Tag: Kolkata
South Africa woos Indian tourists
January 21 (TravelAndy): South Africa will host four road shows in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata to attract Indian tourists, said reports.
As a part of South Africa’s ‘Made for India in South Africa’ campaign, 50 off-beat destinations in South Africa will be promoted for the first time in India.
Access to adventure activities in Monkeyland, Birds of Eden and Jukani will be given all year round for Indians. Earlier, these places offered seasonal access. Continue reading South Africa woos Indian tourists
Durga Puja comes to an end
October 22 (TravelAndy): The festival of Durga Puja came to an end today.
Durga Puja is the biggest festival of the Bengalis and it usually takes place over four days in or around October depending on the Hindu lunar calendar. Though the core of the festival is religious, it has now developed into more of a Bengali cultural carnival.
At the end of the festival, the idols are immersed in water bodies. While the idols of private pujas have started today, that of the community pujas will have be immersed either today or Sunday. No immersions will take place on Saturday because the Muslim festival of Muharram falls on that day. Continue reading Durga Puja comes to an end
Durga Puja closed after near-stampede
October 19 (TravelAndy): In an unprecedented move, Kolkata Police have closed a Durga Puja here indefinitely even before the festival officially begins tomorrow.
Durga Puja is the biggest festival of the Bengalis and it usually takes place over four days in or around October depending on the Hindu lunar calendar. Though the core of the festival is religious, it has now developed into more of a Bengali cultural carnival.
Legend has it the Goddess Durga, along with her four children come to the earth from heaven during these days. The festival celebrates the goddess’ coming to the earth. Continue reading Durga Puja closed after near-stampede
‘New’ Victoria Memorial sets 2017 date
July 23 (TravelAndy): The iconic Victoria Memorial Hall in Kolkata is undergoing an elaborate makeover and intends to open in all its glory to visitors by March 2017, said reports.
After the renovation, it will serve as an open cultural space, allowing visitors access to parts which are not open to the public now.
This makeover will transform this Kolkata landmark into a unique combination of heritage, architecture and museum, Victoria Memorial Hall curator, Jayanta Sengupta told PTI. Continue reading ‘New’ Victoria Memorial sets 2017 date
Kolkata-Colombo direct flight from June 17
June 9 (TravelAndy): Sri Lankan government-owned low-cost carrier Mihin Lanka is set to start direct flights between Colombo and Kolkata from June 17.
The airline will operate three flights a week – on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
This will be the first direct flight on this route. Continue reading Kolkata-Colombo direct flight from June 17
Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala bus cuts travel time
June 7 (TravelAndy): Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina flagged off a bus service connecting the Indian states of West Bengal and Tripura via Dhaka on Saturday.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee was also present at the event in the Bangladesh capital.
The new bus route has significantly shrunk the road distance between the two Indian states to around 500km with one not having to go around Bangladesh. Continue reading Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala bus cuts travel time
Flashback 2014: My Instagram journey
I had joined Instagram in the middle of 2014, shortly before my trip to Japan. Consequently, it was no surprise that I did some extensive picture posting during that particular trip.
This post is a flashback of the year gone by through some of the pictures I had shared on Instagram.
No gyan here, just reliving some memories. Continue reading Flashback 2014: My Instagram journey
How I dug out cheap air tickets
Flying and sleeping eat up the major part of any travel budget. Consequently, if you can check these costs, it’s possible to bring down the cost of your travel cost by a considerable amount.
I have earlier written on how to find cheap flights. In this post, I will share with you two examples of how a little bit of digging around saved me several thousand rupees. Continue reading How I dug out cheap air tickets
Schengen visa guide for Indians
Germany has recently outsourced its visa application cell to VFS, which handles the visa process of several other countries, and it appears, the process has become simpler and faster.
I spoke to my friend Piyush, who has just returned from a terrific trip to East Europe, on the visa process. Continue reading Schengen visa guide for Indians
How to have the local experience
I hate to queue up to see a ‘tourist spot’ while visiting a new place. When I am travelling, I try to experience a slice of the life of the local person because, to me, that’s the best way to get a feel of a new place.
If you look at travel from a similar perspective, here are seven ways on how to have the local experience.