Another award ‘Wind under the Wings’ was conferred upon the Maharashtra Government for allowing free reign to Principal Secretary of Forests Praveen Pardeshi in revitalising wildlife conservation in the state.

The station here was established on the railway map in December 1898 and connects various parts of West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar and other north eastern states of India. During the time of Indian Independence, this area enjoyed a lot of importance in the railway network. After Independence, this railway station was also instrumental in the construction of the Haldia Port.

Kharagpur has another first to its credit – the country’s first Indian Institute of Technology was started in this city.

Tourists and media personnel are the ones that help to promote tourism in a country quickly. These two groups will be helping both the countries to develop their tourism potentials. Joint programmes and events are planned to be conducted. Offices also will be set up in both countries to facilitate easy access and exchange of information.

Besides, souvenirs, brochures and travel knicks-knacks will be available for travellers, and tour operators and agencies are going to visit to promote tourism between the two countries.

Priti had to finish a year of training to get to where she’s right now. She was instantly taken to the speed at which the trains travel. This is surely an unusual career, but she seems excited – so are the locals who travel by her train. It’s a first with difference.

The gold award by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) shows us the importance of the company’s contribution towards social responsibility. The Kuoni Destination Management India has held many workshops in Goa and Cochin, India in 2009 and 2010.

The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel in Macau, China, will be the venue for the awards ceremony, which will take place on 17 September 2010 during the PATA Travel Mart 2010.

The reprinted dictionary is available for perusal at the St Mary’s Basilica in Bangalore. It will be in the markets by next month. The dictionary is the second one compiled by the priests of The Paris Foreign Mission Society. The first one, Dictionarium Canarense-Latinum, was compiled by Jean-Marie Auguste Bouteloup in 1855. The two were discovered in the archives of the oldest church in Bangalore, the St Mary’s Basilica.

The mission society had set up in Bangalore, and Father Bouteloup was in charge of it. He has additionally authored over 13 books in Kannada.

Covering an expanse of 104.27sq.km, and established in the early 70’s, the Bannerghatta National Park is just 23km off Bangalore. The Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, is the governing body of the park. It comprises 10 reserves forests of the Anekal Range of the Bangalore Forest Division. It is located quite close to the Tamil Nadu border. In fact, a lot of animals come here from Kollegal and Tami Nadu areas during summer. The highest point in the reserve is above 1,600m.

The national park is home to white tigers and lions. Elephants and deer are the most abundantly found animals in the area. Other fauna are panthers, sambar, bears, spotted deer, black buck, wild boars and varieties of snakes and other reptiles. Birds such as cormorants, painted storks, pelicans, white ibis and spoonbills are found in the park. The lions and tigers of the reserve were hunted by former rulers of south India. It used to be their private reserves.

Within the reserves there are many trekking routes, waterfalls, hills and temples to check out. The large area of the park also consists of a biological reserve, zoo, a crocodile farm, snake park, pets corner and a museum. Kids will be enthralled to visit the park of pre-historic animals. The auditorium/theatre here screens hour-long movies and clips on animals and environment.

The place has India’s first a butterfly park. It was inaugurated by Kapil Sibal, the then Union Minister of Science and Technology, on 25 November 2006. The Butterfly Park covers 7.5 acres and has a butterfly conservatory, museum and an audio-visual room. The circular enclosure accommodates about 20 species of butterflies within it. The environment created within the dome is humid and just apt for the natural growth of the winged creatures. There is an artificial waterfall and a small bridge.

The Suvarnamukhi stream that flows through the park, finds its source in the Suvarnamukhi hills. As you enter the park, you can see a huge boulder, almost a kilometre long. The hills continue on from here. The Champaka Dhama Swamy temple, built in the Dravidian style of architecture, and belonging to the Hoysala age, is located at the foot of this giant boulder. The main deity is Vishnu. His consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi, too, are worshipped here. Another famous shrine here is the one dedicated to Narasimha. The Suvarnamukhi pond, aout two km away, is said to have curative powers. People visit it all round the year, especially in the Monsoons.

Safaris into the reserve give you a glimpse into the lives of these wild animals. The area falls under an elephant corridor that connects it to B.R. Hills, and also to areas in Wayanad in Kerala. Also, you can camp or trek with the help of the local guides. There should be at least 10 people in a group for the lion and tiger safaris. The park is open on all days except Tuesday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The best time to visit is between September to January.

And for those who just wanna bite a corn cob and walk around the zoo, that’s also an option. There are many shacks and food stalls at the entrance of the zoo – the standar fare of corn, coffee, sugarcane juice, and snacks.

It will fall as a part of the inaugural 2012 London Olympics program. The fact that Queen Elizabeth II will be in attendance will only add to the glitz. The river will be witness for this event where tourists will get to see the 120-foot-long lithe boat and around 100-odd oarsmen.

Suresh Gopi, Indian actor, who is the event’s ambassador is all out to make it successful. He, along with his fans’ associations will garner funds to take the oarsmen by flight to London, and ship the boat intact, in time.

Inconsistent smallish showers have been teasing us for a while now. Each state across India is vying for the Hottest-State-Where-Most-People-Die-Of-Heat Award. But, be of good cheer. We’ve spotted the actual South-West Monsoon in the Andaman Islands. Yay!!!

Now, isn’t that good news? Of course. Hoping that the showers will bless Kerala by the end of the month, wait all of us. Eager to be relieved of the sun’s burning heat and to relish the cool rainy days.

Monsoon tourism will get a boost, too. Tourism agents, houseboat operators, homestay and hotel owners, restaurants, and just about everyone depending on tourists are awaiting the golden showers.

There’s a huge turnout in company buses, especially by Infosys and Wipro. The buses will ply on five corridors: Bannerghatta Road, Hosur Road, Sarjapur Road, Old Airport Road to ITPB and Old Madras Road. Many NGOs, too, chip in with ‘earthy’ campaigns.

In a city with 35 lakh vehicles, out of which 50% are two-wheelers and about 20% four-wheelers, if people use public transport, there will be a reduction in exhaust emissions as well as help in decreasing traffic jams.

Bangalore sees a new building coming up in some part of the city every day! The air pollution caused by that in this IT city is only imaginable. A campaign like this will go a long way in improving air quality and reduce travel time for commuters.

Strolling up to the HRC located in GVK One, Hyderabad, I had a slight misgiving about what the experience would be like. Happy to say only the lighting disappointed me: it’s toooo bright for a hard rock cafe!! What hits you as you make that 14-step walk to its inner door are the rare photos of rock musicians on the wall, and the outfits and guitar used by another on their tours. And there’s more to explore.

Once in, the decor, the rock memorabilia mounted on the walls, and of course, the music, takes you on. The seating ranges from comfy cushion sofas to high stools and normal-enough table and chair combos. The DJ cubicle is roomy and located diagonally across the entrance. The ‘crew’ are a friendly lot and would oblige to play requests and dedications for ya.

The music was good. It picked up tempo and loudness as time wore in. Slower songs of U2 and INXS gave way to faster, beaty numbers from the likes of Nickelback, Metallica and Zeppelin. There’s a house band playin on Thursdays, and frequent band performances and concerts otherwise. On the walls you’ll find about 120-odd rock memorabilia – Michael Jackson’s hat, Madonna’s bustier, Billy Idol’s guitar and so on.

In Hard Rock Cafes all over the world – 124 of them – there’s about 70,000 such items. The very first one being Eric Clapton’s guitar that he wanted to be put up on the wall of his then favourite bar – the Hard Rock Cafe in London. In Hard Rock Cafes across the globe there are guitars, drums, pianos, harmonicas, microphones, shirts, pants, scarves, shoes, handwritten lyrics, cars, bikes, and even a tour bus as part of the rock and roll memorabilia. Established in 1971, one of the world’s most known bands, it has cafes, casinos and hotels in 42 countries!

The food is average; the drinks looked like they had variety. The place gets crowded post 10 30 p.m.; book a table earlier if you have to!

Psst: On your way out, check out their rock store – okay tees, cocktail glasses, beer mugs, pins and more.

Verdict: Started out as an American diner in a Rolls Royce dealership in London has turned a true rock lover’s haven, I’d say!

The ship’s authorities are regularly updating their journey status on popular social networking sites. The once rife Silk Route is now revived through the trade that’s been happening between the Middle East and South East Asia.

He’s gonna be promoting Kerala Tourism. The state mnisters and Oscar winner Resul Pookutty felicitated him at a recent function. Now let’s see the Bachchan magic working on Kerala.

Leaving the city, you can also stop at the Khadakvasla Lake, sip chai and eat corn cobs and masala mangoes from roadside stalls and stop to take photos or to just breathe the fresh air. There are stone masonry works along the tree-lined roads. You can find stone turrets, too, on the way.

Now, the history of the fort. It belonged to the Mughals, and was called Kondhana in their times. Maratha warrior Shivaji had had an eye on this strategic fort for quite some time, when Tanaji Malusare, a general in his army, expressed a wish to capture it. Yashwanti, Shivaji’s pet monitor lizard was sent up the fort’s wall, at midnight. And as they have a dreadful grip it allowed the soldiers to climb the wall using a rope tied to its back.

But Tanaji died before the complete capture of the fort, and Shivaji named it after him. Shivaji’s words were: “the fort has come but the lion (Sinha) has gone.” And thus naming it Sinhagarh Fort. Near the fort is a manmade water tank Dev Taka, that used to meet the water needs of the fort’s residents for many centuries.

An interesting thing about this tourist highlight is the presence of several shacks nearby that sell genuine Maharashtrian food. You can relish bhakris (local jowar rotis), kanda bhajjis (onion fritters) and bhaingan bharit (spicy aubergine paste) at these ‘homemade’ food stalls.

India, too, has its share of glory. How many countries can boast of having had so many women in power – as ministers, police personnel, prime minister and president? Indian women are known for their meekness and humility. In the recent years, they’ve known to have broken boundaries that otherwise seem unsurmountable!

They have proved their mettle in all fields and shine in areas such as politics, defence, sports, etc. Every year many awards are given away to prominent women. Functions are held to commemorate their achievements and to felicitate them, too. This year, too, the president and other ministers have put up quite a number of reservations and concessions.

Whether at home, workplace or society, the respect women command have increased. It will continue to go up in the days ahead.

The first round of Holi is played with dry powders and then the next with wet colours. Holi ushers in spring, a season associated with love and wellbeing. Sweets, special dishes and ornate cuisines colourfully decorate eachand every house where Holi is celebrated.

There are many legends associated with Holi. The most popular one is: Brahma granted Hiranyakashipu, the king of demons, a boon that made it impossible for him to be killed. After his long penance he demanded that he not be killed “during day or night; inside the home or outside, not on earth or on sky; neither by a man nor an animal; neither by astra nor by shastra”. His arrogance reached the zenith, and he attacked the Heavens and the Earth. He wanted people to stop worshipping gods and start praying to him.

Prahlad, his son, was an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu. In spite of several threats from Hiranyakashipu, Prahlad continued offering prayers to Lord Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu tried several times to kill his son, but failed. He once ordered Prahlad to sit on a pyre on the lap of his sister, Holika. Now, she could not die by fire by virtue of a shawl which would prevent fire affecting the person wearing it. After the fire was lit, the shawl flew from Holika, who was then burnt to death, while Prahlad survived unharmed. The shawl moved to cover him. The burning of Holika is celebrated as Holi. On Holi Day, Holika Dahan is undertaken, where her effigy is burnt.

Lord Vishnu came in the form of a Narasimha (who is half-man and half-lion) and killed Hiranyakashipu at dusk (which was neither day nor night), on the steps of the porch of his house (which was neither inside the house nor outside) by restraining him on his lap (which is neither in the sky nor on the earth) and mauling him with his claws (which are neither astra nor shastra).

Every year, different states of North and Western India vie to outdo each other in the celebration of Holi. Gulal Goti, a balloon filled with colours, was very famous with the royal families of Rajasthan. Nowadays, even the common man plays with it. West Bengal’s specialty is Bhang Holi. After or during the celebrations, Bhang (a mixture of milk, almonds and marijuana) is drunk by the people. It is very much permitted by the government and has several religious associations and mentions.

As with all festivals now, Holi, too, is being increasingly celebrated by people across all religions and regions. South Indian, too, celebrate it with much pomp.

According to the last tiger census using the pug-mark identification technique, the Parambikulam forests is home to an estimated 15 tigers.

India’s Constitution – the largest in the world – came into force on this day. The seeds of a Republic were sowed at the Lahore session of the Indian National Congress on 31 December 1929. Pt Jawarhar Lal Nehru presided over it, and the members of the meeting pledged to mark January 26 as ‘Independence Day’. The session led to the Civil Disobedience Movement. It was in order to honour this day that India’s Republic Day is now observed on 26 January.

The country has made great strides in the 60 years of it being a sovereign secular Republic. The parade, floats and celebrations can be watched live on television. You can even send Republic day greetings online, watch specific videos as well as download patriotic songs and wallpapers from government web sites.