DesiTraveller

  The last few months have seen sufficient reportage about the impact of climate change and heavy rains in many parts of India, especially the hilly areas, with huge loss of life, limb and property. The impact on tourism, especially for hill tourism that depends a lot on road connectivity, is not fully understood as yet - but it certainly has some fallout on travel within, to and from these hill tourism locations. At the same time, domestic tourism is not going to simply abandon parts of the country which suffer the burden of climate change more than others, it is just that we shall as tourists need to make our own decisions and take our own judgement calls on where and when to go and how. Travel is education, and education will need to continue, especially pilgrimage. To start with, the first rule that I have started following over the last few decades, is to use local transport for local movements. Even assuming that self-drive till destination has been the mode of transport, the...

  So, we are completing almost a year with our Tata Nexon EV, and no contest, this is the best city car at this price point going today from the parameters of safety, comfort and cost of operation. Actually, let me correct that - if your usage is typically between home / office / factory / farm, especially if these movements are in rural India, then nothing works better than an EV. You can add 2-wheelers, 3-wheelers and micro-mini trucks to the ensemble. The biggest benefit in my experience of driving going to more than half a century in years is NO MORE FEAR OF ADULTERATED FUEL. This is even more important with the forthcoming onset of ethanol mixed with liquid fuels. To be truthful, my heart used to palpitate when I had to re-fuel at unknown filling stations, and that's about as real as it gets. The second biggest benefit is the quality of the ride, in as much as there are no gears, and the acceleration as well as re-gen braking is like an extension of your mind and eyes transmit...

  “These Indians in India are getting too big for their boots lately. Something needs to be done, and soon!” “I know! Let’s make a movie about remote forests, elephants, tigers, poor people, and throw in the usual binaries?” “Good idea, I know just the book, and just the right people.” “Great, thanks, would be wonderful if you could throw in some awards too? Will help ticket sales at those award functions.” And thus was - probably - born THE ELEPHANT WHISPERERS. The yellow food-grade plastic tank on top of the cement platform at the side of the elephant’s night shelter sets the trend for much of the rest of the movie. Even the Foreign Correspondents Club in Delhi, tasked mostly with taking photos of the naked mendicants sort, could not have done this better. Brilliant wildlife shots, it’s the selective choice of human habitats selected for their poverty, which make this documentary a dual play. Get the Euro-Atlantic crowd in for the exotica and the perception building of In...

  Our new Tata Nexon Prime EV, with just about 53 kilometres on the odo, is almost here. Barring the registration and the plates and the FasTag and rest of the documentation, we should be ready to roll across India soon. One recharge at a time. Why the Prime? Frankly, the driving dynamics are better than the Max, for us. And we like to go slow and easy.  Why the Tata Nexon? Well, we always wanted one, and no better time than now. Keep watching this blog for more.

  At the oldest and newest and best bespoke 5 star hotels in India, the word is out - the era of the wealthy Indian tourist in India is truly here. Just about a week ago, I was staying at the best hotel in Kolkata, not one of the new pretenders or the old relics, but one with lineage as well as class, not to mention style. The breakfast buffet is amongst the most opulent I have seen, and they also have, in addition, a separate card for South Indian filter coffees and yet another card for freshly cooked Indian breakfasts from different parts of the country. And yes, Eggs Benedict, with double proper pork ham is what I found on the card too. The evening before, we were parked at their bar, exercising our elbows. And there also, the finger foods served were from the best of Indian options, with a huge range of Indian origin spirits and beverages. Unlike in the past, when I had stayed at this grand old hotel, however - there was one huge change. There were no foreigners in the bar and ...

  A wee bit off-topic but relevant all the same? A year or so ago, I withdrew my booking for a new car just short of the time of purchase, because the dealer staff referred to their stockyard as “dump”. It starts from there. Are you looking at buying a new car? Insist on going to see their stockyard first. Amongst all the mass purchase car brands in India, the only one that came anywhere close to being acceptable for me was Toyota, and they are not one of the biggest sellers of cars in India - as yet. But more than the condition of the dealer or manufacturer stockyard, is the way they treat the new vehicles there, and it is not as though they can not do better. I have seen the condition in which the same cars are loaded on Pure Car Carrier ships and trains meant for export shipments, and why they can not do the same for the domestic market is beyond me. There are customers like me who shall willingly pay extra for a new car to be treated better when in transit. Buying a new car is ...