Padhaaro featured in Times Life
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Transcript of Padhaaro featured in Times Life
It’s like having a guidebook written just
for you. No touristy rip-offs or stan-
dard recommendations. It’s getting
downright personal with your destina-
tion. From having high tea with the de-
scendant of an erstwshile nawab of Luc-
know to sharing a home-cooked meal of
kolumbus, pootus and poriyals at a local’s
home in Chennai — local sharing and
caring is every traveller’s demand today.
“Conventional luxury is available in al-
most every travel destination.
What people are searching
for is meaningful and au-
thentic experiences —
whether it’s an enrich-
ing conversation or a de-
licious dish they can
share with their friends
upon their return,” says Aashi
Vel, co-founder, Traveling Spoon – Travel
Off The Eaten Path, a community that lets
travellers dine at local people’s homes
around the world, including India.
PERSONAL CONNECTWho would you rather have in your jeep
on a tiger safari… a seasoned wildlife
photographer or a regular guide? We all
know the answer. Face-to-face recom-
mendations and insider tips from in-the-
know locals or professionals rank much
higher on people’s itinerary than a tour
escort’s rehearsed stories. “Local travel
comprises authentic, off-the-beaten track
experiences. It can range from meeting
an ex-monk in Malaysia, who will take
you through several sacred spots to learn-
ing how to cook organically with a fami-
ly in Bali,” says Madalina Buzdugan,
communication manager of Withlocals.
Connecting with local people is also
easier than ever thanks to technology.
This rapidly growing trend is transform-
ing how travellers see the world. And
what’s the best part? It’s all very
cost-effective. The trend is en-
couraging individuals and
communities to share their
resources, right from sharing
their couches, renting their
cars, leasing out their residential
farms for camping, to hosting deli-
cious dine-ins.
MICRO TOURISMIn local travel, the trips could get as nar-
rowed down as meandering through the
Dharavi slum in Mumbai (by the startup
Padhaaro) or seeing Agra in battery-driven
rickshaws. Seeksherpa.com, a website cur-
rently operational across New Delhi,
Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru, offers
potential tourists the option of choosing
specially-created tours, all priced under Rs
3,000! These micro tours offer a plethora
of options — from street photography in
old Delhi to cycling in the British-era
Mumbai. Micro tours are also ideal if
you’re passing through and only have a
limited amount of time. The best feature is
that anyone can sign up to be a
sherpa/friend/greeter/local expert. All you
need is the enthusiasm to talk to people
and, of course, sound knowledge on the
lay of the land.
Local travel is big not just among the
budget traveller, but also for those who
have travelled abroad extensively, and
now want to explore their own country in
detail. Holidaymakers are accepting that
the exoticness of the unknown doesn’t
have to take the form of a desert island in
the middle of the Pacific… it could be hid-
den in their own backyard. “Earlier, only
going abroad was seen as glamorous, but
now going to the Rannotsav or doing
a high-altitude drive in Ladakh
is also a talking point,” says
Piya Bose of Girls on The
Go Club. Her Great Rann
of Kutch vacation is all
about staying with the
tribals in their traditional
huts and buying authentic
embroidery first hand. The
trip also includes a rendezvous
with a collector of ancient fossils and di-
nosaur eggs… an experience one would
surely miss on a guided tour.
FOOD MELTS BORDERSGoing by the popularity of local travel,
you’d probably be booking a delicious
home meal instead of a fancy
restaurant on your next va-
cation. Imagine accompa-
nying local hosts in Ra-
jasthan on a spice
bazaar tour before being
served a rich Rajasthani
spread of soolas (a battle-
field speciality meat), ker
sangri and bajra roti with
chunks of homemade butter! “Cook-
ing and sharing a meal allows people to
open up, share stories and realise how
similar we are despite cultural differ-
ences,” sums up Aashi.
SUNDAY I JANUARY 26 , 2014
4 PAGES, A SUPPLEMENT OFSUNDAY TIMES OF INDIA
FEBRUARY 22, 2015DEL
Do you spend hours in the gym try-
ing to chisel out abs of steel for an
added dose of ‘machista’*? Hear
out what Pope Francis said recently during
a meeting with youths at the University of
Santo Tomas, Manila. He advised men to
shun machismo and lend a ear to women.
The Pope said, “Women have much to tell
us in today’s society. At times, we men are
too ‘machista’ (*Spanish term for male
chauvinists). We don’t allow room
for women, but women are capable
of seeing things with a different an-
gle... with a different eye. Women
are able to pose questions that we
men are not able to understand.” We
talk to people from various fields to
find out whether they agree.
MEN, forgetbeing macho!
There’snothing sexierthan confid-ence, but over-
confidence is ahuge turn-off. A lotof men think theyknow it all andaren’t ready to seethings from awoman’s point ofview. Such men areweak and insecure.It’s no longerfashionable to be amacho man. Oursociety shouldaccept men whoportray theiremotionsfreely, listento womenmore often!
—EvelynSharma,actor
I agree withthe Popecompletely.Since women
have the ability togive life, they areconnected to theuniverse differently than men.Moreover, their perspective iswell-rounded, and very few menpossess this quality. Listen to theladies; you might become wiser!
— Robin Uthappa, cricketer
While growingup, I believedmacho was aparticular lookcombined with
certain traits, or menwho were daring.Even the recklesswere considered macho.To me,macho-ism is a tool that should beused at the right time and at theright place, and for the right reason.Women are better equipped to dealwith situations which macho menrun away from
—Nitin Mirani, comedian
To me, machosimply means asense of prideand strength in
what I do well. Myquestion is:Whenmen can be calledsexy, why can’t women be calledmacho? Just like Virat Kohli disp-lays machismo on the cricketfield, Mary Kom portraysmachismo in the boxing ring.
— Anshuman Jha, actor
Macho men aremen with greatlooks; they arewell-behaved
and chivalrous andcan handle anygiven situationsensibly.Times have changedand women have evolved. Menand women now have an equalsay in everything and both thesexes can be ‘macho’.
—Preety Bhalla, singer
Machista has nothing to do with being muscular or flaunting 6-pack abs. It's gotnothing to do with how many guys you punched. A true macho man is the onewho is not a chauvinist and believes in protecting, caring and being equal. Isecond the Pope’s statement.Women are often stronger than men in terms of EQand IQ; their reasoning skill is par excellence —Swapnil Shinde, fashion designer
PIC: THINKSTOCK
“Earlier,only going abroadwas seen as glam-
orous, now, going to theRannotsav or doing a high-altitude drive in Ladakh is
also a talking point.”—Piya Bose of Girl On
The Go Club
CHECKLIST BEFORE YOUR TRIPDo your background check on the
locals you will be hanging out with,especially if you’re staying with them.
Keep an open mind. Don’t be judg-mental about lifetyle or food choices ofyour host. It was your decision to beadventurous and try something new.
“Openingup your home
space for travellers canbe enriching. We once invit-ed an Iranian family to stay
with us in Mumbai. The ladycooked a fabulous Iranian meal
for us and did the traditionalaarti with my wife every
morning.”—Jishu Dev, a media
professional
travel planner
whatthey said
It is good to have anend to journeytoward; but it is thejourney that matters,in the end — Ernest Hemingway,American author,journalist
There comes a time whenone must take a position thatis neither safe, nor politic,nor popular, but he musttake it because consciencetells him it is right— Martin Luther King Jr, activist,humanitarian, leader in theAfrican-American Civil RightsMovement
Buying travelogues or booking tourist guides isn’tthe same as travelling with a local companion whotakes you through the secret coves and homespunbistros for that authentic flavour. Local travel istrending big time this year
TOUCH,FEEL,SMELL…TRAVEL
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