Business class travel is about comfort and joy rather than luxury and extravagance. Flying Business Class is still a dream for many middle-income Indian families. Just imagine how middle-class parents feel when they get to travel on business class flights with cozy seating, extra legroom, sumptuous meals and other indulgences! Undeniably, it is more than honor and pride, especially for those parents who invest in their daughters’ education and career rather than fairytale wedding.

“Let’s not throw our tickets. We will frame them,” said Ishpreet Kaur’s father on seeing business class air tickets to the US in his hand after he entered the terminal at New Delhi International Airport. Her parents had no knowledge of the travel class they were actually about to fly in until Ishpreet revealed it to them as a surprise just before they were going to check in for the Economy class.

Picture Credit: Instagram.com/ishpreetkay/

Ishpreet would never forget her father’s words of joy, “First time in our life, we are traveling in business class. Ishu converted our economy class tickets to business…” At the airport, she told her father to look at the boarding passes carefully before moving further. At first, he could not understand what was so special about the boarding passes. The very next moment, he uttered “business class” out of his absolute surprise, as if a cloud of happiness burst inside him to shed tears of joy.

She recorded a video of the heartwarming moment and shared it on Instagram first. The viral video resonated with overseas Indians, many of them struggle to fly out their visiting parents on business class flights. In the video, her father is seen checking the boarding passes with all smiles over and again, and telling her mother not to throw them ever. Hundreds of feel-good comments poured in for Ishpreet Kaur on Instagram. Some comments were in praise of what she did, while some comments echoed similar sentiments:

“I feel so happy for your parents. They are lucky to have a daughter like you,” wrote an Instagram user praising Ishpreet. Another social media user wrote, “Being able to afford business class travel for parents is the best feeling. It is a child’s way of appreciating all that the parents have done for the child over the years.” One of the users commented, “My dad would have sent me to the airline counter to change the tickets back to economy class and get refund.”

“Coming from a middle class family, it’s a huge deal to be so financially independent that I’m able to see my parents flying with me in business class,” wrote Ishpreet Kaur, a lifestyle coach, in her Instagram post. She wanted to experience business class air travel herself, but her conscience did not allow her to splurge only on herself. She had always wished to do something special for her parents. Flying them out with Air India’s business class tickets to USA is the super manifestation of that wish nurtured within the deepest recess of her heart.

She upgraded Air India’s economy tickets to business class in the last minute, and described it as “the BEST decision ever.” “There reactions were priceless and my dad almost cried but held back. The joy was so pure and real. I did not have to think twice before doing this for them,” her Instagram post reads. She concluded the post wishing for her parents to travel in business class every time they would be flying.

The post “Let’s not throw our tickets. We will frame them,” said Her Parents on Seeing Business Class Air Tickets to USA appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

December being the busiest month of winter travel and air passenger traffic being close to the pre-pandemic numbers; Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru airports have been in the news for all the chaos and congestion in the departure and arrival areas. Amid the news headlines and social media posts of frustration over excessively long security check lines and immigration clearance delays, a traveler shared her happy story of being safe and helped after her international arrival in “Namma Bengaluru”.

Picture Credit: Piyu Dutta | Twitter

Piyu Dutta, MD of a startup and the founder of LeadHers (a non-profit working to level the playing field for women), landed at Bangalore’s Kempegowda Airport past midnight two days ago. There was no heavy rush for immigration clearance at that odd hour. She smoothly exited the terminal and walked towards Airport Taxi. “Surprisingly, there was no queue at all,” she heaved a sigh. Some drivers were standing outside leaning against their cabs, while some others were sitting at the steering wheel in cabs. They directed her to a cab towards the end.

The eerie silence of the night was disturbing her. “Ma’am, are you a single lady passenger? That pink taxy is for you,” a person unexpectedly approached Piyu and said pointing out to a pink taxi. Down with jet lag on an international flight to Bengaluru, she was relieved to see a lady driver. She felt assured of being safe past midnight. “I could catch up on some sleep peacefully, as she would take care of me all the way to my final destination,” Piyu smiled and muttered to herself.

Launched in 2019, Go Pink Cabs is one of the initiatives that Bangalore International Airport and the state government have jointly taken for the safety of solo women travelers. Equipped with GPRS and emergency safety features, Go Pink Cabs offer women-only service round the clock. The best thing is that women drivers are trained in self-defense.

“Well, the story does not end here,” Piyu Dutta wrote on LinkedIn. The cab slowed down as Brigade Road, a most happening commercial hub in the city, was teeming with Friday night revellers. All of a sudden in her drowsy state, she found to her surprise that she left her duty-free shopping bag hanging on the trolley at the airport and thought that the chances of getting the bag lost at a busy airport were negligible. She told the cab driver Swetha about it in a regretful voice while waiting at a traffic signal.

“Ma’am, should we return to the airport?” Swetha responded immediately. Before Piyu could say anything to her, Swetha called a fellow driver at the airport, told her about what happened, and connected Piyu to the team leader. She helped him identify the duty-free shopping bag, and he confirmed having the bag in their safe custody. Without any delay, the Go Pink Cabs driver steered the wheels back to the airport for 30 kms again. Swetha informed the team leader about their traveling back to the airport. Piyu received her bag intact.

“The responsibility to look after the safety of passengers and safekeep their lost items, is not just a policy, but a culture that I am proud of. The airport was bannered with “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (meaning the world is one family), and my incident reiterates just that. Big claps for Swetha, my superhero,” Piyu concluded her story on LinkedIn.

The post What She Experienced after Arrival at Bangalore Airport will Assure You about Safety of Solo Women Travelers in India appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

Traveling to India has been an overwhelming experience for many from the time immemorial. In the previous centuries, it was the natural bounty and abundant wealth of India that attracted colonial traders from Europe. Sometimes, the ancient heritage and scriptures of India fascinated knowledge enthusiasts from across the world. Sometimes, foreign visitors were wowed by the cultural diversity and incredible stories of India.

Even modern-day globetrotters take fancy to the enigmatic being and the mystic soul of India. Whoever visits India carries the abstract footprint of India in their memory or concrete souvenirs in their bags while going back home. This is what happened to an American couple from Los Angeles during their first visit to India in 2004.

Charles Kramer and his wife Brenna Moore travelled to the Indian state of Kerala from Los Angeles in 2004. They fell in love with the scenic hill stations, quaint monuments, picturesque backwaters, exuberant culture, lush green landscape and progressive society of Kerala. The impact of Kerala tourism on them was so intense that they named their firstborn ‘Kerala’ after this particular state of India in 2009.

Charles Kramer and Brenna Moore are great travel enthusiasts, and so are their children including their 8-year-old daughter Kerala. In June 2016, the American couple from Los Angeles set out for globetrotting, along with Kerala and her young brother, Julian. Though India was not on their travel bucket list, they happened to visit India again as their daughter was eager to see and explore Kerala that she was christened after.

They did so also on being advised by their guide, Michel, who has an Indian connection in Kerala too. Michel has adopted a boy from a village in Kerala. She got the American couple accommodation in the house of her adopted son’s sister in Cherppunkal, a small Keralite town blessed with the bliss of nature and the simplest way of living.

Kerala was enrolled in a local school where she learned Malayalam, the language of her namesake state, for a month or so. She was received with a hearty welcome on the first day of school and offered a chance to address the morning prayer assembly. Her brother, Julian, also got admission to a playschool there. Since she was curious to explore the nuances and experience the tidbits of Kerala’s culture in the native language, her excitement knew no bounds.

The globetrotting American couple from California spent quite a long time in Cherppunkal, giving their daughter adequate space and time to learn the interesting facts of Kerala’s cuisine and culture. Kerala learned how to pronounce and write her name in Malayalam. It doubled her joy in God’s Own Country, where bull racing and boat racing are the most popular mediums of sporty entertainment.

Charles Kramer and Brenna Moore, along with their children, left India in January 2017 to tour other places on their travel wishlist. Kerala made some friends in her namesake state, and felt happy about the fact that she would be able to make her native friends as well as acquaintances pronounce her name ‘Kerala’ accurately.

Kerala is a must visit during the Onam Festival and monsoon. The first Indian state to beat the COVID-19 pandemic, Kerala recently received a UN award for prevention and control of non-communicable diseases. This is what ensures safe travel to Kerala. We at Travel Beats, an overseas Indian community portal by Indian Eagle Travel, are happy to share the first-hand experience of safe travel on VBM and air bubble flights to India in recent times. (Watch the video of Kerala’s experience in her namesake state below)

The post This 10-year-old American Girl is Named Kerala after Her Parents’ First Visit to India in 2004 appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

Be it urban or rural India, women are making headlines for breaking stereotypes by crossing the frontiers to do what has been monopolized by their male counterparts till date. It’s not that Indian women never came to the fore for making ambitious choices, taking daring decisions, exploring forbidden places, touching new heights….in the bygone decades. However, fewer women were able to defy age-old customs, break loose from conventionality, rewrite societal norms and challenge the patriarchy system due to limited options or opportunities available then. With every tomorrow passing into a yesterday in the 21^st century, more and more Indian women are coming out of the cocoon. They no longer bottle their desires or bury their dreams.

Image credit: Facebook.com/agenobar2017/

The above statement is true about the three Indian women who, in their early 60s, are on a miles-long road trip across Rajasthan and Gujarat. Neeru Gandhi, Pratibha Sabharwal, and Monica Chanana are homemakers and grandmothers from Delhi. Smitten by the travel bug, they hit the highway for an all-women road trip in their 60s. Evidently, road trips in India are longer male bikers or male travelers’ monopoly.

Most of Indians are fond of pilgrimage in their 60s. As soon as they cross 55, they hit the pilgrimage trails from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. But, these three women of Delhi are chasing their travel dreams, defying the bounds of age and the age-related social norms. Currently they are on an adrenalin-driving road trip zipping across Gujarat and Rajasthan for a whopping distance of 4000kms. Interestingly, it’s not their first highway adventure.

In 2016, they took their first road trip covering a distance of 4400kms from Delhi to Rameshwaram through five Indian states: Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Age is no bar to them!

It was their life-changing trip to reinvent themselves by exploring the unknown. The road trip from Delhi to Kanyakumari with 23 stopovers took them 29 days. Several obstacles came their way, but their passion for travel and adventure subdued the obstacles. In addition, they were prepared to face difficulties on the way, especially during an all-women road trip. They fixed the breaks and repaired the punctured tires by themselves.

These Indian women’s road trips are full of lessons on how to prepare for a solo trip or an all-women trip. They are digitally smart backpackers too. They pack in modern gadgets including dongles, cameras, hard disks, pen drives, tripods, power banks and selfies sticks. They carry a map of the route of their road trips and take all necessary notes from the Internet regarding where to stop over, where to eat and where to stay during the journey.

These elderly road trippers of India blog about their on-the-way experiences and events at womenonthehighway.wordpress.com in order to inspire other women to travel. The itinerary of their ongoing road trip to Rajasthan and Gujarat from Delhi includes Sikar, Bikaner, Johdpur, Jaisalmer, Palanpur, Udaipur, Ajmer, Neemrana, Jaipur, Udaipur, Rani Ki Vav, Modhera Sun Temple, Rajkot, Ahmedabad, Dwarka, Somnath and Porbandar.

Indian Eagle is a USA based leading international travel organization inspiring tourists to travel India and booking their trips at the best prices. Indian Eagle celebrates the cultural richness, historic glory, natural beauty, and spiritual greatness of India through interesting stories on its digital magazine, Travel Beats.    

Like this story? Or, have you got something to share? Write to us: share@blogbox.indianeagle.com. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.  

The post These Elderly Women on Road Trips across India Defy Age and Break Stereotypes for Traveling appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

India in my eyes is the quintessence of the world. India is the place where I would always be happy. Being merely a child, I enjoyed the simple pleasures India offered to me: eating ice lollies all year round, gathering a large collection of toys, and spending majority of my time surrounded by family. The year I turned four, my family moved to Taiwan. We moved to China a few years later. I didn’t forget my Indian heritage, but I didn’t relate myself to it anymore either. I continued to watch Bollywood films and speak in Hindi, but I couldn’t remember how it felt to be a part of the country even when I visited.

When I turned nine, I found myself in India once again. But, by then I had changed. I remember the first time I walked out of the airport terminal. I was crossing the road and I fell down for the noise around me was deafening compared to what I was used to. I remember that the air felt sticky. It was a different kind of warmth; one that I didn’t welcome.

But, I was optimistic back then. I was excited about my first day of school. I was eager to make friends there where I could converse in two different languages and where cultures would blend together easily.

To me, heat isn’t the only warmth felt in India. The warmth you receive from the people is what makes India a heartfelt nation. On my first day of school, I felt welcome. I felt like I was a part of something bigger. I felt as though all those girls and boys I met in those few hours were my family. As a child who had spent so much time away from my relatives, I had lost my family connections before they even began. Yet, I felt welcome so instantly here. The people of India are wonderful individuals. They are caring, they are kind. The poor, the rich, the young, the old, the fearless, the shy – one will feel loved by them all.

During my time in India, I attended an international school up in the hills of Gurgaon. It would take me nearly an hour to reach school. And in those hours up and down the hills, I grew as a person. I grew into a citizen of India. I morphed into a being that began to really see the world. Every morning, I crossed the city center with its towering skyscrapers, which illuminated a yellow light by reflecting the early morning sun. I crossed concrete walls and glass windows. I crossed the small huts with one dimly lit bulb hanging outside the front doors. I crossed cracked wooden panels.

India taught me that the world wasn’t perfect and that there are true hardships in this world. It taught me the harsh reality of life in those hours on the way to and back from school. I witnessed wealth and poverty. It made me realize that I could help. It taught me to be thankful for what I had. It taught me acknowledgement. At the same time, I realized that there was beauty even in the imperfection.

I remember one specific day. A wedding. One of the villages was hosting a wedding in a small field. Sitting on the bus, I peered outside the window. There was neither flamboyance nor luxury. The people wore simple clothing. Women put on flowers as ornaments. But, there was an abundance of joy. The entire village was dancing. The air was rife with revelry. The children were playing and running around the small field cherishing the beauty of nature. This was not a land of milk and honey. But, these people made it one. Despite imperfections, they found joy and they seemed to be grateful for it. In my eyes, India finds joy in sadness. It finds beauty even in flaws. It finds perfection even in places where it cannot be found.

Each time I visit India, I go shopping with my cousin. Since I was little, I’ve always admired the beauty and colorfulness of bangles – be it in outdoor bazaars or indoor stores. I’ve always loved running my fingertips on these spherical objects that come in a range of colors and materials. Some are flamboyantly orange and made of glass. Others are wrapped in a light shade of pink thread. Over time, I began to think of these bangles as something entirely different.

India in my eyes is a collage of these bangles. 

I began to see these bangles as a representation of the people of India. Different colors and different materials of bangles state different languages and different ways of life to me. The north of India differs greatly from the south. The east does from the west. I was born in the east of India; in a coastal state where culture is so very different than that in Delhi where I grew up. From the clothes one wears to what one eats. In Gurgaon, the live entertainment theatre, Kingdom of Dreams, expresses the differences around India, meanwhile emphasizing that we are a great nation of lively culture. ‘Culture Gully’ (culture street) represents fourteen states of India. Pavilions are constructed to cater the state’s food, reflect the state’s style of architecture, and express what the state is known for through decor. I always enjoyed walking through this miniature India because it showcased variation, but represented that it was part of the same country for it was all under one dome. Even though the states of India are different, they are the same too. We are the people, who are part of the same country, who believe in the same country and who love the same country. In my eyes, India is a land of vibrant heritage – a crossroad of different cultures, lifestyles, beliefs and religions.

India is beautiful, diverse and dynamic. It is not a stereotype. I wish to tell the entire world the same.

I wish to tell the world to look at this nation with a fresh pair of eyes. To look beyond what India looks on the surface. The country has been covered under the clouds of dust called judgment. Peel away these scraps of poverty, noisy crowds, and chaos. Keep aside all set ideals, preconceived notions, biased concepts and a closed mindset. Peel away and remove this outer coating and find the beauty inside. Brush away the crumbles of vermilion sand, and build a monument of bricks. Feel the air and breathe in its fragrance. Erase trying to understand the country. Rather become a part of it.

From India, I learned how to love others and how to welcome different ways of life. I learned how to find beauty and joy where it cannot be found. I learned to be a part of something bigger. I learned to be different and yet the same. I am proud to be from such a radiant country. I am proud to say that I come from a nation that is growing every day, a nation that fought for its freedom. In my eyes, India will always be what it truly is: Home.

West Chester-based Shweta Nanda’s story “Look Beneath the Surface” is one of the our selected entries in Travel Beats Short Story Writing Content 2016 hosted by Indian Eagle, a leading travel partner of Indians in USA. A 9^th grader of Unionville High School, Kennett Square in Pennsylvania, Shweta wishes to make the world a better place with her sincere efforts. Swimming, reading, writing and traveling are her interests. Her favorite Indian dishes are Tandoori Chicken, Chhole Bhature, and Kulfi.

The post Shweta Nanda from Pennsylvania Writes about What India is in Her Eyes in Her Story ‘Look Beneath the Surface’ appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

I just returned from the Diwali celebration with my friends in a neighborhood in Johns Creek, Georgia. It was nearly midnight. I was a bit tired and badly needed to get asleep. When I entered home, I felt something was off. The air was calm, and my parents’ room was unusually quiet. I couldn’t make out why.

Though my eyes were heavy with sleep, the uneasy feeling did not let me go to bed. I quietly walked out of my room and sneaked into my parents’ room. I found my mom with tears rolling down her cheeks to my surprise. My dad was sitting with a long face and a laptop was open in his lap. I approached him and looked at the laptop’s screen. He was booking a flight to India. I couldn’t say anything.

I still could not understand what was going on. Curiosity was pressing me hard but I was too scared to ask him anything. So I didn’t. I silently went back to my bed. A few hours later or so, dad stood up and said, “Get dressed.  We will leave for airport soon.” Obediently, I put on a green Nike shirt and a pair of jeans (I honestly don’t know how I still remember all of this) and went downstairs.

My mom was ready with four bags. My dad was holding the keys and told me to get into the car. I was still wondering why we were going to India all of a sudden. As we were riding the car, I didn’t pay much attention to what was going on outside of the car. I was engrossed with the thoughts, “What happened to make mom cry?” “Why are we heading out to the airport in the wee hours?” I couldn’t help messing up with these feelings of anxiety. I did not even realize myself drifting asleep in the car.

Suddenly I heard someone calling my name, “Kavin! Kavin!” I woke up with a start. I found dad calling me to get out of the car and walk into the airport. Everything seemed surreal to me. We finally went past the metal detectors and check-in kiosks. We sat in a waiting room in the boarding area. In a few minutes, we heard an announcement requesting all to board the plane. My parents felt relieved as if they were in a tremendous hurry. We entered a tunnel that led us to the plane.

In the plane, I found everything perfect: seating, movies and especially the food. I was watching movies on a seatback monitor until dad told me to stop straining my eyes. I turned off the entertainment screen and directed my attention to the world outside. Since I got the window seat, I began to look at nomadic clouds through the window. I had thought that I could see the whole world from the plane. How silly I was! (I was only four the last time I was on a plane, so I didn’t remember a lot).

After a while I got bored of the drifting clouds and took a nap. I shut my eyelids and dreamed. In a subconscious state, I knew I was dreaming. But I could not recall what the dream was about. However, I just felt that it was not a pleasant dream. When my eyes opened, I looked out the window. The Sun glared right in to my face. It was day already! I asked my dad why we were going to India. He kept mum. Finally we landed at the airport. As I got off the plane, a lot of things were swirling in my mind.

A few minutes later, we got into a bus and headed to my dad’s house in Anthiyur, Tamil Nadu. The bus was crowded with people, and it was very hot.  The streets were crawling with vehicles and pedestrians. So many people! I found everything strange around me. As we reached our house, there was a gathering of people in the sprawling courtyard.

I wondered for a while what it could be. Then I found it a burial ceremony to my utter surprise. “But, for whom?” I asked myself. When I neared the body, my heart missed a beat. A gush of sorrow overwhelmed with me. Tears flooded my eyes and rolled down my cheeks. It was my grandma.

The very next moment, my mind went down the memory lane and recalled the days I was with grandma. My dad gripped me tighter as I was crying. Then I gulped back the rest of the tears and stepped back from the mourning crowd around grandma lying inert, inactive, immobile…

I went inside the house and sheltered myself in a corner. I did not bother to care if I was all alone in such a big house. After sometime, my parents walked in and told me to go to sleep. I climbed the bed and rested my head on a pillow. My eyes that throbbed with crying took no time to fall asleep.

It was dawn when I woke up. As usual, I took reluctant steps towards the bathroom and grudgingly brushed my teeth. Then I remembered what happened in last two days. I remembered the packing, the airport, the flight, the crowd and the consolation. Having nothing to do, I started exploring the house. (I was four during my previous visit to this house). I went to a spacious room filled with different objects. I saw there was someone sleeping on bed. When I went closer, I realized it was my cousin Eshwanth, who is a year younger than me but he is very smart.

I woke him up. When he saw me, he reacted as if he hated me for waking him up at six o clock in the morning. Just as I was about to leave the room, he excitedly started talking to me in Tamil (my native language and one of the most popular Indian languages). His face was tired and his eyes were gloomy. I instantly realized what he was thinking about.

Eshwanth is who liked my grandma more than I did. I tried to console him, “Don’t worry! Everything will be all right.” Suddenly my dad entered the room and hugged Eshwanth. He told us to play outside. Wherever I ran inside the house and whatever I looked at, it reminded me of grandma and made me miss her.

It had been several days since the incident. My cousin and I were playing a complicated game of chess. The winner was to challenge my grandpa who was undefeated between the three of us. While we were buys playing, I heard my dad’s footsteps approaching us. Dad stood near us with a sad face but a happy expression. He grinned and said to me, “Get ready we’re going back tomorrow.”

My last trip to India was a trip of loss, a trip of nostalgia, a trip down the memory lane…

In USA, I often feel nostalgic recalling  how Eshwanth and I always loved trolling his sister by hiding her stuff, how smartly my grandpa played chess, how exuberantly my aunt showed me around the farm, how my uncle and I fished together in a nearby lake….  I do wish to go back to India but for a happy occasion the next time.

Georgia-based Kavin Jayavel Kumaresan’s story is one of the four selected entries in Travel Beats Short Story Writing Contest 2016 hosted by Indian Eagle, a leading travel partner of Indians in USA. A 6^th grader of Autrey Mill Middle School, Kavin aspires to be a chess master like his grandfather who is unbeatable in chess. Soccer and drawing are his other interests. His favorite Indian dishes are naan and chicken 65. He traces his parental roots to Tamil Nadu.

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I walked out to the embrace of the muggy, hot weather. A blast of horns and flashing lights whipped across my sight, catching me off guard. Here, I stood among the thousands at the airport, waiting to see what wonders India held for me. Naturally, even after many years of traveling to India, I found myself staring out into the crowd of travelers. I noticed a range of societal differences, simply by the looks and attitudes of people from the anxious businessmen waiting for drivers to the beggars sitting near traffic signals or streetlight poles a few steps away from me. The different people I came across brought together an ideology of what India really is. To me, the sight of everything around me in India is a reflection of true humanity. We see the true colors of people in their niches.

The boundaries we see in India define the country. From walking down the busy streets of vendors yelling out, “Bhale puri!” to glittering CMR shopping malls, I was caught up in the excitement and enthusiasm of my kind of people. However, we never find ourselves wandering to look over what’s behind those advertisement walls. Over the wall, we see an overpopulated, crowded slum of families, surviving on low-profit jobs and corruption. The sight in India expresses a sense of reality. Despite corruption, India is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world with a GDP rate of 7% compared to the 1% GDP rate of America. Furthermore, India is one of the youngest and largest democratic countries.

Moreover, humidity is what catches every American off guard, especially the ones who come from up north. In the thirst-triggering heat, I simply couldn’t seem to carry myself farther. I wanted to go back to my grandmother’s house, knowing that I could be relieved by air-conditioning and water. I pulled my kurti top to wipe sweat and dirt from my skin. I took a seat in a nearby cafe and I looked out of the window. A girl passed by carrying a little bowl with paisas and rupees, looking to make eye contact with potential donors. She was wearing a similar kurti top, but it was filled with unwanted holes and had a worn-out look. I looked at the building behind her, feeling guilty and ashamed. At the same time, I felt possibility of a better life around her. There I was wearing the same kurti top and sitting in an air-conditioned cafe. That’s what India does to you. It brings you into a perspective of hopefulness and possibility.

Conversely, not all women in India see this possibility. The vibrant blue paint on the walls reflected anything but my mood at the moment. I walked around the mud house of my father’s childhood and I grimaced at the sight of ants eating away the biscuits on the shelf. Still, I stared at them, hoping my gaze turn into daggers. It seemed that they lost their way to home. They walked, going from one end of the wall to another. The heavy sense of duty seemed to play with their sense of direction, creating paths of confusion. But, no one seemed to care about them. I glanced over at my aunt, who was sitting in a corner of the kitchen. She was stirring some ingredients over fire to cook a curry and sweating, with a one-year-old on her hip. Perhaps, these ants were women long ago.

My aunt is one of those Indian women who strongly believe in their household duties. In America, working women who do full-time jobs find this sort of housework as an outrageous sign of gender inequality in contrast to the women in India. An overwhelming sense of duty and a firm belief in what they hold on to in India are what continue to be the legacy of the country. Unlike India where we had Indira Gandhi as Prime Minister and Pratibha Patil as President, no other country has seen its women at topmost positions in the ruling government. India is incredible since it holds true to its age-old traditions and evolves in sync with the world changing around it.

What I’ll never forget about India is the long starry nights. Getting to sleep under the stars was a tradition for my family to bond. I’d open and close my eyes, trying to see if this world was real. I couldn’t see so many stars back in America. The pitter patter from a neighbor’s house became a regular rhythm and the dogs barking from afar were no bother. The breeze tickled my skin, wishing I could stay under the sky forever. The birds were still speaking to each other through the darkness of the night, while the crickets of grasshoppers filled the emptiness of the night.

The beauty of India was its naturality. Even though I’d turn on the TV to watch something in my language, I would come across advertisements displaying products that have been so westernized. I realized that India is caught in its own culture shock. However, the fact that it wasn’t so artificial in the most vulnerable times of the day, made it perfect in every way possible. At night, you could see the country take off a disguise to reveal something so authentic.

This type of authenticity is what drives a majority of people to be successful in India. I’ve heard stories of my father’s struggles and hardships during his growing years in India. From walking long miles to school to working in the fields, he had faced many hardships that led to disappointment at times and contentment sometimes. He might have lost hope at times, but there’s this sense of drive in India that keeps everyone going. To do what they’re best at.

They push aside the mistakes of the past and get through what is set for the future. Likewise, my father studied under a government-granted scholarship, did a job in India for a while until he came to America. It’s a common story that many first generation Indian-Americans like me hear from their parents, but it is what defines the country that is our heritage. The people of India believe in self-actualization, whether it roots back to Mahatma Gandhi’s beliefs or legends of ancient times.

Having had grown up in America, where I know my parents are there to support me when I face an obstacle or hardship.  I have got to feel a little of this self-actualization thousands of miles away from India. However, I know I am caught in a culture shock. The view I have on India is solely based on my opinions and my experiences, but for someone who has grown up there, they see and understand more. I am a foreigner in both countries.

I am an observer. I took many pictures on my trips to India, capturing every special moment of my experience. I often switch between two lenses from my Western-biased opinions of how poor the country looks and gender inequality of women to my umbilical bond with Indian culture and my innermost feeling about how beautifully the country expresses reality, shows infinite possibilities, and believes in eternal traditions.

While leafing through the pages of my album of memories, I realized that I truly captured what defines India. Standing in the muggy, humid airport the next time didn’t seem half as bad with my new perspective on India as I spoke four words, “This is Incredible India in my eyes.”

Madison-based Evanka Annyapu’s short story, ‘Incredible India in My Eyes,’ is the winning story in the Group 2 of Travel Beats Story Writing Contest 2016 hosted by IndianEagle, a leading travel partner of Indian Americans, in association with Qatar Airways. An 11^th grader of James Madison Memorial High School, she is a happy-go-lucky girl with a positive attitude. She is fond of writing, horseback riding, playing tennis, playing the piano and public speaking. Evanka deeply respects journalists like Janine Di Giovanni and Katherine Boo who risk their lives to report conflicts or politically tempestuous situations in precarious places like Syria. Evanka is an active volunteer at a center for senior residents.

The post Madison-based Evanka Annyapu’s Short Story ‘Incredible India in My Eyes’ Tells What Defines India to Her appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

My last trip to India is a memorable one. I went to Hyderabad in July 2016 and stayed there until the end of August. The trip was entertaining and enlightening. My trip educated me so much about Indian traditions, family values, relationships, and the different lifestyles which were unknown to me until the trip happened. I must not say it was entirely enjoyable though. At times, the trip was a bit dull, but the memorable activities and enjoyable things I did in my home city overshadowed the few boring moments. My visit to India was a roller coaster ride, definitely with its ups and downs, and twists and turns.

When my mom and I landed in Rajiv Gandhi International airport on July 20, 2016, I was getting flashes of remembrance of the airport from five years ago. Sadly, my recent airport experience was rough. First, the officials made us wait an hour for some silly, fictional reason. Then, we struggled to find our bags because the bags from two other airplanes got mixed up. To make matters even worse, we paid a guy to put our bags on a cart, but he did a really bad job and all of our bags capsized. My mom and I ended up picking up all of the bags and placing them on the cart ourselves. Neither of us was left with muscular strength after a long journey. Needless to say, we struggled to place our bags in an orderly manner.

When we finally got all sorted, we headed towards the welcoming area. It was very early in the morning, yet everyone seemed to be wide awake and excited to see their loved ones. We tried to push through the endless mob of people crowding around their friends and dear ones while looking for my uncle. I found him coolly talking on his phone. Although it had been five years since I had seen him last, I quickly recognized him to my utter surprise. I ran to him and abruptly interrupted his phone call. We greeted each other with hugs and hellos. We got carried away with some talk of the old times; something about India and something about the US. By the time we came out of the initial reverie, the thick crowd became a thin stream. We called the driver and left for home. All the way to home from the airport, I was sinking in a pool of reminiscences from the good times we had in Hyderabad five years ago.

When I stepped on the entrance, I received a warm welcome from my uncle’s dog, Rooney. Rooney is a golden retriever and has been living with my uncle for the past five years. He is INCREDIBLY well trained, and he has the most lovable and loyal personality. Sadly, that lovable dog has an extremely convincing stare, and I have to say, one half of my dinner usually went to him.

All of that excitement bubbled on the second day. My uncle was always at work and my cousin was busy studying for her final exams. My mom and I had almost nothing to do until late in the evening, and we went on a shopping spree to relieve the boredom, which I disliked because we only shopped for traditional wear. We did explore Hyderabad on weekends, but the real fun started once my dad joined us on the trip three weeks after we came to India.

The night before my dad arrived in India, we decided to head out to the Charminar, a heritage monument representing the long history of Hyderabad. I can vividly remember taking selfies with the monument in my background. How great the fun was! The monument is so gigantically huge that we had to move extremely far away from it so that the entire monument could be accommodated in the frame of my smart phone. It completely ruined our positioning for the picture. On return from the Old City, we drove to the airport to pick up my dad. His arrival put an end to our monotony and boredom.

The day my dad arrived in Hyderabad was full of buzz. The house was full of commotion all the day. We improvised our schedule to stay a little longer in the city. The next day we went on an exploration drive across the city. We visited the Salar Jung Museum at Tank Bund and Shilparamam in Cyberabad. These places are not mere tourist attractions. It was there where I got into a tryst with the history and tradition of my home city. On my entire trip I enjoyed the Salar Jung Museum the most because I was mesmerized by a collection of artifacts from the early 1500s, which is very admirable.

Once we finished sightseeing in and around Hyderabad, it was time to visit my grandparents. I love my grandma and grandpa. They all have a funny personality. Talking with them in person made me feel warm and fuzzy like a bunny because I didn’t talk to them so engagingly before while living on the other side of the planet. Now away from grandfather, I miss and remember him for one of the conversations I had with him during my last trip, “Hey Sonny! When are you gonna get married?”

With a confused expression I say, “Um…I’m only 13 years old. You know that right?” “Why does your age matter? I am going to get you married by the end of your visit,” said Grandfather.

That was a funny episode from my trip because the thought of marriage never came to my mind. I mean, I’m still a kid! My grandfather is 80 years old and has poor vision, so naturally he couldn’t make out my age. Even after I told him my age, I had a feeling that he ignored it just to make me laugh, and I must say, I got a good laugh out of it.

Another episode I recall from my last trip to India was that of my grandmother. She had undergone a knee surgery, and she needed to use a special machine to act as chiropractor to ease the pain. She was advised to use the machine three times a day, except she would use it a whole lot more because she didn’t want to waste money. Eventually, my mom got tired of setting up the machine for grandmother more than three times, so I was the only person left in the house to do so. It was funny because I would be doing something else and my grandmother would be shouting my name to come over. I would freak out every time thinking that she hurt her leg or feel down, but it was always about that machine. After sometime, I started to get annoyed, but I would do anything for my grandmother.

Among the memories of the trip, I have one of my visit to a chicken farm with my grandparents. The chicken farm is owned by one of my relatives, and I got to help out by placing eggs in cartons. I even got to hold one of the chickens, which eventually ended up being my lunch.

I had a great time with my family over the celebration of Rakhi festival in India. Rakhi is the occasion when a sister ties a thread around her brother’s wrist, symbolizing the bond between siblings. I don’t have a sister of my own. So this festival had just been a formality for me until my visit to India. In India, I got Rakhis from my cousins and aunts. I learned the true meaning of the colorful, beautiful threads.

The trip came to an end with my visit to a typical Indian marriage. It was a lovely experience since I attended such a flamboyant event for the first time in India. I was overwhelmed to see the rituals and ceremonies. I initially thought that the thread tied around the girl’s neck was a kind of lock confirming the marriage, but I was wrong. It was something entirely different having a lot more significance to it than what I had assumed first. After the marriage, we went to the neighboring district and spent some time with my cool cousins, who were extremely fun people to be with.

All in all, my last trip to India is a happy album to treasure and cherish. I spent quality time with my family, cousins and relatives. I explored the cityscape of Hyderabad. It could have not been a roller-coaster ride without my relatives in India who I miss in USA. I can’t wait to visit India again. India will always remain my primary destination.

It is one of the winning stories from the Travel Beats Story Writing Contest 2016 which Ritvik Reddy Annadi won in the Group 1. Ritvik is an 8th grader of Luther Jackson Middle School in Fairfax, Virginia. Reading, drawing and playing football are his hobbies. His favorite Indian dish is onion kulcha with butter chicken. Like other first-generation Indian Americans of his age group in Falls Church, Ritvik misses his extended family and typical Indian traditions in the United States. He aspires to be a biologist. Abraham Lincoln, the 16^th President of USA, is his idol.

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Goa Trip is the dream of every youth. What’s not in Goa! Beach beauty, adventure, water sports, seafood, casino, partying, nightlife, biking – all these collectively define what Goa is. This beach getaway is as much a favorite of couples as popular with a group of singles. Recently National Geographic listed Goa as the sixth best nightlife destination in the world. On Travel Beats, Indian Eagle brings a Goa trip story from Muzaffar Ahmad Noori Bajwa, a public speaker on the Law of Attraction, to inspire you for Goa travel.

I badly needed a holiday for some refreshment the last month. My friends – Kaushal Yadav, Rajesh Yadav and Ronnie Braganza set their minds on Goa. I agreed. This time we decided to travel in the traditional Indian way: bus and train.

I have spent most of my professional life in New Delhi. Since mid-December I have been staying in Lucknow in order to start a new business venture in the telecom industry. A hell lot of research and development for the business left us tired. Out of restless for a breath of fresh air, we left for a happening week in Goa. It was an altogether new experience for me but Kaushal visited Goa twice.

On February 8, we left for Goa from Lucknow via New Delhi and Mumbai. The ride by Volvo on the Delhi-Lucknow route was so comfortable that I fell asleep the moment the journey began and woke up in the morning. This always happens with me. Luckily, we got the Duronto Express booking from New Delhi to Mumbai Central.

We stayed in Delhi for one day. It was the February 10, the election counting day. The air of Delhi was heavy with anxiety and excitement which intensely felt in Chandni Chowk. Chandni Chowk was unusually crowded that day. Thousands of people were glued to a big LED screen till the result was announced. By the time Arvind Kejriwal won the battle, we boarded the train.

We retired to sleep around midnight and got up at 7 am. Breakfast was served at 8 am. In India, if you travel by Rajdhani Express, Shatabdi Express and Duronto Express, you get the meals, juice, dessert, snack, soup and tea / coffee. Journey by these trains is always comfortable and convenient. We de-boarded the train in Boriwali at 4 pm as we had our Volvo bus booked from Bandra to Goa. But the bus was scheduled for departure by 10 pm.

We stared at each other wondering what to do in the spare time. We had two options; either to get a hotel for 4-5 hours or spend quality time at some nearby places. I opposed the idea of staying behind the closed door of a hotel room. Then we booked a cab and started roaming around for 4-5 hours. We visited a few places in such a short interval and had lunch at a place by the sea side. We were amazed to know that the taxi driver was a freelance writer and journalist. He writes for a Bollywood entertainment and lifestyle magazine. Taxi driving is his part time work.

At 9:30 pm, he dropped us at the place where the bus was about to leave for Goa from. It was a Volvo sleeper bus. The bus reached the destination by 11 am the next day. I saw many driving scooties there. One having a driver’s license can easily get a bike or car on rent. A valid document as identity proof is to be deposited with the vehicle owner. The rent for a scooty is about Rs. 300-350 for a day, Rs. 800 for an Enfield bike and Rs. 1200-1400 for a car. We checked in a cottage hotel. Goa has several beaches. Colangute and Bagha beaches in north Goa are favorites of most travelers. Stay in a cottage hotel on the beach gives a real feel of Goa.

We organized a barbeque night on the cottage hotel to make our tour a bit more amazing and enjoyable. I am a good cook, as my friends say. I just wanted to entertain others with my culinary art. I cooked Chicken Qorma, Fish Barbeque and Chicken Barbeque in a North Indian style. Then we spent some time dancing at Baga Beach. I don’t drink but music makes me go wild and dance like an alcoholic. Every night in Goa was a lively event for us.

One day I tweeted “Being single here is an offence”. Finding a good partner in Goa is a good idea too. There are many night clubs and discs in Goa. Club Cabana, Mambo’s, Tito’s, and Curlies are some of the most famous. In Mambo’s we got guest entries twice but we were treated as stags in Curlies on Anjuna beach. Curlies was mostly crowded by Russians. We found a good dance floor in Curlies. I really liked the way Russians dance. What I found the most amazing about them is that when they dance, they just dance. A couple of girls approached me to dance with them. We left the place saying goodbye to the girls in the wee hours.

The very next day was Goa carnival. It was my first experience of the carnival. The crowd was so dense during the procession that we were not able to stand properly even for 2-3 minutes. We returned to Baga beach at the day end and spent the night there. It was the Valentine’s Day too. We found many couples in the swing of celebration.

Adventure in Goa is an integral part of the tour. Apart from natural beauty of the beaches, water sports define the frenzy of Goa. We enjoyed parasailing, water skating and kayaking. The Goa holiday was so fabulous that we stayed longer than one week. There is nothing to be bored of.

[pullquote]Check our guide on Goa Cuisine” – Indian Eagle[/pullquote]  The cuisine of Goa was our next venture. Almost every restaurant serves the best food of Goa. The Goan food has its own distinction which the cuisines of other Indian states cannot match. Goa is one of the best seafood destinations in India. The Goan cuisine comprises Italian, Russian, Portuguese, English, French and Thai dishes. Being a foodie I visited a few restaurants in Goa including O’pescador Restaurant at Baga Beach, and Waterfront Terrace & Bar managed by Marriot in Panaji. Both are fine dining restaurants with different specialties.

Fortunately the Bikers’ Week was celebrated when we were there. Bikers from across India gathered for the event in Goa. I have never seen such a huge rally of Harley Davidson, Triumph, Ducati and many other bikes. The brimming enthusiasm of the bikers made me play with the idea of buying a Harley Davidson, though biking is not my cup of tea. I love cars.

We found the Central Jail of Goa, a home of prisoners, while roaming around. One of the offbeat places in Goa, it is located in a very peaceful corner. We spent one night in Panaji too. Casino is the main attraction of Panaji, and that too on a cruise. I think Goa is the only place in India where casinos are legalized. The casinos in Panaji remain open day in and out. We visited Candolim Beach where I caught up with a couple of Manchester girls who liked Indian Rum – Old Monk.

My overall Goa trip is a fabulous experience. Being a frequent traveler I would like to visit Goa the second time this year. Goa sleeps in the wee hours and springs into activity at in the evening. Goa is a must visit, at least once in lifetime. I am sure, you’ll never forget.

October to May is the best time to visit Goa. As the season of Goa tourism is about to fall, Indian Eagle is booking international flights to Goa from the USA at the lowest airfare. Many American cities have air connectivity with Goa via the Middle East airports.

About the Author 

Muzaffar Ahmad Noori Bajwa is a young, dynamic management pass-out from one of the premier institutes in India. He has nearly 8 years of corporate experience in the domains of HR, IT, Telecom, EXIM and Aviation. He is a traveler, public speaker, party lover and a preacher of Law of Attraction. He is recognized as one of the 10 Best Dressed Male Entrepreneurs in India after Shah Rukh Khan, Vijay Malya and Sabeer Bhatia. He is an influencer on Twitter. Follow him @MANooriBajwa.

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Northeast India is full of offbeat attractions and incredible wonders, most of which are unseen, unknown, and unexplored till date. This mystic part of India spans from Darjeeling in North Bengal to the Indo-Tibet, Indo-China, and Indo-Burma borders through geographically diverse forested landscapes penetrated by rivers and streams in hilly terrains and green valleys. Many are flattered by illusions of making trips to Northeast India, but a few dare to drive or travel all the precarious way. One such road trip to Northeast India by Jatin Kapoor and Karan Jung at Alternate Atlas makes a fulfilling story for aspiring road trippers and adventure enthusiasts at Travel Beats.

We started our road trip to Northeast India from Siliguri in West Bengal with cups of Darjeeling and Lopchu tea adding to our gusto for the adventure ahead. Our first stopover was Darjeeling where we spent a night in a planter’s bungalow. Tea plantation is the backbone of economy in North Bengal and most of Northeast India as it seemed from a huge number of men and women working in sprawling tea gardens there. Corporates like Tata own some of the tea estates in Darjeeling and Assam. We caught an eyeful of the lush green landscape dotted with tea plantations across highs and lows of the valleys where pluckers (most of whom are women) work meditatively like the Solitary Reaper in a poem of the same name by William Wordsworth.

We drove the car from Darjeeling to Shillong, one of the best road trips in India. The beauty of nature in different concrete forms on both sides of the winding road overpowered our senses. Known as the Scotland of the East, Shillong is the capital of Meghalaya. It is a springboard of entertainment and a hotbed of activities through the atmosphere feels laidback there. [pullquote]Located in the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, Mawlynnong Village is also known as ‘God’s own garden’. For its unmatched cleanliness, the village is featured among the Inspirational Stories of Rural India.[/pullquote] We explored caves, visited Mawlynnong (the cleanest village in Asia), and trekked a little. Cherrapunji where the highest rainfall occurs in the world welcomed us too. What is the most surprising about the villages of Meghalaya is the way the living roots of trees form natural bridges. Such bridges last for centuries. We took a walk across one such bridge and had a nice time over great food at the night bazaar in Shillong.

Meghalaya’s living root bridges are among the most offbeat attractions in India. Huge thick roots naturally get intermingled to form bridges which are so strong that around fifty people can walk on them at a time. Such natural wonders are common sights to behold across the banks of streams in Meghalaya. The Living Root Bridge in Cherrapunji is a UNESCO heritage site. – Indian Eagle

Then, we drove from Meghalaya to Nagaland, the land of head hunters. It is a customary practice for the people of the Naga tribe to severe the heads of their enemies and put them as trophies on display in their homes. Even such trophies are preserved and exhibited in Nagaland’s State Museum. Hornbill Festival of Nagaland is a major festival when all the 16 tribes of the state get together to celebrate their unity. Hornbill Festival was the main reason that this road trip to Northeast India was planned.

We were overwhelmed with warm welcome in Kohima, the capital of Nagaland. A group of natives took care of our needs, served us with platefuls of mouth-watering dishes from their local cuisine, and treated us to the best of hospitality. The locals are decent, humble and warm. The influence of mother figures in the society of Northeast India did not elude our attention. Little did we know that the Second World War actually concluded on the soil of Kohima. The corpses of hundreds of American, English and Indian soldiers lay buried at DC’s Tennis Court.

The next destination was Assam where we stopped by the Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World heritage site. Watching one-horned rhinoceroses and wild elephants was as exciting as walking on the Living Root Bridge. Inside the park, we took a boat ride on the Brahmaputra River and caught glimpses of the Gangetic dolphins. On the way back from the park, we came across a few local boys playing soccer. We went into a game with them and lost miserably only to realize that Northeast India has the best soccer talent in the country.

Our untamable lust for road tripping took us to Pangsau Pass at a height of 3727 feet on the India-Burma border. It is close to the famous Still Will Road built during the Second World War. This could connect with the much talked about road from India to Thailand. Carpet making is a means of sustenance for the natives of this seemingly uninhabited place. They weave beautiful carpets out of the raw materials imported from New Zealand through their awesome craftsmanship.

Named after a Burmese village, Pangsau Pass was the route that led to the invasion of Assam by the Ahoms, a Shan tribe, in the 13^th century. It was nicknamed “Hell Pass” during the Second World War as its fierce gradients formed a mammoth obstacle for the American soldiers on their way to China. The Pangsau Pass Winter Festival is a famous event in Nampong, Arunachal Pradesh. – Indian Eagle     

Debang Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh was the next episode of adventure during our road trip to Northeast India. Also known as the Nampada National Park, the sanctuary is home to tigers, leopards, snow leopards and clouded leopards. The only way to explore the park is on foot. Trekking is full of blood-chilling thrills in the park. Generally, tour guides carry weapons for protection from animals. An expanse of dense forests with marshy land on the river bed creates a supernatural environment. Dr. Salim Ali, a most reputed ornithologist, described Debang Wildlife Sanctuary as the most beautiful national park sans the human intervention.

There are many things to see and do in Darjeeling, Shillong, Kohima and Khonsa. The unseen and unexplored part of this road trip will surely get us back on another drive.

Indian Eagle, a leading international travel agency booking the best USA to India flights at the lowest airfare, brings this exclusive road tripping story with inputs from Jatin Kapoor and Karan Jung.

About the Contributors 

Jatin Kapoor and Karana Jung are young road trippers & dynamic travel professionals at Alternate Atlas. They are on a mission to help travelers explore the natural and cultural uniqueness of India. At Alternate Atlas, they organize village walks, road trips, birding trips, jungle safaris, home stays, and trips to offbeat destinations across India.

Are you a traveler or travel photographer? We would like to share your travel story and experience with our readers. Pitch to us at share@indianeagle.com and get published.  

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