When Call Me By Your Name author André Aciman goes on holiday Summer of 2024 – Travel Edition

When Call Me By Your Name author André Aciman goes on holiday Summer of 2024 – Travel Edition

Themes of migration and displacement are common in André Aciman’s fiction. | Photo Credit: Getty Images The Italian-American André Aciman had been a well-known and widely respected writer since the 90s, when he published his memoir Out of Egypt and a string of popular short stories in magazines like The New Yorker. But his fame exploded with the […]

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The charm of the 80s school vacation and and the endless triumph of imagination over possession

The charm of the 80s school vacation and and the endless triumph of imagination over possession

May in Ayemenem is a hot, brooding month. The days are long and humid. The river shrinks and black crows gorge on bright mangoes in still, dust green trees. Red bananas ripen. Jackfruits burst. Dissolute bluebottles hum vacuously in fruity air. Then they stun themselves against clear windowpanes and die, flatly baffled in the sun. […]

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When you are on vacation without a moment to relax

When you are on vacation without a moment to relax

‘In reality, vacations are anything but unoccupied.’ | Photo Credit: Illustrated by Allen Shaw My sister has been invited to a destination wedding in Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. The programme seemed eminently bucketlist-worthy. The hosts had planned excursions to see the famous waterfalls and go on safaris. Then much to her dismay, my sister realised […]

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A suitcase full of clouds | Stocking up on chubitchi brew and smoked pork in Iewduh, Shillong

A suitcase full of clouds | Stocking up on chubitchi brew and smoked pork in Iewduh, Shillong

Perilla seeds, fermented bamboo shoot, soy beans, coffee grown in the Garo Hills, smoked fish, a beautiful book by Anurag Banerjee, and some cook books. My last stop before I fly back home from a holiday is always the fresh produce market. And when it is the incredible Iewduh in Shillong, Meghalaya — one of […]

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Summer of 2024 – Travel Edition: our cities need a master plan; data deficiency and lack of decentralisation challenges

Summer of 2024 – Travel Edition: our cities need a master plan; data deficiency and lack of decentralisation challenges

File photo of a sanitary worker in Vijayawada. | Photo Credit: Ch. Vijaya Bhaskar Hill stations in India have witnessed a notable escalation in traffic congestion in recent years, particularly during weekends and the summer season. This phenomenon is notably pronounced in popular destinations across the country. On congested days, travel times along common routes can […]

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These 10 new travel books are a wonderful way to immerse yourself in a destination Summer of 2024 – Travel Edition

These 10 new travel books are a wonderful way to immerse yourself in a destination Summer of 2024 – Travel Edition

Travel can be transformative, and great travel writing can be transformative too. A good travel book can feel both like a trip already taken but also one you cannot wait to take. Here’s a selection of recent titles on travel and destinations, from the wildernesses of India to the adventures of an early historical feminist. […]

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Summer of 2024 – Travel Edition Tourism in the time of heatwave Challenges in the Western Ghats

Summer of 2024 – Travel Edition Tourism in the time of heatwave Challenges in the Western Ghats

Last week, a six-year-old elephant in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in the Nilgiris was found lying weak and exhausted in a private property, possibly due to the lack of green fodder and severe heat in the hills this year. Reminiscent of 2017, when a number of elephants died of thirst and starvation, 2024 too is […]

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How the elements of ‘Vishukkani’ differ from region to region in Kerala

How the elements of ‘Vishukkani’ differ from region to region in Kerala

Vishu is the day when you wake up to see all things auspicious or the Vishukkani. But the resplendent kani (the first thing one sees), which is believed to usher in a year of happiness and prosperity, differs from region to region, even from house to house. “Thanks to umpteen ‘How to arrange Vishukkani’ videos […]

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