India

On the Tragic Fate of Temple Elephants

India Onam elephants 2

Well, we haven’t had a Festival Friday for a while. To celebrate World Environment Day, this week we would like to offer something different. An article on the Onam festival in Kerala, and some thoughts on the fate of temple elephants.

India Fatehpur Sikri elephant carving
Elephant carving in an Indian temple

Kerala has something different from the rest of India. A mellow, slower pace of life. Touts won’t bother you, rickshaw-drivers are likely to be napping on the back of their vehicle. If you have read Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things, you’ll know what I mean. Kerala is a place of crumbling colonial architecture and steamy forests, criss-crossed by canals and fringed by beautiful beaches.

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India in Five Sacred Sites

India Taj Mahal side with man

We continue our India month with an exploration of five sacred sites, some famous some less famous, to highlight the cultural and historical heritage of this incredible country. 1) The Taj Mahal Wait. Wait a second. What do you mean ‘sacred site’? The Taj Mahal, India’s iconic sight, daily trampled by hordes of camera-toting, paan-spitting tourists? … Read more

A Simple Guide to Indian Trains

indian train platform

Following our Simple Guide to Italian Trains, here’s another guide on how to navigate the incredibly confusing world of Indian trains. So, you’ve made it to India. Your first trip, congrats! You have overcome culture shock on your arrival and spent some days/weeks at your city of arrival, be it Delhi, Calcutta, Mumbai or other. Now … Read more