Curious Tourist

 

 As the Covid 19 pandemic subsides globally, world travel will be in full swing and many of us will book our flights to beautiful destinations. In this article, I want to share with you 5 ideas that I often use to find cheap airline tickets. 1. Use VPN of the destination country and get the deals and offers going on in that area. For eg. When I use a VPN of France 🇫🇷 and book for Paris, ticket price is approximately Rs 34000. On the other hand, it is Rs 50000 when booked through Indian network. (Assuming you book 1 month in advance) Try it yourself and see. Download any VPN Apps on your phone, choose the desired country and then go to Skyscanner to get the cheapest international flight from your city. 2. U se credit card HACKS. 💳 Get the travel credit card which gives you huge cashback upon spending some money in first 60 days. Make all your travel spends with this new credit card and avail all the benefits. Some cards even offer free airline tickets which you can redeem on your...

Liberty of a Capitalist Monarchies in pre modern times were largely autocratic and normalized rule of men over rule of law. People were mere subjects having little liberty and rights.  This was tyrannical, diabolical and dictatorial as it gave absolute liberty to one individual to rule over other people. Later it was decided to divide this liberty among all people who now became citizens with some inalienable rights such as right to property, freedom of trade etc. Citizens themselves became sovereign entities and rulers became office holders bound by rule of law. Liberty was in one way a good development as it was a bulwark against arbitrariness of a tyrant. It allowed citizens to express themselves fully, pursue happiness in their own way and fulfill their individual dreams. However, a new capitalist class was born and new forms of tyranny came along with it. Colonialism, Imperialism, slavery, ultra nationalism, resource exploitation, environmental pollution, class division, inequ...

I recently got my first jab on May 15, 2021 at Max Hospital in East Delhi. I am going to list below a few tricks that I used to book my slot. Hope you find these pointers useful. 1. Register on free vaccine tracker websites that notify you whenever new vaccine slots are available near your residence. It's a really smart way to book your slot instead of wasting entire time on Cowin portal. Go to the portal only when you are notified. It actually works. I registered on  Vaccine Slot Notifier and you should definitely do it too. Below are some notifications I received on my email from getjab.in 2. I found Cowin app to be slower than web version. I recommend using web version of Cowin portal via android smartphone for quick OTP and registration. Plus web version can be easily translated into local languages such as Hindi on popular browsers like Google Chrome but Cowin app is not having this feature. 3. Always opt for the morning slot that is 9 am to 11 am. Once you get the slot, do no...

I have been to several National Parks in India primarily in search of the elusive big cat called the Tiger. It's always lovely to witness wild animals in their natural habitat but it becomes all the more special when one of those animals happens to be a Tiger! Here I am going to share with you 10 points that you should keep in mind before booking that Jungle Safari in India. These points encompass my 12 years of traveling experience in the wild and all the Tiger wisdom I have gained over the years. A Tiger with his catch, Bijrani Zone, Corbett Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand 1. Select a National Park that has maximum density as well as maximum number of tigers as per most recent Tiger Census data from National Tiger Conservation Authority & Wildlife Institute of India. I spotted my first Tiger finally at Corbett Tiger Reserve as it had 231 Tigers at that time(in February of 2021)- the highest number of tigers anywhere in India. So Corbett National Park is the first choice. 2. If i...

 A Mysterious Step Well in the heart of Delhi The black well is said to hypnotize the viewer and attracts the person towards itself. Many have died but their deaths were termed either "Accidents" or "Suicides"- nobody knows. Even the Rickshaw driver warned me that there are spirits or ghosts roaming around in this grim place. Surprisingly, there were no pigeons or dogs or cows that are usual inhabitants in any "Touristy" place. To make me more circumspect, there was no ticket counter as if the tourism department itself knew something was creepy about this place. I also felt the cold as I descended into the well and my heartbeat quickened as I approached the black well. Although the place was full of tourists on a bright Saturday afternoon, it was rather quiet and eerie.  How & Why I got scared in this beautiful STEP WELL? Well, you would have to visit the place yourself instead of relying on third party accounts. Many people use and cash on such clickb...

In a remote village situated on the banks of the Yamuna, a young boy named Raju from a Pachayat School was persuading his community members not to defecate in the open. He had a spark in his eyes, a constant smile on his face and an indomitable desire to bring about a meaningful change in his village. The above story is one among many others that are transforming and reimagining India. The honourable Prime Minister has given a vision for creating a New India by 2022 when India would complete 75 years of its independence. In this context, Niti Aayog- the premier think tank of the country, has come up with the Strategy for New India. The success of this strategy is incumbent upon the active participation of fellow citizens in socio-economic development and also upon their pro-activeness in upholding the constitutional ideals especially the Fundamental duties as enshrined in Article 51A of the Indian Constitution. In this essay, we will understand the nature and definition of New...

My letter to Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission Dear Sir, Hope you are doing good.  I am a Mentor in a school in Delhi. I have written many articles, held conferences on the success of ATL model and how it's helping foster entrepreneurship and innovation among school children. However in the last 6 months, many Delhi schools have faced a lot of problems. Most of the issues are arising due to severe paucity of funds and its becoming difficult to conduct workshops and procuring equipment for labs. Please consider following issues- 1. An amount of Rs. 2 lakhs is expected each year for an ATL school but my school did not receive this grant in 2018 and 2019(currrent year) 2. There is a technical glitch in BharatKosh portal- school has deposited the interest but the amount is still showing in PFMS account even though school has no funds left. Hence school auditor is unable to audit the second financial year(2018) and PFMS uploading can't be done.  3. School ATL Incharge...

A Journey Towards Change! Atal Tinkering Fest at School   I have been mentoring students of Ryan International School, Mayur Vihar since 6 months. It has been an overwhelming yet enriching experience for me to see the budding innovators tweaking, failing, learning and finally succeeding at their prototypes. I have realized that my primary role in this journey is to inculcate in them the values and life skills required to become a successful entrepreneur. I facilitate the sessions in Q&A dialogue form so that they think independently and come up with solutions themselves. I have been able to nurture in them many useful traits such as compassion, perseverance, courage, critical thinking etc. My students have surprised me with their talent, curiosity and never-give-up attitude. They have in fact made me a better human being. We are using Design Thinking(DT) approach (5 stages of design thinking- Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test) . DT was adapted for ...

A revolutionary innovation event called 'Tinkering Fest' is happening in many schools all across India. It is a brainchild of Atal Innovation Mission(AIM), NITI Aayog,  Government of India. Atal Tinkering Labs have been set up under AIM in more than 2000 schools that aim to foster creativity and technological innovation among students using design thinking(DT) approach.  DT was adapted for business purposes by David M Kelley, a professor at Stanford University, who also founded the design consultancy IDEO   in 1991. IDEO further popularized the DT concept for solving specific business problems. A design mindset is not problem-focused, it is solution focused and action oriented towards creating a preferred future.  Students actively involved in the Atal Tinkering Lab(ATL) at Ryan International School(RIS), Delhi were given a summer assignment in which they had to think about and reflect upon the general problems in society t...

I was never sure about what I really wanted from life and what my true purpose was, so I started to explore myself and the world around me. One thing that I was sure of was my innate curiosity to learn just about anything new that came my way. Another thing that I knew I had was the ability to work hard and get my hands dirty. So it was hardly surprisingly that I was good or rather excellent in whatever I did. This made the search for my purpose even harder as I lost myself in the inebriation of curiosity, trying one thing after another and then another. My ravenous mind was never at peace with one thing and it always wanted exciting adventures to embark on, new paths to trek on and a new summit to climb on. I threw myself in all kinds of jobs, internships, fellowships and what not! Before graduating as an engineer, I had already worked as a researcher, a writer, a marketing intern as well as an analyst. My stints in all these roles definitely piqued my interest but the problem was...

I usually get up early in the morning on Independence Day to catch the special Independence day speech of India’s Prime Minister live from the hallowed grounds of the Red Fort. This time I decided to do something out of the ordinary and paid a visit to Hajratpur Primary School, a low income government school in Noida that is supported by Samsung’s CSR initiatives. I was delighted when I got the offer from Samsung Noida’s CSR team to visit the school. After all, there is no better way to celebrate the spirit of freedom than to be with little kids who are the future of our country. Little ones dancing on a patriotic song After struggling a bit to find the exact location of the school, I finally managed to reach on time. I knew I had reached the right location when I saw my friends standing in the prayer ground along with so many smiling children. Some children were wearing magnificent tri-color paint on their cheeks and foreheads while others were waving the flags with boisterous...

I was thinking about the recent initiatives taken by the Indian government and citizens collectively towards transforming our country. Promises have been made in so many diverse fields ranging from cleanliness and education to clean energy and digitization. The important thing now is to not renege on these promises and work towards their successful completion. New programs, policies, movements, fellowships in both public and private sectors are showing the way in this regard. Full fledged plans have been made and the work is also under way- a reinvigorated Plan to clean all our rivers, an innovative Swachh Bharat Fellowship program to nip corruption in its bud, Niti Ayog's 'Mentor Of Change' scheme to educate young innovators in classrooms and many such well meaning projects have come up. A change in government policy that is giving a fillip to electric cars and promoting clean energy sources such as nuclear, solar, wind and hydro is also welcome as it would help in redu...

A way to enrich one’s life is through a regular practice of self-reflection. Reflection when done after every new experience or even after daily work helps create a conscious awareness of that experience that results in the formation of new neural pathways for faster learning. Being detached from the process and behaving like a silent observer standing in the corner, we open ourselves to unbiased and deeper insights into the experiences that we had in the day. It creates a possibility of improving ourselves from one day to the next as we try to do the same things differently and with a different lens and perspective. There are multiple ways of reflecting- writing in a journal, silently sitting with eyes closed which is akin to meditation, walking slowly with the objective of introspection, talking to a close friend or family member whom we trust and many other similar ways(It clearly depends on the person). Since I love to write and blog, it’s natural for me to reflect by m...

I am an educator in a low income school where I teach underprivileged kids. I strive to give them an excellent education by making them aware about the issues around them and helping them to think and have their own opinions on these issues. Change starts from within, hence I would start the clean India mission by first reflecting upon my own actions as an individual- generating less waste by reducing and reusing materials, segregating the wastes right at home, adopting the little space outside my house and ensuring its cleanliness. Once I am doing these activities as a ritual myself, I am going to spread the message to all the students of my school. Apart from educating my kids on the what, why and how of cleaning the surroundings, I will also organize events such as poster making, essay writing and theater as part of the Clean India campaign in the school. I will establish a ‘Clean Your Community Challenge’ in which students from each community would group into teams ...

Day 5 Spectacular Sand dunes in the backdrop Somewhere between Dubai and Oman It was the last day of our trip but many adventures were still in store for us. We boarded the morning bus from Abu Dhabi to Dubai that dropped us right in the middle of the historic district called Bur Dubai. We were lucky to contact one of our friends who lives in Bur Dubai who agreed to keep all our luggage with him(we did't have any hotel as our flight was scheduled for the same night). After dumping the bags at his place, we were off towards the Indian markets and the Old Souk(Arabian market). It was still morning and shopkeepers were just beginning to pull up their shutters and hawkers were gradually setting up their materials. We could see lots of locals going towards the Abra station(Abra rides are traditional ferries that carry passengers across the Dubai Creek) and decided to just flow with the rush. Since you love experiences like Desert Safari, have a look at these as well   Spice...

Day 4 All smiles in front of Emirates Palace Abu Dhabi We checked out of our JB residence(an AirBnB) early in the morning as our itinerary showed that we had to travel to Abu Dhabi that day. We called an Uber and headed to the Main Bus Terminal which is adjacent to the magnificent Emirates Mall(yet another shopping landmark in the city). We reached in good time, bought tickets for the next bus to Abu Dhabi and waited for the bus to open its doors so that we could relax inside. Without any fuss, we boarded the bus and were on our way to our next destination in the U.A.E. It is always good to rest your eyes once in a while when you get the opportunity, especially during strenuously crazy travel that we guys were doing. So we kept mum and slept our way through to Abu Dhabi. We were greeted with refreshing morning showers and a clear sunshine(paradoxical weather indeed) and could feel the coolness and dampness in the fresh morning air when we stepped out of the bus. We immediately ...