Tech-driven cable car facility to boost Ooty tourism
Mittwoch, 3. August 2016
Ketti Valley is one of the largest valleys in Asia.
Tamil Nadu Tourism
OOTY: The citizens forum here and others
concerned about the hill station’s tourism development have urged the
government to take steps to establish a cable car facility in Ooty to
further promote tourism in the hills with the aid of modern technology.
Stating that in this era of technological advancement, there is a need
Source:
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/in-other-news/020816/tech-driven-cable-car-facility-to-boost-ooty-tourism.html
‘Schtick’ with the rush hours
Dienstag, 7. Juni 2016
Traffic has reached it’s heights and today city youngsters prefer to keep themselves busy during those bottle necks.
A
file photograph of city youngsters on a metro used for representative
purposes only. Many spend hours travelling on Bengaluru’s congested
roads
Battling the
monstrous traffic certainly ranks as one of the top peeves for everyone
in the city. But while you’re in the thick of all the fumes and honks,
some things can make it almost bearable. Would you twiddle your thumbs
hoping for miracle or use the time judiciously? We spoke to a bunch of
young Bengalureans, and their responses to tackle the wait of city
traffic need kudos, even if the BBMP does not!
“Being quite the multi-tasker that I am, I just can’t sit idle. And
the saddest part is, I tend to waste a major chunk of my time on the
jam-packed roads! But the misery wouldn’t end there – coming back home
to a pile of chores deepens the mess.
So I started to carry vegetables to work, only to chop them every
time I was stuck in a jam! And trust me, I’m a lot sorted for dinner as
the arrangement helps me pace things better after a long day,” shares
Priya Jain, an entrepreneur, who travels for about three hours daily.
Banking on a similar ideology to put ‘travel time’ to better use,
Naaila Khan, a creative professional, takes the time to listen to beauty
podcasts. “My job requires me to be adept with beauty trends, since I
usually get round-the-clock queries on make-up. The time helps me brush
my knowledge and be better equipped to handle clients,” she quips.
Ask her if the bustle makes her feel agitated and lose focus, and pat
comes the reply, “Honestly, the noise can be a deterrent when you’re
carefully listening to something. But, I feel it’s also the best time to
learn things as you have all the time to listen and learn things in
detail. I think traffic is the best time to listen to anything as you
have the time to go back and re-play something over and over again.”
While a major chunk of folk decided on ways to use their time, a
young student tells us how the time has opened up some of the life’s
truths, we often tend to overlook. Vishnu Ramakrishnan, a 21-year-old
engineering student from MVJ College of Engineering, stumbled upon a
rather interesting observation during his commute.
“I was travelling in a BMTC, and was stuck at the Koramangala signal
for a good 40 minutes. In a bid to while away time, I began to count the
number of cars and occupants in them. And in a span of 10 minutes, I
realised that there were about 76 cars that just had a driver in them!
This reality hit me hard on how a lot of us are still oblivious to how
massively they are contributing to the traffic menace,” he shares. “So,
everytime I hangout with a friend, I make it a point that we all car
pool or travel together,” he concedes.
Source:
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/lifestyle/travel/060616/schtick-with-the-rush-hours.html
Taj Mahal, Red Fort and three other monuments to have 3-D walkthrough
Donnerstag, 26. Mai 2016
Major monuments in Telangana and AP too will get world class amenities.
Red Fort
Hyderabad:
Delhi’s Red Fort and Qutub Minar, Agra’s Taj Mahal, Varanasi’s Sarnath
and Mahabalipuram’s monuments under the Archaeological Survey of India
will soon have world class amenities and technological facilities.
These five monuments have been selected in the first phase out of
3,650 ancient monuments, archaeological sites and remains of national
importance by the ASI, which will provide ultra modern facilities for
visitors on par with some western countries and other places.
Sources in the ASI said similar facilities will be extended to other
major monuments in various states including Telangana state and Andhra
Pradesh in future.
Telangana state has the Golconda Fort, Charminar and the Warangal
Fort while AP has Chandragiri Fort, Nagarjunakonda, Guntapalli Buddhist
monuments, Buddhist stupa in Amaravati, rock cut temple in Undavalli
under ASI’s jurisdiction.
For the five monuments in the first phase, ASI plans to provide
electronic information delivery about the monument and its history in
story-telling mode, virtual reality-based 3D walkthrough of the
monument, 3D projection show, free WiFi, and audio and video guides.
ASI is also focusing on cleanliness, cloak rooms and washrooms,
turnstiles at entry and exit points with seamless integration with the
ticketing system, ATMs at entry and exit points, memento and souvenir
shops, book stores, refreshment facilities, battery operated vehicles,
free parking, valet parking for high value tickets, safe drinking water
and first aid, carpets in and around monuments, and other innovative
measures to enhance the popularity of the monuments and bring them on
par with world renowned tourist places.
“The aim is to provide world class services using latest technology
being used internationally. ASI is experimenting with new ideas, new
technologies and new business models,” an official said.
ASI has invited expression of interests from specialists on a pilot
basis for a year to conceptualise, design, install, provide and maintain
world class facilities for tourists at select monuments at no cost to
the government, ASI, user or visitors.
Source:
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/lifestyle/travel/250516/taj-mahal-red-fort-and-three-other-monuments-to-have-3-d-walkthrough.html
Cyclists own Kochi nights
Dienstag, 24. Mai 2016
Weekend rides become popular in Kochi
Cyclists during a night ride. (Photo: DC File)
KOCHI:
The concept of night cycle ride through the city and outskirts is
becoming popular among the city residents. Several clubs now conduct
night and early-morning cycle rides especially during weekends, which
have regular takers including IT professionals, students and women.
“Night cycling is picking up among city residents and there are clubs
that conduct long- and short-distance rides. As the busy city roads are
not safe for cycling during day time, clubs prefer night for conducting
such trips,” said Shagzil Khan of Cochin Bikers Club.
Associating with a club will help riders
get quality tips on safe riding, cycle maintenance and following
traffic rules. “Since riders have associated risks during nights, we
equip ourselves wearing reflective jackets and fix front and rear lights
on the cycle. We have recently conducted a 300-km Kochi-Kollam-Kochi
ride which had many participants. These are not competitive rides and
are open for all,” he added.
Meenu Nandakumar of RedrawLife, a
community promoting adventure in the city, feels that there are several
people including women who are passionate about night riding. “We had
two batches of participants for the first cycling event conducted along
the Tripunithura-Panampilly Nagar-Marine Drive-High Court route,” she
said.
Source:
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/lifestyle/travel/240516/cyclists-own-kochi-nights.html
Taj Mahal in top 5 tourist attractions globally: survey
Samstag, 21. Mai 2016
The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being "the jewel of Muslim art in India''.
The Taj Mahal is one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage. (Photo: Pixabay)
New Delhi:
Considered one of the most iconic wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal
has been voted among the top five tourist attractions in the world,
second in Asia and led the popularity list in India, according to a
leading travel planning and booking site Trip Advisor.
The iconic 'monument of love' is ranked number 5 in the global list
of the recently released TripAdvisor's Travellers' Choice Landmarks
Awards, which put Machu Picchu in Peru and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Center in Abu Dhabi as the top two destinations for travellers.
Award winners were determined using an algorithm that took into
account the quantity and quality of reviews and ratings for landmarks
worldwide, gathered over a 12-month period. "India has a rich cultural
history which is often reflected in the architectural landmarks that
we've built and any recognition on the world stage is truly well
deserved," Nikhil Ganju, Country Manager, TripAdvisor India said.
The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983
for being "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally
admired masterpieces of the world's heritage." The Amber Fort in Jaipur
also figures on the 8th list of in the Travellers' Choice Landmarks in
Asia. Known for its combination of Mughal and Rajput architecture, Amber
fort is one of the major tourist attractions in Jaipur.
The most fascinating state room inside the fort is the Sheesh Mahal,
also known as the mirror palace, adorned with thousands of mirror tiles
which supposedly can be fully lit just by a single candle. This fort
along with Jaigarh Fort, is located immediately above on the Cheel ka
Teela (Hill of Eagles) and connected by
Source:
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/lifestyle/travel/190516/taj-mahal-in-top-5-tourist-attractions-globally-survey.html
Here's how the Humayun Tomb got its crown back
Montag, 9. Mai 2016
The celebrated monument which served as an architectural inspiration for Taj Mahal, was hit by a massive storm in May 2014.
Experts
built the gilded finial to the 16th century Humayun Tomb here after the
iconic mausoleum's crown was knocked down in a storm two years ago.
(Photo: Instagram/ @arziyaan)
New Delhi:
In a first of its kind restoration, a dedicated team of experts brought
traditional craftsmanship with industrial precision to return the
gilded finial to 16th century Humayun Tomb here after the iconic
mausoleum's crown was knocked down in a storm two years ago.
The 18-ft ornamental ensemble, consisting Sal wood core and 11 copper
vessels topped with a brass piece was given a coating of 22-carat gold
to match its original crowning splendour, but it took more than a year
to restore the World Heritage Site its pristine glory.
The celebrated monument which served as an architectural inspiration
for Taj Mahal, was hit by a massive storm in May 2014 which had
dislodged and damaged its old finial.
Archaeological Survey of India then commissioned Aga Khan Trust for
Culture (AKTC) to begin work on the new finial on December 31, 2014. "By
March last year we had installed a makeshift finial, as we did not want
the dome to be left bald. The challenge before us was to restore the
finial to its original splendour with original composition," CEO, AKTC
India, Ratish Nanda, told PTI.
According to ASI archives, the finial was last dismantled and
repaired by the British in 1912, who also did a documentation of the
object, which helped the team in its reconstruction.
Nanda, a conservation architect, says "a motley team of artists,
craftsmen, architects, engineers and scientists worked on this project
to return the famed mausoleum its crown jewel."
"In the finial, the 11 copper vessels, covered with a gold finish,
were in a friable state and had been repaired several times over the
last five centuries. Each of the vessels was weighed and studied
separately to allow comparisons with the original profile and carefully
map the damage," he said.
"The biggest challenge was lending the gold finish to the finial as
it was in the original. And, that is where Titan Industries came into
play and they not only funded the restoration but also brought in their
expertise in jewellery and watchmaking to execute this project to the
finest scale," he said.
The AKTC CEO claimed that this gold restoration was "first of its
kind" work in India, as far as monuments are concerned and over "3 kgs
of pure gold was used" in the project.
"And, while scientists and engineers worked out the metrics and
modalities of the project, carpenters, coppersmiths and goldsmiths
laboured on getting the old craft right as per our requirements. It was a
perfect marriage of traditional craftsmanship and industrial
precision," he said.
Source:
http://deccanchronicle.com/lifestyle/travel/090516/here-s-how-the-humayun-tomb-got-its-crown-back.html
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