Way back in 1873, on 24th February, the first tram route was opened in Calcutta. This horse-drawn tram etched its name in history as the oldest operating tramway in Asia. In course of time, Calcutta’s tram network expanded and earned itself the moniker, ‘lifeline of the city’. As the winds of change swept in, steam and electric powered trams started replacing the poor horses as beasts of burden.

While most tram routes have now been phased out, the few remaining ones continue to soldier on, reminding everyone of a legacy, which seems to be fading away. If this little story has piqued your interest, you will be glad to know that Kolkata has a special museum dedicated to trams, known as the Smaranika Tram Museum. Smaranika means remembrance. 

Good to know

• As of January 2023, two regular tram routes remain in service.
• Trams are eco-friendly.
• The Tram Museum sometimes hosts special events.

The Wah Tea Estate spans an area of over 526 acres, dating back to the Raj-era. For accommodation, the property has three cottages with eight ensuite bedrooms. Every effort was made to keep it eco-friendly right from the time of construction. The traditional ‘gaddi’ style architecture reveals the hand of local artisans and craftsmen. Similarly, hand-chiselled slates, river stones, and materials salvaged from a demolished old structure were liberally used.

Even now, the emphasis is upon minimising carbon foot prints and empowering local communities. For cooking, ingredients are sourced from their own organic farm and the locals are hired extensively. Naturally, the meals are healthy and flavourful. While a variety of Indian and global cuisine is served, the menu is based on the season – this ensures absolutely farm-fresh food. Also, meals are planned according to the preferences of guests.

POSSIBLE EXPERIENCES

• Explore Dharamshala and McLeod Gunj
• Go paragliding at Bir and Billing
• Enjoy tailor-made treks
• Tour the Andretta Village
• Go on a jeep safari to a mountain top
• Explore the ancient Kangra Fort
• Ride a toy train

Good food is synonymous with Kolkata. The denizens of this lovely vibrant city are as passionate about food as they are about art, culture, and sports. Besides celebrated Bengali culinary wonders, Kolkata has also embraced various other Indian as well as global culinary influences over the years. Kolkata made it to this list of the top 10 global dining destinations in 2023 after being tried on various parameters.

One of the most endearing things about Kolkata’s culinary heritage is its legendary street food scene. In terms of street food, one will be hard pressed to find such a wide array of choice in other Indian cities. For instance, the humble phuchka is dished out in almost every nook and cranny of Kolkata. Similarly, the famous Kolkata Biryani, with its signature egg and potato also rules the hearts of countless foodies. Also, no discussion about Kolkata’s street food is complete without referring to the famous mouth-watering Kathi rolls.

Good to know

• Rasgullas and Sandesh are amongst the most popular sweets in Kolkata.
• In Kathi Rolls, the mutton ones are old favourites.
• Colonial and Nawabi influences have played an important role in shaping Kolkata’s culinary heritage.

Of course, the celebrations vary with interesting regional twists and names such as Lathmar Holi in Barsana, Uttar Pradesh, and Basanta Utsav in West Bengal. Lathmar Holi is exactly what it sounds like, wherein ladies use sticks to ward off mischievous men, a throwback to the days of Lord Krishna. Belief goes that the lord used to visit the village of Barsana to play Holi and tease his beloved, Goddess Radha. In turn, Radha and her friends used to beat back the Lord with sticks.

In West Bengal, the tradition of Basanta Utsav or spring festival was started at Santiniketan. Soulful songs, poetical recitations, and dance dramas are as much a part of the festival as is rang khela (playing with colours). Also, in West Bengal, Dol refers to the aspect of playing Holi with colours.

Ultimately, the unique names and celebrations in different states are a manifestation of India’s spirit of unity in diversity, not quite unlike the different shades of colours that bring Holi cheer to life.

8th – 14th March, 2023

The name, Anandpur Sahib or simply Anandpur literally means place of joy. It’s one of the holiest cities in the Sikh faith and is all set to celebrate the annual Holla Mohalla festival.

The Hola Mohalla festival hosts one of the largest annual Sikh gatherings in the world. The top highlight is the spellbinding display of martial splendour by Nihangs (traditional Sikh warriors) adorned in blue robes and regal turbans. Amidst all these spirited performances, the pious spirit of sharing and giving back holds sway with organisers of langar stalls vying to feed as many people as possible. 

Holy recitations or kirtans, poetry sessions, and musical performances are amongst the highlights. Traditionally, Hola Mohalla is a 3-day event, but the merriments last for a week. Hola Mohalla starts on the day after the spring festival of Holi, but sometimes the dates coincide. Officially, the festival concludes with a special procession from Takht Keshgarh Sahib (one of the five Sikh religious seats) to the Takht.

The Travel+Leisure India & South Asia team visited Bhumi at The Ahilya Fort Heritage Hotel in Maheshwar for a cover shoot. During their meeting, Bhumi candidly admitted that she had fallen in love with the energy of the place. She loves its old world charm as well as creature comforts. This heritage property tenaciously clings on to its royal heritage. Even the recipe for food remains the same – so, visitors will be served dishes that were relished by Maharajas. 

As Bhumi is an avid climate activist, she also loves Ahilya Fort’s deep relationship with sustainability. For instance, steel jugs are used for water, while electric vehicles take care of airport transfers. Being a history buff, Bhumi was further enchanted by the rich legacy of Ahilya Fort and the town of Maheshwar. Once the home of royalty, this fort was converted into a heritage hotel by Richard Holkar, the son of the last Maharaja of Indore.

The revamped Shivamogga Airport was recently inaugurated and has a lotus-shaped terminal. Developed at a cost of around INR 450 crores, the passenger terminal building of the airport has the capacity to handle 300 passengers per hour. It is expected that the airport will improve the connectivity of Shivamogga and other neighbouring areas in Karnataka’s Malnad region. The airport was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Mr Modi.

AirAsia India started its operations from Terminal 2 of Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport from 1st March, 2023. Mumbai is one of the airline’s four hubs in India. This will enable AirAsia to facilitate convenient same-terminal transfers to group airlines – Air India Express and Air India – for domestic as well as international flights. Passengers will definitely benefit from this development.

All the entry and boarding gates of Terminal 2 and 3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport are set to be DigiYatra enabled by the end of March 2023. Once the process is in place, around 40% of all daily domestic travellers will experience a lot of convenience at the airport, as they will get easy access to the terminals and thereon, right up to the time of boarding.

MV Ganga Vilas culminated its maiden voyage of over 3200 km at Dibrugarh,Assam on 28 th February, 2023. This successful journey marks the world’s longest river cruise and shows the tremendous potential of river tourism throughout the South Asia region. It is India’s first indigenously made cruise vessel and has already been booked for both to and fro journeys over the next two years.

Now, travellers visiting India from G-20 countries have the facility to use Unified Payments Interface (UPI) for retail payments at merchant outlets at three international airports in India. The eligible travellers will get prepaid payment instruments (PPI) wallets linked to UPI. Initially, this facility is being offered at the airports in Delhi, Bengaluru, and Mumbai. So, travellers will get this convenience at merchant outlets that accept these payments at the mentioned airports.

The revamped Shivamogga Airport was recently inaugurated and has a lotus-shaped terminal. Developed at a cost of around INR 450 crores, the passenger terminal building of the airport has the capacity to handle 300 passengers per hour. It is expected that the airport will improve the connectivity of Shivamogga and other neighbouring areas in Karnataka’s Malnad region. The airport was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Mr Modi.

AirAsia India started its operations from Terminal 2 of Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport from 1st March, 2023. Mumbai is one of the airline’s four hubs in India. This will enable AirAsia to facilitate convenient same-terminal transfers to group airlines – Air India Express and Air India – for domestic as well as international flights. Passengers will definitely benefit from this development.

All the entry and boarding gates of Terminal 2 and 3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport are set to be DigiYatra enabled by the end of March 2023. Once the process is in place, around 40% of all daily domestic travellers will experience a lot of convenience at the airport, as they will get easy access to the terminals and thereon, right up to the time of boarding.

MV Ganga Vilas culminated its maiden voyage of over 3200 km at Dibrugarh,Assam on 28 th February, 2023. This successful journey marks the world’s longest river cruise and shows the tremendous potential of river tourism throughout the South Asia region. It is India’s first indigenously made cruise vessel and has already been booked for both to and fro journeys over the next two years.

Now, travellers visiting India from G-20 countries have the facility to use Unified Payments Interface (UPI) for retail payments at merchant outlets at three international airports in India. The eligible travellers will get prepaid payment instruments (PPI) wallets linked to UPI. Initially, this facility is being offered at the airports in Delhi, Bengaluru, and Mumbai. So, travellers will get this convenience at merchant outlets that accept these payments at the mentioned airports.

The revamped Shivamogga Airport was recently inaugurated and has a lotus-shaped terminal. Developed at a cost of around INR 450 crores, the passenger terminal building of the airport has the capacity to handle 300 passengers per hour. It is expected that the airport will improve the connectivity of Shivamogga and other neighbouring areas in Karnataka’s Malnad region. The airport was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Mr Modi.

AirAsia India started its operations from Terminal 2 of Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport from 1st March, 2023. Mumbai is one of the airline’s four hubs in India. This will enable AirAsia to facilitate convenient same-terminal transfers to group airlines – Air India Express and Air India – for domestic as well as international flights. Passengers will definitely benefit from this development.

All the entry and boarding gates of Terminal 2 and 3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport are set to be DigiYatra enabled by the end of March 2023. Once the process is in place, around 40% of all daily domestic travellers will experience a lot of convenience at the airport, as they will get easy access to the terminals and thereon, right up to the time of boarding.

MV Ganga Vilas culminated its maiden voyage of over 3200 km at Dibrugarh,Assam on 28 th February, 2023. This successful journey marks the world’s longest river cruise and shows the tremendous potential of river tourism throughout the South Asia region. It is India’s first indigenously made cruise vessel and has already been booked for both to and fro journeys over the next two years.

Now, travellers visiting India from G-20 countries have the facility to use Unified Payments Interface (UPI) for retail payments at merchant outlets at three international airports in India. The eligible travellers will get prepaid payment instruments (PPI) wallets linked to UPI. Initially, this facility is being offered at the airports in Delhi, Bengaluru, and Mumbai. So, travellers will get this convenience at merchant outlets that accept these payments at the mentioned airports.