The origins of the city of Agra can be traced back to the days of the Mahabharata, the epic poem of Great India when it was called Agrevana, meaning ‘the edge of the forest’. Agra served as a capital for the Mughal Empire during the 16th and 17th centuries and flourished as a centre of art, drawing inspiration from Persian,…
There are books that inspire travel, and travels that inspire books. This blog will be both – some books that inspired travel across India, and some adventures that inspired novels, which perhaps in turn will inspire you to chart your own journeys across India. Keeping with this month’s theme, these books also touch upon the rivers of India, as a…
For the past 11 years, Travel Scope in partnership with Mindful Journeys – USA have facilitated a most unusual experience – a Jungian encounter with the soul of India’s heartland. Part journeys across India, part explorations of one’s soul, the study tours have been about exploring the archetypal soul of India defined by its mythology and history, as viewed through…
Across India, January is increasingly being associated with literature festivals. Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and the state of Gujarat, all celebrate indigenous and international literature – each with their inimical selection of authors and other personalities gracing the stage. In Jaipur, the literature festival started off as a small effort and today, is being touted as ‘the world’s largest free literature…
There is a lot to be said about a country, as diverse in its faiths as India, and as tolerant in its attitudes towards each. Today’s political factions and media warmongering may create tensions between India’s many religions; sow the seeds of dissension in the populace, yet the architecture of our cities tells a very different narrative. While taking a…
“In India even the most mundane inquiries have a habit of ending this way. There may be two answers, there may be five, a dozen or a hundred; the only thing that is certain is that all will be different.” …
Life is a song – sing it. Life is a game – play it. Life is a challenge – meet it. Life is a dream – realize it. Life is a sacrifice – offer it. Life is love – enjoy it. – Sai Baba As the end of October draws near, excitement crackles as the air turns cooler and…
“The Indian Summer has its own rainbow in nature… the vermillion flower on the Gulmohar, the canary yellow blossom of the Laburnum, violet virulence on the Jacaranda and pristine white Jasmine emits an unbelievable sweetness under a starry night sky.” While most people across the world rue the Indian Summer as a hot and dry season, we embrace it! As we…
{ “What do you do?” “I am a dream-catcher. I take your reality and weave you a fantasy.” } This is a story that begins in the heart of Calcutta, just before the turn of the century. The moving image had come to town and a far-sighted Bengali gentleman named Hiralal Sen brought the stage to screen with his…
“Travel brings power and love back to your life” – Rumi While Western world civilizations from the Mayans to the Norse predict the end of the world in this century, our eastern roots urge us to look at every death as a rebirth, every misstep as a step in a new direction, every end as a new beginning. In a year…