews!
The next morning we were back from the shores, not sure if we were ready to travel back into reality!
The heritage property where we stayed for another day in the city, was a museum with Vintage Cars, Camera, Projectors and an antique Radio system!
The whole Kochi experience wouldn’t have been complete without exploring Art Galleries & Independent stores that had so much to offer!
In terms of coffee, the Monsoon Malabar Roast is something you would enjoy the most. The Saltiness coming from the moisture in the air is what makes the coffee flavourful with the spice & nutty notes.
Stay:
Bloom Boutique hotel
Kumarakom Lake Resort & Boat
Eat:
Kashi Art Cafe: Asian Food & Eggs
Pandhal Cafe : Pizza, Tacos, Desserts, Coffee and Berry lemonade.
Brunton Boatyard: For South India food
Jew Town Cafe : Cold Coffee
French Toast : Coffee & Desserts
Shop:
David Hall
Pepper House
Jew Town
Hampi!
Virupaksha Temple, Hampi
Another city in the South was more about architecture and History with beautiful historic temples like Virupaksha Temple, Hemakuta Hill and Hazara Rama Temple are a must-visit on your visit to Hampi.
The Eco-friendly hotel at Hampi, felt like a restored heritage hotel, but in fact, was designed from scratch.
At Hampi, we were truly a tourist in our incredible India.
Hampi, had suddenly seen a spike of interest globally even the G20 was hosted in the city in 2023.
Stay:
Evolve Back Hotel
Bangalore!
Bangalore Palace
The IT hub! The widest roads in a metro city!
Where the joke for the city is.
IT professionals travel for about an hour on average to make apps and work for companies that promise delivery within 10 min.
The City, that’s clean & Green! A metro you would like to stay in if you have a choice!
The food options are many to choose from!
Andra-style south Indian food being our favourite.
But, the dessert and baking goods are one of the best in the city!
The city has a palace, whose architectural structure is like a British-style castle.
My first visit to Jodhpur was in 2018 and on my first visit I hardly had any time to absorb the place .it was a short Work trip and 2019 was back on the second visit- It was more or less the same but had visited more streets rather than the usual route hotel to venue and now on the third visit in 2020 I finally visited a tourist site and our venue for one of the wedding function (Mehrangarh Fort) The Venue the fort was fifteen to twenty minutes from any of the hotels out there and the walk up to the fort is “uphill task” Concreate steps with the structure around like the typically Rajasthan architecture, the small windows and curve and tomb designs framework when you walk up to the rampart. A Panoramic photography viewpoint – You can See the City from this point and see those Blue Houses Jodhpur is known as the Blue City of India.
You can also see Umaid Bhavan Palace from here and that’s not all if you climb and go to the concert area – This is where the sangeet function was held you will find another viewpoint – Where you can capture and experience the Sunset. There are only two things to see in Jodhpur, the Fort, Umaid Bhavan Palace and the local market for Traditional Rajasthan souvenirs and local Rajasthan Cuisine.
It wasn’t just the Mehrangarh fort that one of the only touristy outing, But witnessed a Polo match that was organised between Two teams (Bride & Groom ) 7 minutes each and there are four Chakkars – A Game last for Twenty Minutes with each team trying to score a goal by knocking the ball in the goal post that is placed on either side of the ground.
Must try the Janta Kachori – A Traditional snack fried stuffed with onion paste at one of the oldest places and Visit the Mehran Café at the Fort.
Adventure is something, I look forward to every now and then.
Nine years ago, when A friend of mine was introducing Bungy Jumping to India, at Rishikesh With Master Jumpers from New Zealand, place where it all began. Rishikesh Bungee was 83 Mtrs (240 Ft)
Nine years ago, I couldn’t do it as I was recovering from a so-called facture.
But, now Nine Years later when the second Bungee jump was coming up and is now up at Goa, Mayem Lake. I made my mind to do it.
Day of Bungee:
We were twelve of us who were going to Bungy jump. I was slotted as the 10th Jumper. The excitement and the thrill to just fall off 165ft (55 Mtrs) that’s like falling from an Eighteen Storey Building was something I couldn’t wait for.And as we began walking towards the cliff (Platform) I began asking all the previous jumpers, What exactly happens? Do you get Jerks? Is it scary? As far as safety was concerned I did not have any doubts about it. The team had an experience of 80,000 jumps in the last decade in India itself. My concern was actually nothing. But, was just curious as I hadn’t experienced a fall from this height, Speed was something that I had always experienced. Sitting on roller coasters.
We finally reached the platform.The Jumpers are all gearing up for their Jump the experienced jumpers from our lot too, were slightly nervous. And I was just wondering, Why can I not yet feel anything? So One by one everybody jumped. No, I really did not see anyone jump.
Now it was my turn.
I was harnessed. And have gone through a double safety check and according to my weight, an elastic rope has been clipped to my feet. The Master Trainers are then aligning the rope according to my weight.
Slowly, Slowly, I make my way to the edge. Here I was a little nervous, as the master kept telling me to move ahead, Where I thought if I move another step ahead, I would fall. Well, Yes that’s what I was there for but…
One of the trainers is instructing me to focus on the two trees out there, without looking down.
And the moment had come 3…2…1…
I Jumped, Not knowing where I was going to fall. The Re-bound (Hanging in the air for about a minute) Was more scary for me than being on the edge. Nevertheless, It has been one of the best experiences of my life so far and has earned me a certification that I’ve Got Guts!!!
So if you too have Guts!!! Or want to challenge any of your friends,
Head to Goa or Rishikesh to Experience A Fall where you can Literally bounce Back.
Check out thelink below to know more about the where you can go for Bungee.
Pandeynioum -Piyush Pandey on advertising .The Title comes from a whatsaap group that was created by the same name for the family .And the book
was a great read ,since it’s about his time at ogilvy ,and giving some of his best work in the field of advertising ,that we even recall today The one like the Fevicol ads ,the fevi quick fishing advertisement to give a few examples ,the book by Piyush Pandey also gives you the insights on the importance of experiences in life ,observation and how sports and games like cricket can teach you a lot on planning and running a company .
Also the quote “carnival outside the boundary lines ,pure cricket inside “to describe IPL cricket even more it all began sums up the passion for cricket ,Piyush Pandey
Also quotes like “don’t let the child in you die ,He or she is a genius you are not.” tell’s you the source of his inspiration .
Last but not the least the more insecure you are about your idea the less you will share it and the less the possibility for a good idea to became a great one.
The book is a must for all advertising students and ones looking to make memorable ads in advertising .
A K H I L N A N D A 