Unregulated tourism has changed the landscape of several tourism destinations in India beyond repair. The problem, of course, does not only lie with stakeholders, especially since those involved in tourism are only concerned with revenue maximisation. Although there are several schemes available to promote tourism regulatory there is no document on critical regulatory aspects. In a […]
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The route was simple – Delhi-Meerut- Bijnor-Najibabad-Kotdwar and then Lansdowne. Six hours of a leisurely ride and a sudden tortuous uphill climb preceded one of our most memorable expeditions into the Himalayas. Lansdowne, about 1706 m above sea level, is one of the quietest hill stations in India, calm and so well hidden that you […]
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Freshwater fish in India, especially the ones that occupy cold-water regimes, are increasingly becoming threatened due to overexploitation, loss of biodiversity and anthropogenic interventions. Angling is a good way to raise awareness about freshwater fish, where fishing is engaged in as a sport. The fish is released once the catch is measured and photographed. India’s mahseer […]
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For a while I had been dreaming of visiting India’s only Marine National Park in the Gulf of Kutch, Gujarat. The dream came true last winter when I visited the region. Theoa is 27 km from Jamnagar. When Paresh, the forest guard and I left Theoa Guest House in the morning on our motorbike, the […]
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‘Aap Calcutta se Chakraborty sahib hai?’ I nodded in affirmation, to be issued a command ‘Chaliye, hume Bhaiji ne bheja hai,’. Before I could ascertain the whys and wherefores of this ‘Bhaiji’, the broad-shouldered young fellow hauled up my camera bag, while his assistant lugged my heavy rucksack and strode right ahead. I had no […]
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Our car zoomed along the Leh-Srinagar NH1 Highway with the Ladakh Range sprawling in the south and the Karakoram Range in the north. The snow clad peaks stood out in shocking contrast against the brown and barren landscape, and there was not a patch of green anywhere to soothe our sights. Amidst the thorny bushes, […]
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It was all excitement, and some trepidation as I boarded the night train to New Jalpaiguri (NJP) on April 12, on my first ever trip to the Singalila National Park. As the train chugged into New Jalpaiguri station at 10 am next morning; out came our rucksacks, cameras and, tripods. We emerged into the station […]
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No way were we going to sight the highest peaks on planet earth—the clouds were just too overpowering. Yet, the stony faced driver’s insistent ringing at 3 am pushed us out of bed to confront the cold fog outside. “What are our chances?” I asked, staring at a white wall before the windshield incredulously. “There […]
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Days of preparation in Delhi, collecting accessories and walking for hours all over the city culminated in the Air India flight to Leh on February 1, arriving at the KushokBakula Airport on a bright and windy day with undulating mountains enveloped in a white blanket of snow. I was received at the airport by an […]
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Ecotourism emerged as a popular concept in the late 1980s with the world acknowledging sustainable practices in tourism – sparked off by the idea of harmonious co-existence with nature. A Mexican environmentalist, Hector Ceballos-Lascurian initially described this nature based travel to relatively undistributed areas, as a learning endeavour. The concept today has however moved […]
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