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India is a mystical land that presents the traveller with a bamboozling array of unforgettable experiences. Hinduism, the prominent religion, is intimately woven into the fabric of everyday life, reflected in an extraordinary range of time-honoured traditions.

Apart from its ancient spiritual framework, India’s vastness also challenges the imagination, being home to one sixth of the world’s population. Its intoxicatingly rich history can be traced back to at least 2500BC when the first known civilisation settled along the Indus River. more…

Most of the tourism I’ve seen in Kerala is fairly concentrated. People come to Kerala for the beaches, primarily the little strips in Kovalam and Varkala. They come for the backwaters that link the towns of Allepey, Kollam, and Kottayam. They come for a few famous ashrams – notably Amma’s ashram on the same backwaters. They come to see the European heritage and cultural displays of Fort Cochin. They visit the famous hill stations and National Parks in the Western Ghats. In other words, they miss most of Kerala. If they do see the rest of Kerala, its from their seat in the AC Chair Car, or in a whizzing taxi as they head to some temple festival.

There is nothing wrong with the hotspot, high-end tourism that has developed in Kerala. In fact, it may be the best kind of tourism for the state’s economy, bringing in a lot of money while concentrating the potentially negative impact of tourism in relatively few locales. But I suspect I’m not the only one in the IM community who has wondered – what about the rest of Kerala? What is life like there? Does the scenic beauty of the tourist hotspots extend beyond? more…