Nov 15, 2011

(Westport, CT, October 18, 2011) – Geringer Global Travel is offering a fully customizable and authentic trip to India, combining local family home stays with accommodations at charming bed and breakfasts and intimate boutique properties in Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Mandawa, Bikaner, Jodhpur, and Udaipur. In a home away from home, guests will enjoy the warm

Oct 14, 2011

(CHICAGO, IL, October 12, 2011) – In celebration of the captivating music, dance and poetry of the Sufi culture, Greaves Tours LLC (www.greavesindia.com) is presenting the Nagaur Sufi Music Festival itinerary to India. This six-day group tour is limited to 20 people and will take place February 15 – 20, 2012.  The Nagaur Sufi Music Festival tour is priced

Jun 13, 2011

Across Asia, the African continent, and Central and South America are children holding out their hands for coins. Travelers and expats encounter beggars in every corner of the globe. Whether you have become so accustomed to beggars that you don’t notice them anymore, or you were recently accosted for the first time and felt sick to your stomach, facing poor

Jan 10, 2011

In the stations and compartments of Bombay’s local train, there is a new smell offered up every second.  These smells range from tantalizing to nauseating: one will make your mouth water, and the next will make you gag. One businessman stands on the platform and has his shoes shined. He smells of slick coconut hair oil. The rag that is being brushed

Dec 10, 2010

As I anxiously await the processing of my next Indian visa, I dream about the job I’m going to do when I get back to Mumbai. I volunteered with Atma Education Trust for three months before being invited on board to work with the NGO. Though I’ve done volunteer work all over the country, working with Atma was by far the most worthwhile and fulfilling

Dec 6, 2010

Having spent many months running all over Mumbai, day and night, I can confidently recommend the following 10 places, activities and experiences. No matter how long you’re in the city, do your best to enjoy a well-rounded visit: you will be blown away! In no particular order: 1. Dress up and dine out in Bandra Many of Mumbai’s most fabulous

Nov 15, 2010

As I’m currently in a space living between Vancouver and Mumbai, I can’t help but imagine and invent the differences between peoples’ lives in each place. Today in Vancouver, it’s sunny and 14 degrees outside. Some leaves lie crunchy on sidewalks; others that had fallen a longer time ago are reduced to paste, mixed with rain. Ground into

Oct 15, 2010

Over 100 new migrants squeeze into Mumbai on a daily basis. Those counted come with official papers, so the real number is probably around 500 people. Many, many of these migrants become “pavement dwellers.” It’s impossible to move around the city without seeing whole families spread out anywhere there is space for them. Seeing such families

Oct 9, 2010

One of the first things I observe about any place is the ratio of city to jungle. Of man-made infrastructure versus nature. The most modern and cosmopolitan cities are made of marble and glass, and even a blade of grass has a hard time popping up between the curbs. Even in India, many big cities are turning into concrete jungles as opposed to the natural places

Sep 29, 2010

“I’m also from Uttar Pradesh!” I confess, in Hindi, to rickshaw drivers in Mumbai. Most of them are from Uttar Pradesh or Jharkand area. I don’t look Indian though, so they shake their heads disbelievingly until I explain: I’m actually from Canada, but lived in the ancient city of Varanasi before coming to Mumbai. They nod understandingly,

Sep 13, 2010

Every day in Bombay, one is provided with a few opportunities to forget where they are. This is because though Bombay is situated in the state of Maharashtra, on India’s west coast, bordering the Arabian sea, it’s actually its own place… and not like any other. A Delhi-ite argued with a cell phone salesman over the rates, saying they were lower

Sep 9, 2010

During the one month period of Ramzan, determined by the Islamic lunar calendar, those who are able fast during the day. This excludes pregnant or nursing women and the very elderly. Those young men that run the shops on Bandra west’s Hill road in Mumbai, however, are not exempt. Ramzan is a time to go back to the heart of Islam, and focus on offering

Sep 7, 2010

Ones: One God, but this is debatable, depending on the point of view and faith. One child, a kid that is only a cement bag with legs coming out at the bottom. He walks slowly up a hill. The wind pulls through the pastic and he sways, almost falls, too slight to fight. His fingers curl around the edge of the cement bag and he pulls it tighter around his body to

Sep 3, 2010

Even before it rains, water hangs in the air. The wind starts to blow, warm and persuasive. Palms are flattered: they dip and lower their heads. Long grass blushes and looks the other way. Women scramble to manage their fluttering dupattas. As the sky darkens and the air thickens, they tuck their mobiles into their purses and slip their purses into plastic bags.

Aug 21, 2010

In a hard-to-find school in the Dharavi slum, I never expect to find toddlers doing arts and crafts: but they are. I’m inside a warm room with a whirring fan, where children’s feet stand on coloured circles painted on the gray ground. Oiled hair on each head is neatly parted. The kids have just finished with greeting time, and have now moved on to