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DECCAN AVIATION LAUNCHES INDIA’S FIRST HELICOPTER SERVICE FROM BIAL: Deccan Aviation has launched India’s first helicopter service from the new Bengaluru International Airport (BIAL) to key business locations in Bangalore. This is an added service to the airport which will benefit VIPs, CEOs and encourage medical airlifting and heli-tourism.
JET AIRWAYS AND JETLITE TO MERGE: Jet Airways and JetLite are merging their backend operations in an attempt to achieve synergy, make the organisation leaner and save costs. JetLite are preparing to relaunch itself as a hybrid-airline model. It is attempting to move at least 300 of its 2,200 personnel to other operations and feeding into Jets network as a conscious management move. The airline has pulled out a total of 26 flights, including some flight operations to metros such as Delhi and Mumbai. It has also postponed the launch of its international operations due to the high fuel costs.
JET INTRODUCES APEX FARES FOR ECONOMY CLASS: Jet Airways has introduced Apex-21 special advance purchase fares for passengers travelling in economy class on several of the airline’s domestic routes. These fares are available for purchase worldwide, effective August 1, 2008 and reservations can be made through Jet Airways’ offices and travel agents. Bookings for these fares must be made at least 21 days prior to departure date of the first segment. In case of cancellations, the basic fare is non-refundable. However, the applicable tax component is refundable.
JET AIRWAYS OUTFLIES AIR INDIA ON DUBAI ROUTE: When full service carrier Jet Airways starts its flights to Dubai next month, it will find the India-Dubai sec¬tor almost deserted by nation¬al carrier Air India (AJ), which had ruled the route in the last decade. Air India, which used to oper¬ate close to forty direct flights weekly to Dubai, has already brought it down to around 15. Jet Airways and its sub¬sidiary JetLite recently got government approval to fly to Dubai, thus ending Air In¬dia's monopoly on that route. Jet is going to start its Dubai flights from Mum-bai, Delhi and Chennai next month.
JETLITE TO SERVE SNACKS AT A PRICE: With effect from August 8, due to spiralling costs and mounting losses Jet’s low-cost subsidiary JetLite will stop serving free water, toffees and snacks on its flights. While other LCCs (low-cost carriers) like IndiGo, SpiceJet and Deccan have long been selling snacks on their flights, JetLite will join this list now. Last month, Spice-Jet and AI (domestic) had stopped giving free toffees. Jetlite will now offer a choice of hot snacks for a price. The airline has already cut several flights and is also giving up expensive airport office spaces in some places where that work can be done at Jet’s available offices.
INDIA’S FIRST FLIGHT OPERATIONS TYPE RATING TRAINING SCHOOL APPROVED FOR JET AIRWAYS: India’s first flight operations Type Rating Training School (TRTS) of Jet Airways has obtained the approval from DGCA as a Type Rating Training Organisation (TRTO). Now Jet can conduct in house examinations and can endorse course under the supervision of DGCA. This will expedite the training commitments and enable Jet Airways to induct pilots in smaller batches at regular intervals to optimise the usage of simulator as well as ground school training facilities.
AIR INDIA EXPRESS TO CONNECT KERALA TO KUWAIT: Air India Express will fly between Kerala and Kuwait from July 14, 2008. A daily flight from Kozhikode, thrice weekly flights from Kochi and twice weekly flights from Mangalore will be introduced by AI Express. AI Express recently got its 12th Boeing 737-800 and with the induction of the new aircraft in AI Express fleet, the frequencies will increase to 150 international flights weekly.
AIR INDIA EXPRESS LINKS MANGALORE TO KUWAIT AND SHARJAH: Mangalore airport has been connected with two more overseas destinations as Air India Express began a service to Sharjah and Kuwait. Mangalore is already connected to Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai and Doha by Air India Express.
AIR INDIA RESUMES DIRECT FLIGHT BETWEEN KOLKATA AND LONDON: Air India reintroduced its direct flight between Kolkata and London from July 26, 2008. The flight will be operated with A330 aircraft, which has a two class configuration of 24 Club Class and 255 Economy Class seats. The introduction of this non-stop flight between Kolkata and London has enormous significance for West Bengal and neighbouring states including those in the North East as passengers will now be able to travel to London conveniently in a much shorter time.
DRAGON AIR LAUNCHES HONGKONG-BENGALURU DAILY OPERATIONS: Cathay Pacific’s subsidiary, Dragonair launched its daily services between Hongkong – Bengaluru with effect from July 1. Relatively a low cost but full service airline, it operates an Airbus–330–300 with a configuration of 44 business class & 267 economy class seats on this route.
EMIRATES’ REGISTERS HIGHEST FREQUENCY IN INDIA WITH 132 WEEKLY FLIGHTS: Starting 1 Jul, when they announced the launch of 18 additional flights to India, Emirates has become the highest frequency operator to India by any foreign airline. This Dubai based airline has increased frequencies to Bengaluru, Delhi and Hyderabad.
GULF AIR LINKS HYDERABAD TO BAHRAIN: The long-standing bilateral relationship between Bahrain and India is further enhanced by Gulf Air’s new connectivity to Hyderabad from July 1, 2008. The daily non-stop service between Bahrain and Hyderabad will be served by Airbus A320-200 with business and economy class providing two-way connectivity to many other major markets within the region.
DUBAI’S NEW BUDGET AIRLINE ‘FLYDUBAI’: ‘FlyDubai’ will be Dubai’s new low cost airline to be launched in couple of months. “FlyDubai is a simple airline and the name also carries a strong association with the city of Dubai itself as a brand synonymous with excellence, reliability and an international, pro-business approach. The new airline will support Dubai’s commercial and tourism sectors.
SINGAPORE AIRLINES ON AGGRESSIVE EXPANSION IN INDIA: Singapore Airlines is working on an aggressive expansion plan in India, beginning with doubling its daily flights from New Delhi from September. At present, the airline operates nine flights a week from Delhi using the Boeing 777-200 aircraft, with a three-class configuration. The new flights will be called ‘Sunrise’ services, and will be operated in the morning. Sunrise services will provide connectivity to people traveling to and beyond Singapore to destinations in South-East Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Additionally, Singapore Airlines plans to operate three flights daily from Mumbai. Currently, it operates 14 flights per week.
THAI AIRWAYS AUGMENTS FLIGHTS BETWEEN MUMBAI AND BANGKOK: Thai Airways plans to launch three additional day-time flights between Mumbai-Bangkok from July 17. With the introduction of these flights, the number of the airline’s weekly services will increase to 10. The airline would deploy an Airbus 330 with 42 seats in the royal executive class and 263 seats in the economy class.
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GINGER RAIL YATRI NIWAS OPENS IN DELHI: The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) launched its ‘smart basics’ hotel - ‘Ginger’ in New Delhi. The first of its kind, Ginger Rail Yatri Niwas is a combined effort of Ginger Hotels and Indian Railways to offer the discerning travellers visiting New Delhi a contemporary budget hotel well within their reach and right in the heart of the city. The well known budget hotel owned by the railways has been renovated, redesigned with all the features distinctive of Ginger ‘Smart Basics’ concept in the last 14 months. The hotel will now be run and managed under the Ginger Hotel brand.
GULAAB NIWAS PALACE JOINS WELCOMHERITAGE GROUP: WelcomHeritage, a subsidiary of Welcomgroup Hotels has added Gulaab Niwaas Palace, a luxury hotel in Pushkar, Rajasthan situated in India’s to its Group. The Palace offers 40 well-appointed rooms and suites that offer a quiet, elegant and luxurious atmosphere, equipped with all modern amenities. Pushkar is famous for the camel fair held in November.
HARYANA INAUGURATES CONVENTION CENTRE: Haryana has added a new feather to the chain of tourist complexes named after birds with the inauguration of a much-needed convention centre at Hotel Rajhans, Surajkund in Faridabad district of the state. The convention centre is equipped with all modern facilities with a capacity to accommodate about 800 to 1,000 persons and spacious parking to accommodate about 500 cars.
FORTUNE HOTELS BOOST PRESENCE IN BENGALURU: Fortune Hotels recently announced the launch of Fortune Select JP Cosmos, the 24th Fortune Hotel in the country and the second in Bengaluru. The hotel has been created to cater to today’s business as well as leisure traveller. Situated in the heart of Bengaluru, just off Cunningham Road, the new hotel is two km away from MG Road. The 134-room property includes 88 Standard Rooms, 41 Fortune Club Rooms, four suites, one presidential suite and one room specially designed for the differently-abled people. Fortune Hotels also has properties in the key destinations of Kolkata, Navi Mumbai, Gurgaon, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Indore, Pune, and two properties in Bengaluru itself.
MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL UNVEILS SERVICE APARTMENTS IN POWAI: To provide its guest with the feeling of home away from home, Marriott International recently introduced Lakeside Chalet Marriott Executive Apartments in Powai, Mumbai. These service apartments provide a retreat from the bustling city life and are a combination of home style living teamed with luxury hotel services.
INTERCONTINENTAL EROS TAPS DELHI POTENTIAL WITH TWO NEW HOTELS: Tapping the need of hotel rooms in Noida, InterContinental Eros is coming up with two new hotels, InterContinental and Holiday Inn respectively in Mayur Vihar, Delhi. Both the properties are placed next to each other. One of the hotels is a 5-star and the other a 4-star. The aim is to complete the project before 2010.
TAMIL NADU TOURISM LAUNCHES PLATINUM AND GOLD DISCOUNT CARDS FOR TTDC HOTELS: The Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) has launched platinum and gold cards valued at Rs 5,000 (about US Dollar 125) and Rs 1,000 (about US Dollar 25). Tourists possessing these cards can get a discount 10% discount during peak season and 20 per cent during off season at TTDC hotels at hill stations such as Udhagamandalam (Octy), Kodaikanal and Yercaud. The platinum cards would be valid for a period of ten years and gold card three years.
CAMP SITES A REALITY IN INDIA SOON: As India is facing an acute shortage of hotel accommodation and the mismatch in demand and supply is pushing the hotel tariffs higher camp sites will be promoted. This will augment the room availability in the country. Setting up of camp sites and tented accommodation can also be instrumental in promoting and facilitating Eco, Adventure and Pilgrimage tourism in the country.
The Ministry of Tourism has approved two set of Guidelines for Development of Camp Sites and Guidelines for Approval and Classification of Tented Accommodation for this purpose.
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UNESCO INDUCTS KALKA-SHIMLA RAILWAY ON WORLD HERITAGE LIST: The 105-year old Kalka-Shimla Railway (KSR) that was considered an engineering marvel of its time has been included in UNESCO World Heritage List. It joins two other mountain railways of India – Darjeeling Himalayan Railway in West Bengal and the Nilgiri Mountain Railway near Ooty in Tamil Nadu – which already enjoy this status. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal (earlier known as Bombay Victoria Terminal) in Bombay is another Indian Railways site in the UNESCO’s World Heritage site list. The Kalka-Shimla Railway (KSR) line was opened to traffic on November 9, 1903. During its six hour-journey on 96-km/59 miles narrow gauge route from Kalka to Shimla, the train runs through 102 tunnels, many arched bridges and several picturesque stations such as Dharampur, Barog and Solan. Simla (now called Shimla) was the summer capital of British ruled India.
PATA GOLD AWARDS APLENTY FOR INDIA: India has bagged many Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) awards. They will be presented at the PATA Travel Mart being held in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh from September 16 to 19, 2008. The Pitampura Dilli Haat, Delhi Tourism & Transportation Development Corporation, India has won in the Heritage category. The Marketing - Hospitality and goes to The Indian Hotels (Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces), India for No Room for the Ordinary.
Kerala Tourism has won in the Culture category for its only Utsavam - The Kerala Art Festival.
The Marketing Media - Consumer Travel Brochure also goes to Kerala Tourism Theme Brochure for Kerala Tourism. The Travel Journalism - Industry Business Article has been awarded to Ms. Kamal Gill, 'Today's Traveller Newswire', India for the feature "Aviation and Climate Change."
KERALA LAYS FOUNDATION STONE FOR INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE: The foundation for the International Convention Centre at Akkulam was laid on June 4, 2008. It is expected to give a real boost to the tourism possibilities of the state. A plenary hall with a capacity of 1500 persons, a hi-tech hall, three meeting halls, eight meeting rooms, and a VIP room will be the facilities offered by ICCC. Apart from this, there will be a five-star hotel, 25 luxury cottages, gymnasium, spa, marina, water sports and parking facilities.
POMMUDI HILL STATION ON THE INTERNATIONAL TOURIST PATH: Ponmudi, the beautiful hill destination in Thiruvananthapuram, will soon be made a picnic spot on international standards. A children’s park, well-lit roads, family restaurants, cottages, entrance porch and planting of saplings on both sides of the road have been accorded priorities in the development plans.
DELHI LIKELY CANDIDATE FOR UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE CITY STATUS: The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is to sign an agreement with the Prince Charles Foundation to get UNESCO World Heritage city status to Delhi. It is also lining up an agreement with foreign experts for conservation of the monuments in the city so that Delhi to this end. INTACH will help out the city government in urban landscaping, street lighting, urban designing among others to make the city look a perceptible heritage. Red Fort to Humayun Tomb and further Humayun Tomb to Safdarjung Tomb and Qutab Minar will be developed into heritage routes. The heritage buses would also ply on these routes. INTACH is also working for opening up heritage shops in malls, airports and Games Village.
TAMIL NADU TOURISM WOOS TOURIST WITH GUEST CARE CAMPAIGN: Tamil Nadu Tourism is highlighting new areas like rural tourism, eco-tourism, medical tourism with special focus on lesser known tourist destinations and has announced incentives for investors. Similar incentives are being offered for developing a golf course, amusement park, to convert heritage buildings into heritage hotels etc. The state has also launched a Guest Care Campaign (Virunthinar Potruthum Virunthinar Potruthum) for auto & taxi drivers, guides, front office staff in hotels and resorts which has received a tremendous response. To boost this effort they are introducing a Bed and Breakfast scheme, which will supplement the State’s accommodation needs. Additionally, they also plan to conduct marketing campaigns in Kochi, Pune, Jaisalmer and Lucknow.
NAVAL MUSEUM AND RENOVATED TARAPOREVALA AQUARIUM TO BE MUMBAI’S NEW TOURIST ATTRACTIONS: The Maharashtra government has taken up two major projects to boost tourist attractions in Mumbai. The Taraporevala Aquarium has seen interest from agencies as far as Malaysia and Singapore for the designing and expansion of Rs 100 crore Aquarium project. INS Vikrant – the decommissioned warship will be converted into a naval museum with restaurants, shopping complex, and conference halls for the tourists. The entire redevelopment and jetty work will be done within the next two to three years.
SHILP HAAT OPENS IN AGRA: On the lines of Dilli Haat in Delhi, which gives its visitors a close look at the different hues of Indian culture, an initiative has been taken in Agra with the opening of Shilphaat at Shilpgram, which is at a distance of 750 m from the Eastern gate of Taj Mahal. Shilphaat was formally inaugurated on May 10 and has been running successfully ever since. This fair shall remain open round the year within a beautifully constructed ethnic complex where all types of indigenous handicrafts are on display.
ADLABS LAUNCHES INDIA’S FIRST 6D CINEMA IN AGRA: The first Adlabs - Cinema Park network facility has launched India’s first 6D cinema experience at Agra, making it first in Asia as well. Providing a multi-sensory cinematic experience unlike anything cinema goers have ever encountered, the 6D Cinema is set to become a distinctive global tourist edutainment attraction. With Adlabs in partnership with Cinema Park Network, the idea is to provide an Edutainment experience that is not only inspiring and effective but also interactive. Be it students, families, employees or companies, a cinematic tour that is highly informative and educating along with a journey full of fun and frolic is surely a stress-free learning experience for its audiences.
ASTA AND INCREDIBLE INDIA TO HOLD SEMINAR SERIES FOR TRAVELLERS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS: ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents) India Chapter in association with Ministry of Tourism- Govt. of India is organising a seminar series on “Accessible Travel” for handicapped and disabled travelers. These were held at Delhi on 28th July; Bombay on 30th July; Cochin on 1st August; Madras on 4th August. The purpose of the seminar series was to educate and sensitize the industry on the "needs" of travellers with "special needs". To attract travellers from the segment of Handicapped / Disabled travel as well as from a point of social responsibility, this would be a tremendous learning opportunity for the Indian travel industry. ASTA India Chapter's objective is to create awareness about this untapped sector with huge business potential. According to a Harris Online survey commissioned by the Open Doors Organization documents that people with disabilities are traveling in ever greater numbers. In the US alone the number is more than 46 million and their spend is in excess of $13 billion annually on travel. It is also consistently reported that this segment would travel more if the options were available.
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INDIA VOTED ASIA’S LEADING DESTINATION AT WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS: At the World Travel Awards – 2008 “Asia and Indian Ocean” held on 19 June 2008. India received the award for the leading destination in Asia. Another feather in her cap has been the “Bronze Lion Award” at the 55th International Advertising Festival held at Cannes, France from 15-21 June 2008 for its the creative film on “Taj Mahal” which was used for Ministry of Tourism’s Incredible India campaign in the international market. The Ministry of Tourism has received this prestigious award for the first time. The World Travel Awards were launched in 1993 to acknowledge and recognize excellence in the world's travel and tourism industry. Now celebrating its 15th Anniversary, the awards are regarded as the very highest achievement that a travel product could ever hope to receive. Thousands of votes are cast by travel professionals from 167,000 travel agencies, tour and transport companies and tourism organizations in over 160 countries across the globe. Votes are cast globally by fellow industry professionals in 919 different categories.
TAJ HOTELS RAKE IN TWO WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS: Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces continues to consistently win the most prestigious awards and accolades worldwide. Further to this, Taj Hotels has recently won 2 prestigious awards at The 2008 World Travel Awards, reinforcing its position as India’s largest and finest Hotel chain. They are: Rajput Suite at The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, India won as India’s Leading Suite; Taj Lake Palace Udaipur was awarded India’s Leading Castle & Palace, The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai has created its own unique history. From Maharajas and Princes to, Presidents, CEOs and entertainers, the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower has played the perfect host. An architectural marvel, the Hotel offers luxuriously appointed suites, the finest amongst them being the Rajput Suite.
Some of the celebrities who stayed in the Rajput Suite are: Prince Charles, Richard Gere, Dennis Quaid, King of Morrocco, John Lenon, Yoko Ono, Ursula Andress, Robert Blackwill (US Ambassador), Michael Douglas, Danny Devito, Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt.
INDIAN ORIGIN JUDGE NEW UN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF: Harvard educated Indian origin judge Ms Navanethem Pillai has been appointed as the new UN Commissioner for Human Rights after the General Assembly unanimously voted for her. In 1992 she was serving as judge in the International Criminal Court in the Hague since 2003. Ms. Pillai co-founded Equally Now which works for women’s rights around the world. In 2003 she received the inaugural Gruber Prize for Women’s Rights.
REPLICA OF HISTORIC “JUNK” SHIP FOR GERMAN COMPANY TO BE FABRICATED IN INDIA: A German based company, Club Alanzo is getting a replica of a historic pirate “Junk” ship — The Red Dragon — to be fabricated in India. The first ship in the fleet named Alanzo I is world’s largest junk and is being constructed at Ghodbunder in Thane, Maharashtra at the Classicraft Marine Works. The super-luxury junk will be fitted with plasma TV sets, satellite phones, Internet connection and state-of-the-art modern paraphernalia in all of its nine cabins that will be made from wood sourced from India and different parts of the world. “Junks” are traditional Chinese wooden ships.
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GOA’S CUCUMBER FEAST: The 26TH July marks the feast of St. Anne which is celebrated with great pomp and fervor at the majestic Talaulim Church, a masterpiece of Indian baroque architecture located in South Goa. What distinguishes this feast from the others is that is known as the ‘feast of cucumbers’ or “Tovashyachem fest’. Women desirous of having a male child offer cucumbers to the patron saint. Besides cucumbers, spoons and moongbeans (udid) are also offered by young unmarried girls and bachelors in the hope of being blessed with a life-partner. St. Anne the mother of Mary was childless for many years before Mary was born, hence the devotion to her.
SAO JOAO FEAST IN GOA: The traditional St. John the Baptist feast or Sao Joao Feast as it is traditionally known in Goa was celebrated on June 24 with the traditional Koppel (head gear made of seasonal fruits and flowers) and jumping in wells, in a symbolic ritual of baptism. Traditionally grooms to be or newly wed young men jump in the well with a bottle of feni (local brew) who are then joined in by the other men folk. On this occasion, villagers also break coconuts and distribute the kernel to all present, along with other traditional sweets. One of the highlights of the feast are the traditional floats atop beautifully decorated canoes or boats which wind their way down the Siolim River.
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TIGER WALL OF HOPE: The World Wildlife Fund India’s Tiger Conservation Project has received a boost with mobile phone major Nokia pitching in to provide education to the villagers for sustainable development and identifying alternative livelihood programs for villages around national parks, specifically Ranthambore in Rajasthan. They also unveiled a Tiger Wall of Hope to draw attention to the dwindling number of tigers in the country. The wall has been created out of original pugmarks embedded in plaster of Paris and encased in acrylic.
TIGER CUB AIRLIFTED FROM RANTHAMBORE TO SARISKA SANCTUARY: In a first of its kind operation in India, a three year old male tiger cub was airlifted to Sariska Sanctuary from Ranthambore National Park. The move which is being seen as path breaking is the government’s efforts to revive the big cat population in 881 sq km area of Sariska Reserve in alwar which had lost all its big cats to poaching.
RAJKOT FOREST TO GROW MEDICINAL PLANTS: Nearly 500 acres of unused land in Rajkot, Gujarat would be used to grow more than 251 medicinal plants. This plantation (Aushdiya) hopes to create awareness as to the importance of these plants and their healing value.
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IVANA, BHAKTI BAG GOLD: Chess Prodigy and World under 8 Champ, Ivana Furtado and fellow Goan Bhakti Kulkarni, did India and particularly Goa proud when they bagged a gold medal each in the Under 9 and Under 17 categories respectively at the recently concluded 4th World School Chess in Singapore. Ivana also lifted a bronze medal along with Cyrus Pereira in the team event. The Goan players representing India claimed a total of 7 medals at the International event, creating another record. Earlier Ivana and Bhakti had bagged the silver and bronze medals respectively at the Asian Youth Under 10 Chess championships which were held in Teheran.
JASMINN (WWW.JASMINN.IN) HOTEL OPENS UP: Jasminn, a boutique style resort opened up recently at Betalbatim in South Goa (25 min from the airport). With 18 standard rooms (and some apartments and family units as well), they offer large rooms with hot (solar heating) & cold shower, individual control AC, electronic safe and key, coffee maker, mini fridge, TV and international dialing, etc. Of course they do have a pool, wi-fi internet, restaurant & bar. Situated little away from the sea, they offer complimentary pick up and drop to the beach during the day.
GINGER GOES TO GOA: The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) unveiled its first GenNext ‘Smart Basics’ Hotel - ‘Ginger’ in Goa at SGO complex, EDC, Pato, Panjim. The 137-room hotel in Goa is the 14th hotel that Ginger has added to its growing chain across the country, which includes New Delhi, Bangalore, Haridwar, Bhubaneswar, Mysore, Thiruvananthapuram, Durgapur, Nasik, Agartala, Puducherry and Pune.
BOOK ON MARIO MIRANDA RELEASED: July 19 saw the release of ‘Mario de Miranda’ to a packed audience at the ESG Hall at Inox, Panaji. The publisher Gerard D’Cunha has painstakingly put together this book which encompasses the early works of Mario Miranda and also includes Mario’s viginette impressions of the Goan way of life.
GOA TO BE PERMANENT VENUE FOR SOUTH ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL: The four day South Asian Film Festival (SAFF) was held in the Capital City Panjim with film stalwarts like Randhir Kapoor, Pooja Bhatt, Zeba Bhaktiyaar and other directors from South Asia attending the four day festival. ‘Osama’ the Afghan Film entry, which had won the Golden Globe Award, received rave reviews. Goa has also been chosen as the permanent venue for SAFF.
WAX MUSEUM AT OLD GOA: After the success of his was museum in Ooty, Shreeji Bhaskaran opened his second museum at Old Goa. Comprising of 9 statues of well known personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda and others, his piece de resistance is a life size, 22 feet prototype of the ‘Last Supper’ made of a staggering 500 kgs of wax. A Computer Engineer by profession, Bhaskaran has pursued wax sculpting as a hobby.
CARTOONIST ALEXYZ RELEASES HIS COLLECTION GOA..GOAN..GOING..GONE’: Goa’s renowned cartoonist Alexyz recently released a collection of his cartoons ad limertoons titled “Goa..Goan…Going…Gone…” at a well attended function at the Kala Academy. Alexyz then proceeded to Toronto for the Goa Convention. He later held an exhibition of his caricatures of Goan personalities in New York, San Jose, San Francisco and Georgia towards the end of July.
TRI CONTINENTAL FILM FESTIVAL HELD IN GOA 25-29 JULY: ‘The Hands of Che Guevara’ “Independent Intervention were some of the documentary films being showcased at the five day Tri Continental Film Festival held recently at The International Centre and Marqueniz Palace. The Film Festival which is being held in Goa for the second time covers documentary productions from Asia, Africa and America.
REIS MAGOS FORT TO BE RAISED FROM ITS RUINS: the 15th Century Reis Magos Fort, one of the oldest forts in Goa, is all set to become the tourist attraction in another one-and-half year with Britain-based Helen Hamlyn trust sponsoring the restoration work. Gerard D'Cunha, nationally renowned architect, has drawn up the makeover plans. Constructed by ruler Adil Shah, the fort was used by the invading Portuguese to house their soldiers as it was considered a strategic point at it was located just opposite Panaji City and the Cabo Palace (the official residence of the Governor). Post Liberation, it was converted into a jail. Reis Magos will be the first fort in the State to be converted for cultural use preserving its heritage quotient. The five canons atop the fort will be an important part of restoration project. Other canons which were earlier shifted from this place will be brought back and restored on the parent fort.
LISBON – GOA CHARTERS LIKELY BY YEAR END: The Portuguese Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Luis Amado who visited Goa earlier this month indicated that the Lisbon-Goa charter flights would be a reality by the end of this year, albeit on a limited scale. A hotel belonging to the Turismo de Portugal as well as an office of the TAP Portugal, the national airline of Portugal in Goa would complement these Chartered flights in an effective way.
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GREENER JETS IN THE SKY: Canada's aviation giant Bombardier unveiled its CSeries, a fuel-sipping "greener" rival to smaller aircraft made by industry leaders Airibus and Boeing. Bombardier, a leading manufacturer in railway equipment and the third largest global builder of air-planes, is looking to deliver a model that consumes 20 per cent less fuel, thanks to a new motor style and lighter composite materials, The CSeries twin-engine aircraft seats 110-130 people, and would compete with Airbus' A319 (125 seats) and Boeing's B737-600 and 700 (HOBO seats). The company put the CSeries project on hold in May 2006, after it had been in the works for a decade, but relaunched the process once it appeared that rising fuel costs would ignite demand for a more fuel-efficient aircraft.
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Just Answer Five Simple Questions to win a book on India: |
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1 The remains of St. Francis Xavier are in..
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a. Spain
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b. Goa |
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c. Cochin |
d. Portugal
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2 Aushdiya is ……
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a. A ritual
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b. Medicinal plants in Rajkot forest |
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c. A tribal dance |
d. A light
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3 From which date IATA has made E-Ticketing mandatory…
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a. June 1
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b. July 1 |
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c. August 1 |
d. July 31
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4 The mascot of Air India is…
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a. Mumtaz Mahal
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b. The Maharaja |
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c. The Golden Chariot |
d. Lord Krishna
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5 ‘MEET ME AT THE BORDER’ was written by
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a. Inder Raj Ahluwalia
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b. Ruskin Bond |
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c. Vishnu Sharma |
d. Khushwant Singh
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Last Date:
2008-09-10 to send your entries to the email address pmaurya@vsnl.net or pmaurya@indiainvites.com
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ANSWERS OF LAST CONTEST:
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1 Florence Nightingale was…
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ANS: Pioneer of modern nursing - ‘Lady of the Lamp’
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2 India’s first marine conservation reserve is being set up at…
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ANS: Lakshadweep
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3 Which is the first airline in India to commence Bar-Coded Boarding Passes
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ANS: Jet Airways
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4 Which of the following birds never makes its nest
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ANS: Cuckoo
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5 Thrissur Pooram is...
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ANS: Annual Elephant Festival in Kerala
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| WINNER OF LAST CONTEST: |
| We received a good response and there were quite a few correct answers, however Gerhard Moestl, Austria is the lucky winner out of the lot! Warm congratulations! The other people with all correct entries are: Urs Bucher, Switzerland; Shyamala Kumar, Chennai; Meena Chichia, Mumbai; Kathrin Angelstein, Germany & Damiana Fili, Italy . We thank you all for your kind participation, better luck next time!!! |
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