Sunday, July 30, 2017

Stepping into abode of Gods

Known for its pristine landscape, Manali held new meaning for Rakesh Kumar as he prayed for clear skies to enjoy his sojourn


Rain in the mountains is a selling point for all hill resorts. Yet, as I planned a trip to Manali, I prayed for clear skies. What’s the point of spending the few days snatched from the daily grind holed up in a hotel room? Not to mention what rains can set off in the hills ~ tough driving at the very least and, if one is unlucky, landslides, blocked roads and traffic jam. As family and friends learnt of my planned trip, disbelief turned to concern and I was bombarded with back-packs of advice. Luckily for me, the rains stayed away and my 14-hour overnight drive from Delhi took me past the rolling green fields of Haryana and Punjab, ubiquitous dhabas that beckoned travelers to stop by, pristine Gurudwaras of Punjab and finally the stunning mountain terrain of Himachal Pradesh. It was around 4.00 am when we entered the hill territory and we were left in wonder as each turn of the road unfolded a sight more wondrous than the previous one. This left us wondering, if the path was so attractive, what would the actual
destination, Manali, be like.
.

Valley of Gods



 Manali is often referred to as the "Valley of the Gods". The name Manali ~ Manu Alaya (the abode of sage Manu) ~ has some historicalconnection too. It is believed Manu stepped off his ark in Manali to recreate human life after a great flood had deluged the world. In keeping with this belief, one found a temple of Sage Manu in Old ManaliAt around 9.00 am, a little away from the town of Mandi, we took a small tea break. While we were partaking hot tea and cookies, our driver informed us that we would be encountering a 3 km-long tunnel just a few kilometers away from there. After crossing the long and dark tunnel that appeared to stretch on and on, we found ourselves with a new partner, River Beas. The river stayed with us right through our stay in Manali and trips to nearby areas. After a two-hour drive from the tunnel, we entered the town of Kullu, from where it took almost an hour to reach Manali. We stayed at theTall Trees Resort, which is 14 km away from the bustling of city Manali, but situated in a pristine environment surrounded by forest and the river. A place closer to nature would be hard to find. The friendly resort staff served us with a welcome drink and escorted us to our room. While heading to our room, we spotted a natural stream flowing through the resort. Needless to mention, the gurgling sound of the stream was mesmerizing, giving us a feeling of being one with nature.
The owner of the property, Harjinder Kavel Singh Mokha, informed us the place was just three-years-old, and the choice of the location provided a retreat far from madding crowd of the city. By the time we settled in our room, it was a lunch time. A sumptuous lunch in the room later, even the lure of the nature outside couldn’t prevent us from crashing out after our 15-hour road trip.

Walking around


Our first day began with a packed itinerary, covering Old ManaliHidamba Temple, Vashist Temple and a walk to the Mall Road. We began our trip with the centuries-old Vashist temple, a 3-km walk up from the Mall Road. The temple is situated in a crowded and congested lane lined with shops selling a variety of goods. But the most popular article being vended was a blanket that the locals called “sparrow”. The most interesting part of the temple is its natural hot spring. From there we headed to Hidamba Temple near Old Manali. This is an ancient temple made of mud-washed stone and intricately carved wood with a four layered pyramidal top. It traces its origin to the
Mahabharata era and is dedicated to Hidimba, the wife of Bhima and mother of Ghatotkacha. The temple is enclosed by pine trees and has an enormous rock ~ a good place to take pictures. Our next destination was Old Manali. As its name lets out, this part of Manali has some really old-world charm. To one side of Old Manali
flows the River Beas and on the other side is a street lined with cafes bearing modern names such as German Bakery, Dylan Toasted and Roasted and Riverside Cafe. It was quite an idyllic place, perfect for those who want to spend some time in serene environment. Our day ended with a visit to Mall Road ~ a market place abuzz with tourists. Like its namesake in other hill resorts, the place is filled with shops, eateries and roadside attractions. One can get good Kashmiri articles here at good price. If one is not inclined to shop, one can spend hours window- shopping.

High point


They say a trip to Manali is incomplete without a visit to Rohtang Pass. Therefore, the next day saw us vending owards Rohtang Pass. It is the highest point in Kullu, and connects the Kullu Valley with Manali-Leh Highway. We started very early for our three- hour journey to Rohtang Pass, meeting bikers, mostly foreigners riding Bullet bikes
heading towards Ladakh. The route overlooked some breathtaking landscape, covering beautiful hills and streams. Most of the time Rohtang Pass is covered with snow and people come here for various sport activities ~ skiing, ice-biking and paragliding. Though there was no snow when reached there, we enjoyed the sights nevertheless. Our most thrilling moment was seeing the originating point of River Beas. Our sojourn didn't end here as the resort had planned various activities such as fishing, nature walks, treks and a jeep safari. In the evening a special visit was arranged to the nearest village, with a local guide. The most memorable part of the village trip was plucking apples and devouring them fresh from the tree. And, thankfully, rain did not play spoil-sport!
#Travel #Manali #Rohtang #Mallroad
Read More

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Seek, Discover and Explore


The focus of the fourth Madhya Pradesh Travel Mart is to highlight Madhya Pradesh as a year round travel destination

  The 4th edition of Madhya Pradesh Travel Mart with the theme of Seek-Discover-Explore will be held at Bhopal from October 27 to 29 this year. Around 200 national and international buyers and about 100 representatives of distinct Indian markets are expected to participate in it. The main objective of this mart is to promote the Madhya Pradesh as a destination throughout the year. The mart will provide a B2B platform which will bring tourism stakeholders on a platform where they would interact to explore opportunities of mutual trade. The event is being supported by eminent institutions of tourism and hospitality industry including Adventure Tour Operators Association of India, Indian Association of Tour Operators, Travel Agent Association of India and Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Association of India.
“The Travel Mart is an opportunity in which the tourism aspects of the state and the policies and schemes are conveyed to the investors. In the last 3 years of the Travel Mart in Bhopal, it has been experienced that through this one-to-one discussion with tourists, tourism, hospitality and participants of the hotel industry, the efforts being made for the expansion of the area are also being underlined,” said Hari Ranjan Rao, Secretary, Tourism and Public Service Management, Managing Director, M.P. State Tourism Development Corporation, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board.
The last edition was highly successful with around 8 crore visitors out of which around 6 lakhs were foreign tourist. This year the number is expected to around 9 crore with many international participants like Singapore, Spain, United Kingdom, United States of America, Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Thailand, Poland, Austria, Australia and France.



Read More

Monday, July 24, 2017

Not so uncultured

Chic interiors, innovative food and ample rooftop space are just a few things one can look forward to in Uncultured Café and Bar, writes Rakesh Kumar 

Ever since the Municipal Corporation of Delhi asked restaurants in Connaught Place not to use rooftops, restaurants with rooftops in other areas took advantage. People love dining under an open sky and mist fan. Away from Connaught Place, in Kailash Colony, Uncultured Bar and Café has started attracting many patrons, courtesy its large rooftop. Tucked in the midst of the bustling Kailash Colony market, Uncultured is a casual, chic and European-style restaurant. Even though the whole market is dotted with many shining billboards of restaurants offering various cuisines, Uncultured Café and Bar stands out among them. Located on the first floor, the restaurant has a quirky and comfortable ambiance and rooftop area. The restaurant's indoor area is kept quite simple. Inside the restaurant there's subtle lighting, a little artificial greenery and cane baskets with dried flowers on the walls. The walls are full of colourful posters and graffiti. Seating arrangements are cozy with leather indoors and cane chairs outdoors and cabanas on the roof-top. There is a separate zone for kids also. Games like ball pool, castle of blocks, video games, puzzles, rides and puzzles keep the kids entertained throughout.

 The restaurant's menu offers food from all over the globe, including American, Mediterranean, European and Indian culinary. It is filled with food ranging from Pizzas, Pastas, Kebabs, Wraps and Sliders to Street Food, Indian Classics, Continental and Oriental.
 Usually we avoid ordering salad as our first meal in any restaurant, but it was highly recommended by restaurant's manager. we chose Indo-Caesar Salad, which was quite fresh, and indeed the best way to begin. Once done with the Salad, there was a deluge of dishes on the table. Betroot ki Chaat, where beetroot was baked and dressed with several chutney and spices, was good to taste but not the best. Then it was the turn of Gol Gappa. It was served quite impressively: there were syringes filled with different chutney and test tubes carrying flavoured water. However, it was no match to the roadside Golgappa, except for hygiene and presentation. Then we were served Butter Chicken Croquets ~ balls of chicken decorated with herbs and spices. Grilled Prawns were just average. One can go for Chilli Garlic Fish instead. There are plenty of drinks options ~ one could start with Weekend Uncultured, then try Double Spicy Twist and Pan Badshah should be the last. It has a refreshing taste of Paan. 
 In the main course, one can start with Mutton Rogan Josh ~ it was the chef’s recommendation and really tasted well. For vegetarians Chilli Soya Chaap can be a good choice with Chur Chur Naan. Amritsari Makhni Chicken had lots of butter ~ if health conscious, better avoid it. Overall, the restaurant deserves a visit, at least for its large open dining area.
Table for two: Rs 1,500 (approx.) with alcohol

Address: Uncultured Cafe And Bar
HS-12, Kailash Colony Rd,
Block K, Kailash Colony, Greater Kailash,
New Delhi-110048
Contact No: 011 30806654





Read More

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Might and Majesty


Aqua Loins 3, the new offering of Intex comes with 2.5D curve DragonTrail glass, big battery, Android 7 OS and the SwiftKey Keyboard.

Intex Technologies, a leading mobile handset makers introduced a new feature-rich, powerful and stylish 4G-Volte smartphone~ Aqua Lions 3. In partnership with SwiftKey by Microsoft, the Android 7OS powered device comes with a smart keyboard that will make typing 22 Indian languages easy and cool.
Priced at Rs. 6499, the phone is 4G-Volte smartphone comes with a 5-inch HD IPS OnCell display supported with a 2.5D curved glass. The display is well protected with the super tough DragonTrail glass, one of the best for protection and sturdy usage. The device is powered with a 1.25GHz quad-core processor and 2GB RAM, ensuring smooth performance while playing high-end games, watching videos and multitasking. The device is powered with a big 4000mAh Li-Ion battery.
 “With Aqua Lions 3 smartphone, we are not only providing the best specs, but also with SwiftKey keyboard integration enabling Intex’s diverse consumers from different parts of the country the freedom and joy to express themselves in their mother tongue. Intex has always designed products keeping in mind consumers’ needs & demands and Aqua Lions 3 model will surely be a delight,” said Ishita Bansal, Product Head - Mobiles, Intex Technologies.
For photography enthusiasts and selfies lovers the phone has 8MP (AF) selfie and 8MP (FF) rear camera powered with Front LED & Rear LED flash to click bright pictures even in low light zones. It has in-built 16GB ROM with an expandable memory of up to 128GB, that ensures no more space constraints. The device is available in two premium colours~ Champagne and Black.



Read More

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

A living legend

Monuments teeming with history, delicious food and a luxurious stay ~ all these made Rakesh Kumar’s weekend trip to Agra an unforgettable experience



Just 250 km from the Capital, with several travel options and a strong pull, a visit to Taj Mahal, one of the world’s most visited monuments, had been eluding me for years. Quite often it was just a narrow miss that kept me from one of the Seven Wonders of the world. Thanks to an office assignment, I got a chance and ample amount of time to visit Agra city, which houses not just the Taj Mahal but other monuments that have a lot of history attached to them.

Pages of history


Agra, once the Capital city of Mughal India, had played a significant role in Indian history.  One can find many descriptions of the city right from Mahabharata era to Mughal or Lodhi dynasty. The different dynasties bestowed on Agra a time graph through its numerous forts, mosques, step wells and gates. Among these some of them like the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri come under the ambit of UNESCO world heritage sites.
 Our tryst with Agra began on a Saturday morning. Initially we planned to go by the newly launched Gatimaan Express, which reaches Agra in just 100 minutes. However, as tickets were not available, we took to the road and after almost four hours and three toll gates reached the historical city. As we entered the city, images of the Mughal era that we had read or seen in movies, started opening up before us. We imagined Emperor Akbar walking along the congested lanes of Agra, or Shah Jahan walking to the Yamuna Bank to monitor the progress of the Taj Mahal. We pictured how Agra Fort would be abuzz with people.

The hotel


Our first task was to look for a good place to stay and our search ended at Radisson Blu, Agra, which was our home for the next two days. Staying at Radisson Blu, Agra, had its advantages. The foremost was its location. The luxury hotel is conveniently located near the Agra Fort and at walking distance from the Taj Mahal. Apart from this, the property, which is surrounded by 4.5 acres of land with 142 luxury rooms and suites, boasts of many latest amenities like sparkling outdoor pool, the Health Club, Spa, a business centre and restaurants offering  the finest world cuisine, traditional culinary and rustic barbeque at the poolside.
 Our room was comfortable and well-decorated, including fresh flowers and lovely artwork. But the best part was the fashioning of the towels in the shape of the Taj Mahal. This encouraged us all the more to visit the Taj Mahal as soon as possible.

The city


After lunch and a short rest, we headed out to explore the city. Our first instinct was to head for the Taj Mahal. But the hotel staff advised us not to go in afternoon but early morning. They informed that the white structure looks more attractive in the morning and also changes into a golden colour with the first rays of sunlight.
 Taking the staff’s word we then visited the Agra Fort. The fort, also known as Lal Quila, was the abode of the Mughal dynasty and is now known as the sister monument of the Taj. The red sandstone structure was built by Emperor Akbar. It took 4,000 workers to build it in eight years. The fort has four large gates and is divided into different palaces ~ Moti Mahal, Sheesh Mahal, Jehangir’s Palace and Khas Mahal. Apart from its impressive architecture and design, the fort also bears the fascinating history of the Mughals. Shah Jahan renovated it by adding marble work and converting the raw red sandstone structure into a palace. His son Aurangzeb imprisoned him in the same fort at Mussaman Burj.  After exploring the fort, we visited the Sadar Bazar ~ the famous market of Agra and Mehtab Bagh.
 Back at the hotel, we were asked by the manager to be ready by 6 am next morning, if we really want to see the Taj Mahal in a golden colour. At the same time, he recommended the Noor-e-Taj show ~ an audio-visual show organised by the hotel, which gives an insider view of the Taj Mahal.

 Next morning we were ready by 5.30 am. There was a huge queue outside the main gate of the Taj. Surprisingly, they were mostly foreigners, armed with their mobiles and cameras. After much pushing and shoving, we finally managed to enter. Passing one more red gate, the pure white structure lay before us. Is it the legendary Taj Mahal? For a few moments, everyone kept gazing the structure, which is the most beautiful monument I have ever seen in my life. Now it was a time to steal the moment. Like everyone else, I took out my camera and clicked away. People were jostling to take best shot of the Taj or with the Taj. As the sun rose, with every angle of the sunlight, the Taj Mahal changed its colour from pure white to gold. We lingered there for two hours before returning to the hotel.
 Soon it was evening and time to take the Gatimaan Express back to Delhi. Throughout our journey, the only thought running in mind was why we were keen to get back the Kohinoor, when a living Kohinoor is present in Agra ~ the Taj Mahal.

http://www.thestatesman.com/travel/a-living-legend-1485610258.html
#travel #tajmahal #weekendgateways 

Read More

Culinary flights



Frequent fliers often have complain about the food served on the flight ~ one may want to improve the taste of the sandwich, the dosa may not be crispy, the curry too thick or the quantity of food not enough and not tasting as it should. But little does one know how this food is processed and reaches the passengers.
Unlike food on the ground, which is served soon after it is cooked, flight foods have to go through several processes for it to stay fresh and nutritious for several hours.
It takes around at least 18 hours to prepare a single meal and making food tasty in the sky is the major challenge for chefs.
The food served in the plane has to withstand several fluctuations in temperatures, swinging between extreme and moderate, from the moment a meal is cooked or prepared in the kitchen to the time it is served to a passenger. Just like a flight control room, these kitchens too have a control room to know all the flight details. “Which flight is coming next?
Which flight will be flying where? What would be the passengers' preference?
All these one has to take care of in this control room,” explained general manager of Taj SATS, Shashi R Sinha. One has to keep in mind a lot of things before serving food on the flight. International Airline Virgin Atlantics informed that a lot goes into preparing food to be served at 35,000 ft.
“People eat with their eyes before they eat with their mouths, so colours and textures create anticipation of the tastes to follow meaning the visual appearance of a dish is vital," informed the spokesperson from Lufthansa. "We also need to make sure our cabin crew is able to create the dishes and present them to our customers in the aircraft. We also take into consideration the weight and packaging sizes, cooking time and the food safety elements of the storage on-board." Why so tasteless?
Scientifically, while flying high, the humidity in the cabin drops by around 15 per cent, which make sense of smell and taste decrease by 20-25 per cent. Therefore, the transport of smell and taste to the brain becomes slows. At this height, the taste of salt and sweet also decreases.
Therefore flight food is high on salt and sweet. In a bid to maintain the taste in the sky, airlines have to work a little harder. Take for example Virgin Atlantic Airlines, which selects products with a stronger flavour profile to ensure that they are not tasteless on the flight.
"We create recipes that take into account the air pressure and humidity levels aboard an aircraft. We do not add additional salt or pepper ~ the increased flavour profiles are achieved through natural ingredients," said a spokesperson of Virgin Atlantic Airlines.
The same goes with the German airline Lufthasana, which works with natural aromas such as fresh herbs, spices and reductions (such as tomato reduction) to enhance the flavours and make food tasty and healthy. In the kitchen The story of flight food is complicated ~ usually, in international flights, destination determines the nature of food while in domestic routes it is timing.

A recent trip to Vistara Airlines' base kitchen in the Capital revealed the intense planning that goes into processing and delivering food to the planes.
Food is cooked round the clock in the vast kitchen of Taj SATs, situated in Aerocity Delhi. More than 700 dishes are readied in its kitchen, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and desserts.
Usually the staff start preparing food 18 hours prior to a flight as it has to go through several processes. Once the raw material is received, the first task is to check the quality, cleaning norms, temperature management and expiry dates. This is done by the quality assurance team.
Raw vegetables are kept in chlorine water for some time to sanitize them.
For packaged material or other ingredients, there is a separate staff dedicated to open them and check thoroughly. There are many dos and don’ts the kitchen staff has to keep in mind while preparing the food. For instance, food has to be delivered within 18 hours of preparation.
Managing temperature is also a major challenge. The science behind preservation says food is free from any biological attacks as long as it is warm (up to 72 degree Celsius) or cold (5 degree Celsius).
"Every activity is time bound here. And if the time pattern is not followed the food can go waste," the general manager of Taj STATs informed. "I will give you an example of this raw meat ~ it has to be readied at 15 degree within 45 minutes." The vast kitchen is divided into different parts ~ in Taj STATs they call it islands.
For instance, some islands are meant to prepare food for business-class food, some are meant to cook breakfast or some will cook only vegetarian or only non-vegetarian.
To demarcate them, the kitchen uses different colours of cutlery sets to cook different food. Green is meant for vegetarian, yellow for chicken, red is for meat and blue is for sea food.

“Serving food on flights is one of the most difficult parts. We have to keep so many things in mind. We have limited space and weight of food ~ we can’t exceed it. Therefore, we try to serve less liquid items like dal or curry. Other than this we also have to (keep an eye on) everything, like how food looks, forks, knives and cutlery apart from many other things," Arun Batra, the executive chef of Taj SATS.
The business-class meal of Vistara weighs around 300 gms per meal and economy class food weighs approximately 220 gms per meal. And this does not include soft drinks. Tea/coffee and juices weigh about 80-100 ml and water is 200 ml. "Not only this, we even test the calorie count," the chef added.
Once the food is ready, the most important task is to bring all the hot food from 72 degree Celsius to 15 degree, within four hours.
The food is shifted from hot kitchen to cold kitchen, where it is kept in a freezer for four hours to "cold soak".
The food is then transported to meal bank in trolleys. As the flight timing approaches, the food is taken out of the meal bank. Taj SATS also carries out a Hazards Analysis Critical Control Point test (HACCP), wherein food samples are sent to their in-house lab to test for food poisoning.
In the last one hour, they do the final packing before dispatching. Even before finally transporting the trolley, the food is again randomly checked to find out the types or class it belongs to.
Once the security passes the food, these trolleys are sealed. High lifts, named special vans, take the food to various destinations. The packages are opened only when they reach the plane.
"Even a little difference in temperature can change the taste and texture of food," the Vistara chef said. Once the whole process is done, dishwashing is equally important.
Usually, the dishes and cutlery are sanitized at 82 degree Celsius. Deciding the menu The food in-charge of Vistara, a Singapore-based airline, which serves 9,000 to10,000 meals in a day in its entire network, informed that season played an important role in deciding and changing the menu.
Their menu is finalised by the food and beverage industry in a series of brain-storming sessions and a thorough research goes into identifying the latest food trends. Usually the menu is changed twice a year ~ once in summer and then between October and November, with the onset of winter.
But preparations for every change starts three to four months in advance. "We keep certain things in mind before deciding the menu.
For instance, for an early morning flight from Delhi to Mumbai it is understood that most passengers will be travelling for work. So we make sure that the meal is light and has the right ingredients. Similarly, dinner is a little heavy, the reason being that a lot of people generally catch flights skipping more than one meal,” informed the Vistara chef. The menu is decided between the chefs and the management team.

Once they are finalized, a sample tasting is organised with the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer and Chief Financial Officer, lead cabin crew members and chefs from other regions, as well as others for feedback.
"In Vistara, the menu goes through four cycles of rotation and each cycle is repeated after six days. This ensures a unique gastronomical experience every time one flies Vistara, especially for the airline's frequent flyers,” said the Vistara spokesperson. International carrier Lufthansa informed that they try to fulfill the wishes and expectations of passengers as well as possible. Since they fly all over the world, other than western food they also need to take care of ethnic food specialities such as Japanese, Indian and so on.
"To start the programme we hold a so-called think tank meeting, to collect all kinds of ideas regarding what we want to do and in which direction we might want to go. This involves participants from Lufthansa sales, Lufthansa crew and the Lufthansa product development," informed the airline’s spokesperson.
Once the menu is finalised a briefing is sent to the catering unit that states what they expect to see and what should be prepared.
The menu proposals are sent back to them after two to three months.
Out of the given proposals they select around 100-150 dishes. This is how the menu is curated in every airline. Not only this, the menu has to change according to season and class also.
“Anyone travelling to a destination tastes their first flavours (of the region or country) on-board the aircraft, starting their journey through the food we serve." informed Virgin Atlantic spokesperson.
"We change our Upper Class and Premium Economy food menu every three months, while we change our Economy menu every six months. In our menu selection we like to add a little bit more class to all our dishes and we define a style based on the market trends , driven by demand. We love to curate delicious food with structure, height and a bit of culinary art while keeping it fresh and intriguing."
Read More