Indian booking of Cruise Tourism 2022

 Cruise Tourism was the first to be hit by the pandemic. Now, after two years, Cruise Tourism is showing a positive sign of revival. The Indian booking for cruises are seeing an unprecedented rise in the last few weeks. Leading Cruise agents like STIC, Thomas Cook etc are reporting 35-40% rise in their cruise booking from India. 

Short hauls, easy visa destinations without quarantine requirements are the hot favorites among the Indians. Singapore Sailing, middle east cruises like Dubai - Abudhabi - Muscat - Bahrain offered by the cruise companies like Genting Dream, Royal Caribbean Cruises top the booking chart for their November to March Sailing season. 

While the news come as a consolation for our mates in the out-bounds the entire team in the in-bounds are staying positive hoping their 'days' are not far away too, monkeypox or not!

India and her Internet Usage

A developing country like India has more internet users than the entire population of USA.

According to a report published by IAMAI (Internet and Mobile Association of India) 346 million Indians use internet; the population of USA is estimated to be around 336 million.

The Internet users of India mostly engage in E-Commerce, online payment etc.

The Pandemic Impact

Before the world was locked down by the pandemic the number of Indian Internet users were  230 million (2019); during the lock down the number of users have doubled with more males using internet in both rural and urban areas.

All for entertainment

Entertainment, communication and social media encourage more and more users to try the internet. Entertainment through the OTT has almost equal number of subscribers in both rural and urban areas.

Texting and emails are the popular means of communication.

Future Growth

692 million Indians have used internet at one time or the other and the user base is expected to reach 900 million by 2025. With the urban usage has almost reached its peak with 347 million users at 69% of the urban population there is plenty of leeway for expansion in the rural market which is at present at 351 million at 37% of the rural population. Interestingly two out of every five rural users have tried the voice facility; services like online gaming, shopping and payments are bound to grow, the use of  Indian languages by the Operating Systems will throw open tremendous growth opportunity for internet usage and its related development opportunity in India. Goa and Bihar stands at the extremes in terms of the usage with the population.

New Moon Day

Early morning crowd at the Varkala Beach. They have come from far and wide for the rituals.

On the new moon day of the Malayalam month of Karkiddakam (Aadi in Tamil) which falls on 27th July, everyone remembers their dead and perform rituals for the well being of the soul. The day and the rituals are an unbroken tradition of the land and is observed with utmost reverence with a dip in the river and the offering of flowers and lamp made unto the  water. 

Miss Steph

Stephanie Weaver is an American Christian. She has a disability. She has no voice (sound). Inspite of her shortcomings she has found her peace with Jesus and has dedicated her life to teaching Pre-School children. She talks with help of a mechanical aid. You can listen to her in this video (link at the bottom).

 Stephanie called fondly as Miss Steph by the children is fond of writing  inspiring stories for them. She has published two such books which is now available on Amazon. They will make a wonderful gifts for our own children.

Her life is a testimony to overcoming our own disabilities and fears through faith and keep living everyday with hope.

A video of her speaking with the help of a device.

Stephanie Weaver's book on Amazon

Wayanad Tribal Tourism

Wayanad has always been a pleasant surprise. Natural and beautiful, a delight of the tourists. The more we try to learn about Wayanad the more curious we become about the original inhabitants of the hill country. Few centuries ago there were no one except them. It was Tipu’s soldiers who came down the hills from Mysore making way for his march to conquer the coast and its harbours. Then came the British who knew how to work the hill, magnificent plantations came up, labourers from all over the south found a means of bread and settled. Within a few years, Wayanad became a fashionable European settlement. Few of the names of the hills and the places were changed but mostly the old ways and names remained. By the turn of the 20th century, came the flood of local migration, centuries long tribal heritage of the place was lost for ever.

Enchanting Wayanad always had the tourism potential; it was realized early became operational with policy change when the tourism focus shifted from south to North Kerala. Besides the natural beauty what captivated the tourists were its original people. At last an enterprise had come up celebrating the heritage, tradition and lives of the tribes of Wayanad.

A charitable trust formed with the leadership of Sub-collector and 13 tribal leaders has formed a tribal heritage centre “ Enna OOru” formally making a platform to interact, experience the tribal way of life including 10 tribal huts for the visitors to stay in. The centre has shops to sell tribal products of medicine, art, crafts etc. a cafeteria to taste tribal foods, space to hold events and performances in tribal culture.

It is a beginning in a way. Let us hope, the tribes themselves could set up their own enterprise and truly change the face of Wayanad tourism. 

 

Easter Greetings

  The disciples of Jesus waited behind the closed doors of their temporary home in Jerusalem. Their master, the one they loved very much, was arrested and pronounced guilty of sedition and blasphemy by the religious court; the death sentence was approved by the Roman Governor and their master was crucified to death. Before they had the time to understand what is going on, their master was dead and hurriedly buried in a cave tomb. 

They were now waiting for the Sabbath to get over to return to the tomb to complete the anointing of his body which they could not complete on the day He died. On that fateful Friday Sabbath was already upon them when the Romans took the dead bodies down from the crosses and they hardly got the time to prepare Jesus's body for burial before it was placed inside the tomb. Everybody left in a hurry to start the Sabbath hoping to return early on Sunday morning to complete the anointment. 

Our heart goes out to the disciples and the women who were with them, especially Mary of Magdella, when they stood outside the tomb grieving while the lifeless body of their master lay still inside the tomb. The still body of their Master, who was their world and life for nearly three years. 

As their grief grew deep they couldn't help but think about the injustice of it all; their master being accused of a baseless accusation and being killed unlawfully on the day of Pessach. They were simple fishermen and workmen from Galilee with no connections or friends at higher levels of their society to appeal for help. Their helplessness added to their misery. No matter how deep their sighs were and how long their tears ran down, none of them, absolutely no one among them had any idea of what they are going to feel when the day broke after the Sabbath.

Are you ready?

Easter greetings.

Vishu

 

Vishu marks the beginning of the new year of Kerala on the first day of the month of Medam and the Malayalees celebrate that day auspiciously. According to the lunar based local astronomical calendar the sun completes an annual circle and starts afresh by moving on to Aries or the ‘Mesha Raashi’. On the Gregorian calendar the day falls between April-May. The day denotes the beginning of the spring globally; locally the farmers start preparing their fields and lands for the monsoon, on which depends the entire agriculture system of the land which unfailingly arrives on the first of July and continues for the next 3-5 months. Though at present Vishu is considered as a Hindu festival it was and is a universal festival; before the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, there was only one local calendar and the day was auspicious to all the communities.

Meaning of Vishu

In Sanskrit Vishu means equal; First day of Medam has equal hours of day and night (Equinox). The day is dedicated to Vishnu and Krishna and they are worshiped on the new year day which symbolises the re-union of Sun and Mesha; hence a family festival. Vishu is not complete with these family rituals; Vishu Kani, Vishu Kaineetam and Vishu Sadya.

Festivities of the day

Vishu Kani: ‘Kani’ is the first sighting of the day. On the eve of Vishu, the prayer room of the house is set ready with the idols of Vishnu or Krishna with all the worship materials like, lamps, flowers, fresh fruits and vegetables, rice, coconuts, beetle leaves, arrack nuts, cucumber, jack fruit, mirror, holy book, cotton mundu (dhoti), Rupees and coins. All these fruits of labour and necessities of life are arranged in big bell bowl and placed neatly and aesthetically nearly the idols or the picture of the Gods by the eldest lady of the family with an oil lamp on the floor (Nila Vilaku). The next day morning, everyone is expected to make the first sighting of these symbols of prosperity and fruits of labour as a blessing and a good start to the new year, praying the new year too would be as or even more bountiful as the preceding one. The Holy scripture, mostly Ramayana, is read on the occasion.

Vishu Kaineetam:  The eldest man in the family gift the younger ones with money. Later, everybody set out to burst fire crackers welcoming the new year. It is followed by a sumptuous lunch which is the famous Vishu Sadya. The celebration will continue to the night and the crackers, a favorite of children and adults alike fondly called as the ‘Vishu Padakam’, will keep bursting without a break all around the neighborhood.