The foundation stone for the INR 16,700-crore Navi Mumbai International Airport project was laid nearly two decades after it was conceived. An ambitious dream of Mumbai City, the project will be completed in a phased manner by 2032. Intended to ease the increasing load of passenger traffic on Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Navi Mumbai International Airport’s Terminal 1 will be operational in 2024. The second terminal will be completed by 2028 and Terminal 3 in 2032. Below are some of the interesting facts about Navi Mumbai Airport project, which is part of India’s largest planned city, Navi Mumbai.

PC: Adani Group

Navi Mumbai Airport Project Cost

INR 16,700 crore is the total cost estimate for the construction of Navi Mumbai International Airport. The ongoing construction of the first phase of the NMI airport would cost INR 6000 crore, which is anticipated to be completed and functional in 2024. The City & Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) allocated INR 3,420 crore for the pre-construction work. The compensation package for rehabilitation of nearly 3500 families in ten villages in and around Navi Mumbai, which have been affected due to the land acquisition, is estimated at INR 520 crore.

Navi Mumbai Airport Infrastructure

Unlike Mumbai CSI Airport, the second Mumbai International Airport will have two parallel runways measuring 3810m x 60m each. The runways will be 1550 meters apart from each other and have full-length taxiways on both sides. The terminal building of Navi Mumbai Airport will be built over an area of 2,700,000 square feet. The cargo area of the airport will spread over 1,000,000 square feet. A 90-m tall hillock at the Navi Mumbai Airport site has been demolished to prepare the land for runways and terminals. Major international airlines’ new-gen aircraft, such as Emirates’ A380 with Premium Economy and Lufthansa’s A350, operating business flights to Mumbai will be able to land and take off here as per the Navi Mumbai Airport plan.

Navi Mumbai Airport Design and Architecture

Inspired by lotus, India’s national flower, the design of Navi Mumbai International Airport has taken the aviation world by storm since the first look was unveiled on social media. Reportedly, a water terminal is being planned with high-speed ferry service from the Gateway of India, among the stunning features of the upcoming multimodal travel facility. The airport will be as eco-friendly as Cochin International Airport, the world’s first aviation facility powered by solar energy. Navi Mumbai Airport will be running on solar power.

PC: Adani Group

Navi Mumbai Airport: Traffic-handling Capacity 

Unlike Mumbai CSI Airport (BOM) which handles over 900 flights a day, the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport is supposed to handle 80 flights an hour and nearly 1900 flights in 24 hours. Currently, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, which is the main gateway for flights to Mumbai from USA and other countries, is the world’s busiest single-runway facility.  

On completion of all four phases of the Navi Mumbai Airport project by 2032, the airport’s traffic-handling capacity will be more than 90 million passengers. With one runway and one terminal building which are expected to be built at the first phase in 2024, the airport will handle 10-million air passenger traffic which will go up to 25 million at the second phase in 2023 and 40 million at the third phase in 2027 and 60 million in 2031. Mumbai International Airport (BOM) has been handling over 40 million passengers per annum beyond its capacity since 2016.

Navi Mumbai International Airport: Location

The area around mainland Navi Mumbai across the Mumbai Harbor is the location of Mumbai’s second international airport (NMIA). Deemed as a Greenfield airport, Navi Mumbai Airport will spread over nearly 2900 hectares (7200 acres), including an area of 1160 hectares for the construction of airport terminals. Navi Mumbai Airport’s distance from Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport is 35kms along the National Highway 4B which will facilitate primary access to the airport in the east. There is supposed to be a 10-lane road to the new airport terminal building. The Mumbai Trans Harbor Link (MTHL), a 22-km 6-lane road bridge under construction, will connect the new airport in Navi Mumbai with the mainland of Mumbai City.

The post INR 16700-crore Navi Mumbai International Airport: Things to Know about India’s Most Ambitious Project appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

In the 1970s when Mumbai was Bombay; when Lijjat Papad was catching up with Indian taste buds; when Premier Padmini taxis hit the roads of Bombay; when taking Air India flights was a matter of prestige; when Bombay was greener than Mumbai; when Amitabh Bachchan was the new poster boy of Bollywood, a simple Gujarati homemaker from a one-room chawl in South Bombay took the first step towards becoming India’s Bhel Queen. Nila Mehta, who became a household name for her homemade Gujarati delicacies and a brand abroad, lived her passion until she breathed her last on October 15, 2019.

Nila Mehta’s journey from selling dhokla door-to-door to becoming the Bhel Queen of Mumbai City to being popular among overseas Indians is not just a rags-to-riches story, but an inspiring story of India’s women power. Before Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon were born in a garage in the US, “Nita Mehta snacks” started making its way from the tiny chawl on Napean Sea Road to rule the taste buds of Bombayites.

Nila Mehta, who shifted to Bombay from Gujarat, took to stitching clothes to make the ends meet for a household of six before she turned her passion for cooking into a profession. Unhappy with the petty income from her ordeal of stitching garments, she decided to explore her versatility and expertise in cooking. One day she cooked some twenty packets of dhokla for the local women’s association where women from the upper reaches of society took fancy to her delicacy – which made her homemade dhokla a hot cake in South Bombay.

Orders of her delicious dhokla started pouring in despite no delivery mechanism from her end. At times, she would send her son to make the delivery to remote parts of the city. Before two decades of India’s IT boom, her newly found success as a home-based businesswoman was fraught with difficulties and challenges.

Being a wonder woman, Nila Mehta managed to take orders over the phone though her one-room apartment was on the fourth floor, there was no elevator and the building had only one telephone (on the ground floor). The chawl dwellers including her family had to manage with one-hour of water supply every day due to acute water crisis in South Bombay. Braving all odds, she used to complete the orders on time.

Her dhokla being a staple on the menu for local celebrations, religious events and illustrious weddings, Nila Mehta was the unrivaled ‘Dhokla Queen of Bombay’ from 1980 to 1995. Alongside dhokla – the key to her success, other popular Gujarati sweets and snacks from her repertoire were making their way to hundreds of households and shops in the non-social media era.

As dhokla is a fast perishable item, she was not able to venture out beyond Bombay. To make way for her business into other markets of the country, she took fancy to Mumbai’s new gastronomic fascination – bhel in the second half of the 1990s (Bombay was renamed Mumbai in 1995). Since it was possible to export bhel in airtight packets to any corner of the country, she started taking orders from other metro cities. It made her the ‘Bhel Queen of India’, a few levels up from the “Dhokla Queen of Bombay”.

Over time “Nila Mehta snacks” including mouth-watering bhel found space at Indian stores in the USA, the UK, Australia, Singapore and other countries, and became a hit with NRIs there. The offshore revenue helped Nila Mehta open brand outlets across Mumbai and in other parts of Maharashtra.

Her demise is not an end to the brand “Nila Mehta Snacks”. May this wonder woman of India continue to inspire generations with her entrepreneurial journey and rags-to-riches story!

This story is brought to you by Travel Beats as part of the continued series, “Explore India with Indian Eagle”. Travel Beats is a leading overseas Indian community portal by Indian Eagle, a trusted travel-booking partner of Indians abroad.

The post Nila Mehta, a Simple Gujarati Homemaker from One-room Chawl, became India’s Bhel Queen and a Favorite of NRIs appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

Good news for Indians in and around New York! Finally, the wait is over. Come February 2023, you will get direct flights from New York to Mumbai. Starting February 14, Air India will start operating daily nonstop service between New York JFK and Mumbai. In its current schedule, the airline connects New York to Mumbai via New Delhi. New Boeing 777-200LRs that the airline will induct into its long-haul fleet this year end will be deployed for direct service between Mumbai and New York JFK.

A one-way trip on nonstop Air India flights from New York to Mumbai will take 14 hours 10 minutes. The booking window is open at IndianEagle.com where cheap NY JFK to BOM flight tickets are available now for February and March. As of NOV 16, the best deals are $482 and $511 for weekday travel on February 15, 2023. The same deals are available on IndianEagle.com for New York to Mumbai travel in mid-March. Airfares being dynamic, these deals may not be available later this week or month.

The flight AI 116 will depart from New York JFK Airport at 11:55 AM EST and arrive at Mumbai CSMI Airport at 11:35 AM IST. In view of the continued suspension of flights to Mumbai by Delta and United Airlines, Air India’s will be the only nonstop service to Mumbai from the northeast US.

Boeing 777-200LR for Air India’s Nonstop NYC to Mumbai Flights   

Boeing 777-200LRs to be deployed for long-haul direct flights to India from New York JFK have three travel classes – economy, business, and first class. B777-200LRs belong to the long-range category of wide-body aircraft suitable for long-haul intercontinental routes like San Francisco to Mumbai, New York to Singapore, and Chicago to Sydney.

Air India’s B777-200LR has an increased maximum take-off weight (347.5 tons) among other unique features. The more take-off weight, the more payload (carrying) capacity. B777-200LR’s maximum take-off weight is almost double the aircraft’s fuel capacity (148.7 tons) plus payload capacity (passenger, baggage, and cargo). Since the aircraft can accommodate additional fuel tanks in the rear cargo hold, it can carry extra fuel for extra flying time (in case the airline needs to change its route due to some foreign airspace restrictions) without compromising on the total load of passengers’ checked-in bags.

Air India’s Baggage Allowance for New York to Mumbai Nonstop Flights  

Baggage allowance for Air India’s nonstop flights to Mumbai from New York JFK Airport is the same as that for airline’s nonstop flights on other routes between USA and India. As Air India’s check-in baggage policy goes, economy passengers are entitled to 2 check-in bags, each weighing up to 23 kg for free. Air India’s free baggage allowance for business class travelers permits 2 check-in bags of 32 kg each on New York to Mumbai flights. If the weight of one’s check-in baggage exceeds permissible limits, additional baggage fees apply.

“Our Indian customers in Washington DC, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Philadelphia, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and Maine are happy about the seamless connectivity to Mumbai from John F. Kennedy Airport, as they can easily reach New York by road,” said the chief customer relations officer of IndianEagle.com, a most trusted air ticketing agency selling cheap Air India tickets for nonstop flights to India from USA.

The post Air India to Fly New Aircraft for Daily Direct Service from New York to Mumbai in February; Cheap Tickets Available Now appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

Good news for California Indians! They will get more direct flights to India from San Francisco for the upcoming holiday travel. All thanks to Air India; the Tata airline will resume the most-awaited SFO to Bengaluru nonstop flights and launch the new SFO to Mumbai nonstop route in December 2022. Bi-weekly frequency of Air India flights between Bangalore and San Francisco will be thrice weekly starting  from December 15.

The Mumbai to SFO service, the latest addition to Air India’s winter schedule of 40 weekly flights from India to USA, will be operated thrice a week starting from December 2. This route was announced in summer 2018, but it was shelved for unprecedented reasons. Nonstop Air India flights, SFO to BOM, will cover nearly 8500 miles in 17 hours. Hope the Tatas will give due consideration to Los Angeles to India direct flights that Air India had planned in its disinvestment-bound days.

Air India’s B777-200LR for SFO to BOM and BLR flights

Boeing 777-200LR that the airline is all set to induct into its long-haul fleet will be deployed for direct connectivity from San Francisco to both Mumbai and Bangalore. Interestingly, Air India’s first-ever premium economy seats will gradually be rolled out on B777-200LRs between December and March 2023. B777-200LRs belong to the long-range category of wide-body aircraft suitable for long-haul intercontinental routes like San Francisco to Mumbai, New York to Singapore, and Chicago to Sydney.

Air India’s B777-200LR has an increased maximum take-off weight (347.5 tons) among other unique features. The more take-off weight, the more payload (carrying) capacity. B777-200LR’s maximum take-off weight is almost double the aircraft’s fuel capacity (148.7 tons) plus payload capacity (passenger, baggage, and cargo). Since the aircraft can accommodate additional fuel tanks in the rear cargo hold, it can carry extra fuel for extra flying time (in case the airline needs to change its route due to some foreign airspace restrictions) without compromising on the total load of passengers’ checked-in bags.

San Francisco to India: Direct flights vs One-stop flights

Middle East airlines’ one-stop flights between San Francisco and India are the best alternatives to non-stop Air India flights on the same routes. 17 hours 10 minutes is the travel time on direct Air India flights from SFO to Mumbai, according to IndianEagle.com. Emirates, Turkish Airlines, and Qatar Airways take 21-22 hours (including layover time) to complete a one-way trip on the same route via their respective hubs. Their check-in baggage allowance in economy is the same as Air India’s. You can check in two bags (each 23 kg) for free on Air India flights, and one-stop flights by the Middle East carriers. IndianEagle.com offers a user-friendly interface to let you check, compare and choose SFO to Mumbai airfare deals, SFO to Delhi cheap flights, and SFO to BLR air ticket prices.

The post Air India to Resume SFO to Bangalore Nonstop Service and Launch SFO to Mumbai Route in December appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

If you are flying into Mumbai from abroad on or after January 11, 2022, you are required to comply with the government of India’s revised guidelines applicable from January 11. Maharashtra’s regulations for international arrivals are aligned with the guidelines framed by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Civil Aviation, with some exceptions.

Pre-departure/pre-arrival guidelines for international travelers to Mumbai  

The pre-departure requirements for travelers flying into Mumbai from USA and other countries are the same as before. It is mandatory to take an RT-PCR test within 72 hours prior to traveling to India, fill out a self-declaration form, upload the negative RT-PCR report as well as vaccine certificate on Air Suvidha, and give a declaration ascertaining authenticity of the COVID-19 report, irrespective of age and country of residence or travel origin.

Starting on November 12, children under 5 years of age are exempted from taking an RT-PCR test prior to their scheduled travel to India. If asymptomatic, they don’t have to take a test on arrival too. If they are found symptomatic for COVID-19 in thermal screening on arrival at Mumbai, Pune or any other entry airport in India, they will undergo a COVID PCR test.

Maharashtra’s rules for travelers from countries at risk

7-day institutional quarantine following an RT-PCR test is back in Maharashtra for international arrivals from the high-risk countries: South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Revised and issued on December 2, Maharashtra’s guidelines removed institutional quarantine for travelers arriving from low-risk countries including the UK and other European nations, New Zealand, Israel, Brazil, Hong Kong, Mauritius, and China. Travelers from a low-risk country will be considered high-risk arrivals and put to 7-day institutional quarantine following an RT-PCR test if they have visited any of the high-risk countries in the past 15 days prior to their scheduled arrival in Maharashtra.

Travelers from a low-risk country, having no travel history of a high-risk country, will be allowed to exit Mumbai CSMI Airport or take a domestic flight to the final destination within or outside Maharashtra if they test negative in a post-arrival RT-PCR test. It is mandatory to pre-book an RT-PCR test to be taken on arrival at the airport. They are subject to home-quarantine for 7 days and repeat RT-PCR testing on day 8.

Maharashtra’s rules for international arrivals from countries not at risk

According to Indian government’s revised guidelines applicable from January 11, all international travelers flying into Maharashtra are required to undergo home-quarantine for 7 days, take an RT-PCR test on day 8, upload the report on the Air Suvidha portal, and shall monitor their health for the next 7 days if they test negative on the 8^th day.

If you arrive on international flights to Mumbai from or through a country at risk, such as the UK, you are required to pre-book a rapid RT-PCR test and take the test on arrival at Mumbai Airport, regardless of you being fully-vaccinated and COVID-19 negative. If negative, you can exit the airport or take a connecting flight within or outside the state of Maharashtra. If positive, you will have to take a self-paid routine/regular RT-PCR test and wait for the report at the airport. A regular RT-PCR test report comes in 5-6 hours. If it is positive too, you will be shifted to an institutional quarantine facility and your swab sample will be sent for genomic testing.

If you are fully-vaccinated, asymptomatic, and traveling on nonstop flights to Mumbai from USA, Canada, Australia or any other country not at risk, you are not bound to post-arrival testing at Mumbai CSMI Airport. If you are symptomatic and/or  unvaccinated/partially vaccinated, you will have to take a rapid RT-PCR test at the airport. Starting on January 17, Mumbai-bound travelers arriving from or through the UAE  are not subject to post-arrival testing any more, if they are fully vaccinated and asymptomatic.  

COIVD-19 testing facility at Mumbai CSMI Airport

Mumbai International Airport has a dedicated COVID-19 testing facility for both international arriving and departing passengers. Travelers arriving on international flights to Mumbai from countries at risk can take an RT-PCR test at Terminal 2 Level 4, Ground Transportation Lobby, next to Niranta Lounge. The test reports are sent to travelers’ email address. A regular RT-PCR test costs Rs. 600 per person and delivers the result within 6-8 hours, whereas a rapid RT-PCR delivers the result in 1-2 hours. With effect from December 14, 2021, the cost of rapid RT-PCR tests at Mumbai Airport has been reduced to Rs 1975 from Rs 3900 per person.

It is now mandatory for travelers arriving from the countries at risk to register online for and pre-book an RT-PCR, regular or rapid, that they will take on arrival at an entry airport in India. They must book a post-arrival test through Air Suvidha prior to their scheduled travel to India.

You can register on www.suburbandiagnostics.com and book a slot in advance for your RT-PCR test at Mumbai Airport. You can also register for a COVID-19 test at the help-desk near the arrival terminal. There is a dedicated lounge with necessary refreshments for those waiting for the RT-PCR test results. Those who test negative can continue to travel onward. In case of positive results, travelers are shifted to a designated quarantine facility from the airport.

Travel Beats is an overseas Indian community portal by Indian Eagle, a leading and most trusted travel-booking organization. Subscribe to our free newsletter and tune to our Facebook page for latest travel news and updates on booking air bubble flights to India from abroad. 

The post Traveling to Mumbai in 2022? Check Maharashtra’s New Regulations for International Arrivals appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

Immoderate love for food can make one end up being an overweight or entrepreneur. Munaf Kapadia, the founder of The Bohri Kitchen in Mumbai, tamed his appetite for his mother’s homemade dishes but could not ignore the business potential of his mother’s extraordinary culinary talent. The admiration he has for his mother’s cooking skills deepened when he realized that the dishes she cooks in her kitchen are hardly available outside. It was then the entrepreneurial journey kicked off for Munaf Kapadia, who was moving up the ladder at Google.

Picture Credit: Facebook Page of The Bohri Kitchen

One day Munaf planned to host a dinner for his friends and treat them to the authentic dishes of the Dawoodi Bohra community that he belongs to. Some of his friends responded to his invitation email within a couple of hours and turned up for an altogether different dining experience that seemed irresistible then. The invitees went gaga over a delicious seven-course meal and left only to come back for more of the Dawoodi Bohra cuisine. His mother, Nafisa Kapadia, was all over the moon on being appreciated for her cooking talent.

An overwhelming desire to take his mother’s home-cooked dishes to a bigger audience beyond the household confines gave birth to The Bohri Kitchen. The kitchen started with hosting weekly dinners for a small group of people at a time in a homely environment. With time passing on, the kitchen got bigger and became popular. Everyone from food connoisseurs to culinary writers to journalists wanted to get a taste of it. The local media coverage was the first stepping stone for The Bohri Kitchen to get noticed by national dailies and food channels.

The national press coverage catapulted The Bohri Kitchen further to BBC. Eight minutes of global telecast by BBC was the watershed moment for Munaf Kapadia and his mother. It was then Munaf, an MBA graduate in marketing, hit upon the idea of commercializing The Bohri Kitchen with new entrepreneurial goals in 2015. He resigned from his career at Google as an account strategist to become his own boss.

In the next few years, Munaf Kapadia went on to offer catering services at events and deliver food orders. The menu growing bigger with more than 100 dishes of the Dawoodi Bohra cuisine got The Bohri Kitchen loyal patrons from different walks of life, including Bollywood. Notably, Rishi Kapoor was an ardent admirer of The Bohri Kitchen. It is also a favorite of Rani Mukherjee and Hrithik Roshan. Even Aditya Chopra, the Chairman of Yash Raj Films, ordered food from The Bohri Kitchen for his wife Rani Mukherjee’s birthday. Munaf ensured the food the authentic and tasted the best.

The Dowdi Bohra community has its origin in the Middle East; hence, the cuisine is known for the traditional flavors of the Gulf region. The way the Bohra cuisine is cooked and served bears on the cultural aspects of the Middle East. The cooks of The Bohri Kitchen are trained by Munaf’s mother, Nafisa Kapadia. Khajoor chutney, chicken biryani, chicken malai seekh biryani, doodhi ka halwa, and varieties of samosa from The Bohri Kitchen’s menu sell like hotcakes. The kitchen has catered to a wedding attended by 5000 guests.

It was not easy for Munaf to quit Google after five years of his thriving career. When he was stuck between Google and The Bohri Kitchen, he chose the latter – which his parents objected to. Initially, Munaf Kapadia’s entrepreneurial journey was a rollercoaster ride. There was a time when he made losses and received poor ratings on review portals. When he was about to give up on The Bohri Kitchen, Forbes India offered to feature him on the cover of the special ‘30 under 30’ edition. It was another turning point that put him back on the entrepreneurial track. Today, Munaf Kapadia’s The Bohri Kitchen has five outlets in Mumbai City.

31-year-old Munaf Kapadia’s book titled “The Guy Who Quit Google to Sell Samosas” on his journey will be released by Harper Collins later this year.

Travel Beats, an overseas Indian American community portal, is a subsidiary of Indian Eagle, a one-stop shop for international flights to and from India at the guaranteed lowest fares. This exclusive story is part of our continued series of inspiring stories about Indians and their achievements. Subscribe to our free newsletter and stay tuned to latest community news & stories.

The post This Indian Quit Google to Sell his Mom’s Home-cooked Dishes and Wooed Bollywood Stars appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

“In India, the calendar of every state is full of only religious events and festivals.” If you think so, you are not absolutely right. Indian states boast of culturally rich dance and music festivals, held in different times of the year. The most celebrated music and dance festivals of India are held at seaside temples, historical sites of architecture ruins and shrines in the cave. The interface between art and history, these festivals are cultural celebrations, ceremonious galas and spectacular events, in the open air atmosphere. Indian Eagle offers an ode to the most famous dance festivals of India.

Soorya Dance Festival, Kerala

Interwoven with the cultural fabric of Kerala, the Soorya Classical Dance Festival is held in the capital city, Thiruvananthapuram, for 10 days every year. The festival is accompanied by some other cultural programs including theatre, photography, painting and seminars. Kathak, Manipuri, Odissi, Kathakali, Bharathanatyam and Kuchipudi are some of the celebrated forms of Indian classical dance which are staged by eminent artists, during the festival. Organized by Soorya Stage and Film Society, this dance festival of India continues from October 1 to 10.

Elephanta Dane Festival, Maharashtra

Among the dance and music festivals of India, Elephanta Festival is a cultural pride of Maharashtra. The festival is held in the cave shrine of Lord Shiva on Elephanta Island, a 10 km boat drive from the Gateway of India in Mumbai Harbor. Illumined with the interplay of various lights, the Lord Shiva temple in the caves of Elephanta Island comes alive as a seat of art and culture, in the month of March every year. Since its inception in 1989 by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation, Elephanta Dance Festival celebrates the folk dance form of each Indian state.

Khajuraho Dance Festival, Madhya Pradesh

Khajuraho, situated in Madhya Pradesh, holds the cultural traditions of Central India. A small village in Bundalkhand, Khajuraho is famous for its legendary temples where the dance festival is held ceremoniously, in the month of February every year. The festival is a gripping celebration of Indian classical dances, performed in the backdrop of flamboyantly illumined temples – the Chitragupta Temple and the Vishwanatha Temple under the evening sky. Once upon a time the capital of the Chandela Dynasty, Khajuraho is a dedicated chapter in the thousands-year old Indian history.

Konark Dance Festival, Orissa

One of the most spectacular dance and music festivals of India, Konark Dance Festival is held at an open air auditorium in the backdrop of the Sun Temple which is also known as the Black Pagoda. The marvelous architecture of the Konark Sun Temple is shaped like a chariot with wheels drawn by seven horses. On the Chandrabhaga beach of Konark, near the holy city of Puri, the Konark Temple offers a wonderful ambience when lit colorfully during the festival in the month of December. Odissi Dance, an age-old cultural identity of Orissa, is an exclusive highlight of the festival. Other dance performances such as Chau dance, Manipuri, Kathak and Bharathnatyam make it a lavish feast for the eyes.

READ MORE Interesting Facts of Konark Sun Temple

Ellora Ajanta Dance Festival, Maharashtra

Held in the month of January, Ellora Ajanta Dance Festival is an interface between culture and history of India. The historic Ajanta and Ellora caves of Aurangabad are in the spotlight during the festival. Organized by Aurangabad Festival Committee in collaboration with Maharashtra Tourism Development at Soneri Mahal, the festival presents the best of classical and folk dance forms in a blend. The glittering beauty of the festival and the splendid architecture of Soneri Mahal make a rare spectacle to behold with wonder. The regional art and craft of Maharashtra is also exhibited at the festival site.

Mamallapuram Dance Festival, Tamil Nadu

Mamallapuram, a seaside temple town in Kanchipuram district of Tamil Nadu, prides itself on the popularity of the dance festival. The most important port in the Pallava Dynasty of the 7th and 8th centuries, Mamallapuram is a tourist destination known for its stone temples and monolithic rock sculptures. Arjuna’s Penance, a mammoth architecture with finely carved rock sculptures, serves as venue of the Mamallapuram Dance Festival, in the backdrop of the Bay of Bengal. Lulled by gentle breezes blowing over the sea, the atmosphere of the town is suitable for the festive mood. The festival begins in the last week of December and continues for three weeks in January every year.

Modhera Dance Festival, Gujarat

Gujarat does not lag behind other states of India when it comes to claiming fame for art, culture and history. Modhera Dance Festival, an annual cultural phenomenon in Mehsana district of the state, is held at the Sun Temple, an architectural excellence that belongs to the regime of the Solanki King Bhimdev I. Though lying in ruins, the temple exudes its historical charms when the surrounding is illumined for the festival. Dance and music performances by traditionally clad artists add to the spell of the atmosphere. Modhera Dance Festival is held in the month of January.

Book your trip to India and explore the cultural heritage. There is no best time to get the best flight. Indian Eagle offers cheap airfare deals round the year!

BOOK My Trip to India

The post India’s Most Celebrated Music and Dance Festivals at Cave Shrines, Seaside Temples, Historical Ruins appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

“Behind every successful man there is a wise woman.” If the maxim is rephrased as “Behind every successful child there is a strong mother,” 24-year-old Jaykumar Vaidya’s journey from the seedy lanes of a slum in Mumbai to the University of Virginia in the United States is the ultimate manifestation of it.

At times, such an unpleasant advice as that her son had better take up a driver’s job poured in from whomever Jaykumar Vaida’s mother approached to help her pay his school fees. But, she neither gave up nor let his son’s desire to rise over the poor circumstances die. It is because of her struggle and grits that Jaykumar made it to the bigger world far from the slum in Mumbai. Today, he is a research scientist and studying nanotechnology at the University of Virginia.

After her husband divorced and her in-laws disowned her, Nalini (Jaykumar’s mom) became a single parent of her only child and took shelter in her mother’s 8×10-sq-ft room in Mumbai’s Kurla slum, which they called home. She took a clerical job to provide for Jaykumar’s upbringing and education.

The circumstances deteriorated further for Nalini’s sole world of parenthood when her own mother was on deathbed in 2013. She had to give up the job in order to nurse her ill mother. She was left with no other option than taking odd jobs to make her ends meet. Jaykumar recalls the grim days of living on only bread and chai after poverty pushed their household from pillar to post.

As they say, “After every sunset there is always a sunrise,” a local temple trust stretched its helping hand to pull the mother and son duo out of the misery. Nalini and Jaykumar were given groceries and secondhand clothes to hold on to the basics of living. The 8×10-sq-ft room, which they called home, saw Jaykumar’s struggle, hardship and grits from school to college.

Unlike his classmates from privileged families, he never had the luxury of eating out with friends or going for school picnics. In spite of residing in the same neighborhood, some of their relatives never came to help him. What helped him tide over hard times is his belief that his mother’s struggle and his hardship would definitely pay off one day.

Also Read: Indian Couple Returns from USA to Solve Mumbai’s Water Woes 

Discovery channel shows, space movies and sci-fi films that Jaykumar watched in the neighborhood piqued his interest in science. He always sought answers and explanations to his satisfy his curiosity about the solar system, the galaxy and celestial wonders. Misinterpretations of the cosmos and inadequate knowledge of space around him increased his appetite to learn more about the universe and intensified his passion for science.

God helps those who help themselves. Some nonprofits, to name Tata Trust, MESCO Trust and India Development Foundation, gave his school fees and helped him with zero-interest loans during his graduation. At the same time, he worked in a local electronic items repair shop and a garment store to share the household expenses with his single mother.

Finally, he graduated with flying colors in Electrical Engineering from KJ Somaiya College of Engineering and won national as well as state-level awards in robotics, which got him an internship with Larsen and Toubro. After the internship, he was employed by Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, where he used to earn Rs. 30,000 per month for the research work. It was when he afforded to spend some of the money for the house renovation.

He took up online teaching of international students to bear expenses for his preparation for GRE and TOEFL, to pay back his loans and purchase his flight ticket to the United States.

During his three-year tenure at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Jaykumar Vaidya published scientific research papers in some renowned international journals in 2018, which put him in spotlight with the University of Virginia where he earns a stipend of $2000 per month as an associate research scientist.

Mumbai’s Jaykumar Vaidya aspires to make India achieve self-reliance in nanotechnology through home-based manufacturing. On completion of his PhD, he plans to return to India and help economically disadvantaged students including poor girl children in realizing their dreams. He says uninhibitedly that he owes his life and success to his mother; at times he thought of eloping from home but his mother’s face held him back; she means the world to me.

Also Check: Indian Tea Seller’s Daughter Wins NASA Educational Tour

Travel Beats, a subsidiary of Indian Eagle, strives to promote achievements of young Indians through the continued series of inspiring stories. Indian Eagle, a most trusted travel booking partner of overseas Indians, not only helps you book cheap air travel to India even in the last minute but also shares latest updates on visa, immigration, Indian passport and major airlines.

The post This Indian Boy from Mumbai Slum is Research Scientist in USA; Thanks to His Single Mother for Her Grit appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

Jet lag will be passé in the 2020s. Just like the waning patience of netizens, international or intercontinental travel will get so shorter by mid-2020s that it would become a fairytale. With super faster and smarter means of transport for long-haul travel taking a concrete shape gradually, the post-Millennial generation would feel an itch to know “How short the journey is” instead of “How long the journey is” while booking their travel.

Reportedly, the current air travel time between London and Mumbai will drastically be reduced to 60 minutes from over 9 hours by a hypersonic flight by mid-2020s. A company based out of England is working to make hypersonic flight a reality for the fastest and shortest travel between London and India, according to a recent Times Travel report.

Times Travel reported that the proposed hypersonic aircraft for one-hour London-Mumbai flights will be able to travel at an electrifying speed of 3800 miles an hour, to our wildest imagination, according to Reaction Engines Limited located in Oxfordshire, England. It is twice the speed of sound in normal temperature of air. OMG!

Aviation critics opine that the head-spinning speed of hypersonic aircraft for London-Mumbai travel in 60 minutes sounds an improbable phenomenon. However, it is not impossible like the 2000-km-long UAE-Mumbai undersea high-speed floating train service.

Though the feasibility of hypersonic flights to Mumbai from London is a question now, it will prove to be no myth in the coming years, as the England-based company claims.

Reaction Engines Limited has confirmed in the Times Travel report that they successfully tested the engine-cooling system of hypersonic plane, experiencing no glitches in the system. The use of hypersonic aircraft for operating commercial flights is still a dream because of the intense heat that builds up inside the engine. The brand new hypersonic aviation technology can make an aircraft fly at Mach 5 or higher.

While traveling between London and Mumbai in 60 minutes sounds super exciting like space adventure, hypersonic aircraft won’t make cheap flights to India. The cost of a Mumbai-London hypersonic flight ticket will burn holes into the pockets of even those who can afford intercontinental business class flights. Evidently, super-rich businesspersons and celebrities like Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas can afford such a most expensive affair as a hypersonic flight.

The proposed 60-minutes London-Mumbai hypersonic flights will be direct flights without any layover. If the super ambitious project is successfully executed, it will make air travel a joyous affair for those who take British Airways flights from USA to India via London. A one-stop British Airways flight from New York JFK to Mumbai takes 17 hours 25 minutes, according to IndianEagle.com. A London-Mumbai hypersonic flight will cut the travel time from New York to Mumbai to 8-9 hours.

Should we look forward to traveling on superfast hypersonic flights to and from India in the future? If Emirates Airlines can plan to launch windowless planes for faster flights, why not 60-minute London-Mumbai travel on hypersonic planes is possible?

The post You may be Able to Travel between London and Mumbai Just in 60 Minutes. Know How appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

Since the news about the UAE planning to build a 2000-km-long rail network up to Mumbai in India broke out, Indians have held on to their breaths for oodles of adventure that the London to Paris undersea high-speed train travel offers currently. The proposed underwater ‘floating rail’ track will make high-speed train travel between Fujairah City and Mumbai a reality, much to the surprise of the world.

Proposed at the recently held UAE-India conclave in Abu Dhabi, the Fujairah-Mumbai underwater, high-speed floating train travel project is expected to boost bilateral trade between the two countries.

Currently an abstract concept, the underwater rail from Fujairah to Mumbai is sort of a give-and-take policy which will facilitate export and import between India and the UAE. India will export excess freshwater from the Narmada River, the lifeline of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, to the UAE. In exchange, the UAE will export fossil oil to India from the Fujairah Port. If things fall in place as planned, it will pave the way further for bilateral trade between the UAE and India.

The Fujairah-Mumbai underwater rail project holds some good for Indians in the United States too. Not only Indians in the UAE but also Indian Americans will be able to breathe in the thrills of riding ultra-speed, floating trains to Mumbai from Fujairah after landing in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. Fujairah city is a one-hour drive from Dubai, while it takes 2 hours 30 minutes from Abu Dhabi.

Both Dubai and Abu Dhabi have very good air connectivity with several major US cities. Other than operating nonstop flights from Newark (EWR) to Dubai, which provides one-stop access to nine Indian cities, Emirate Airlines operates from Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Orlando, Seattle, Washington DC, and Fort Lauderdale.

In March 2018, Emirates started operating daily nonstop flights from Orlando (MCO) and Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Dubai, with one-stop access to its nine destinations in India.

Instead of taking connecting flights to Mumbai or any other Indian city from Dubai, Indians from the above-mentioned US cities may choose to board the undersea, high-speed trains to Mumbai from Fujairah following their arrival in Dubai. With the proposed train travel in their USA to India itineraries, Indians in America will have an unforgettable experience.

Since Indian passport holders with a valid US visa or a green card (for lawful permanent residency in the US) are eligible for the 14-day visa on arrival at any point of entry in the UAE, they can make the most of the proposed Fujairah-Mumbai underwater rail for high-speed train travel after having a vacation in Dubai or Abu Dhabi.

China and Japan are home to Maglev or floating trains that use magnetic repulsion to be running at a break-neck speed. Also, the United States and Australia are said to have plans for the same or similar underwater, high-speed train travel. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet train, which is expected to have its maiden journey in 2022, will run under water for a short distance en route.

The feasibility of the UAE-Mumbai underwater rail project will be examined before India or the UAE government reveals further information about the project.

Travel Beats, a subsidiary of Indian Eagle Travel, is a leading Indian American community portal catering latest visa, immigration, passport, aviation and community news. A most trusted travel booking partner of Indians in USA, Indian Eagle has a proven track record in booking cheap flights tickets to India for economy, business and last-minute air travel.

The post Proposed 2000-km Underwater, High-speed Rail from UAE to Mumbai Holds Some Good for Indians in USA appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.