The World is my Playground

The world is Flat but full of Forums nowadays with Focus on Tourism, Heritage, CSR etc. Few days back I attended a Conclave on Heritage, CSR Conference from Idea to Impact at AMA yesterday was on Tourism with Omar Abdullah to pull back the fading numbers of tourists in Jammu and Kashmir. The twin city Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar has been witnessing Dubai Property shows, various corporate forums. On 31st July, 2025, TTF, Gujarat’s biggest travel trade show, had over 900 exhibitors from India and overseas, witnessed a diverse lineup of national and international tourism boards, including Sri Lanka Tourism, Gujarat Tourism, Uttar Pradesh Tourism, Uttarakhand Tourism, J & K Tourism, Goa Tourism, Odisha Tourism, Rajasthan Tourism, Punjab Tourism, Kerala Tourism, Karnataka Tourism, Assam Tourism, Tamil Nadu Tourism, Chhattisgarh Tourism, Meghalaya Tourism, Tripura Tourism etc. Ms. Gayatri Subramaniam, Director, Association for Women in Business, Director International Centre for Socially...

The Iconic landmark on the map of any tourist or celebrity visiting Ahmedabad is Vishalla. One place which has been deep-rooted yet standing firm on the ground since 1978. Rustic, soothing, natural and humane are the core essential aspects of the age-old restaurant in town. Vishalla is not only known for its authentic food which comprises of over forty items which are first served to the deity in the temple after an ‘ aarti’ ; a daily ritual, and if you happen to reach there at 7pm then you can be a part of this truly divine experience. The food, therefore, is addressed more as ‘ prasadam’ . Moreover, the ingredients used are pure and natural with no entry of any artificial color in your platter. The authentic Gujarati food is served over disposable dry leaf plates or ‘pattal’. Wall of Fame The village-like rustic environment gets dramatic in the evening when the lanterns light up the mud houses and dining tops created with uneven logs of wood; retaining its natural shap...

Ahmedabad was painted blue on 9 th August 2018, when the regal heirlooms showcased their priced heritage in a fresh format. HH Maharani Radhika Gaekwad and Mallika Sarabhai  The unveiling of Royal Fables at The Hyatt, Vastrapur narrated, yet another chapter, singing sonnets of the glory and magnanimity associated with our rich heritage culture. The Elephant sculpture symbolising strength, vigor, valor, power and richness was the theme of Royal Fables. The giant, who had been in captivity for long, not realising its own potential got unshackled. The broken shackles were very much part of the sculpture!! Her Highness Maharani Radhika Raje Gaekwad of Baroda & Mallika Sarabhai did the ceremonial opening of the fable; followed by the thematic dance of Mallika Sarabhai revolving around elephants... She spoke about ‘gaja gamini’ – the woman with elephant walk used to be considered sexiest, she also narrated the story of ‘Agastya’ through her traditional dance. Th...

H omo sapiens as we are, one of the most evolved species on this planet.. the way our brains, technology and living patterns have emerged, so have the trends on food. in ancient times, after we discovered fire.. food was simply cooked so that our digestive system isn't loaded for hours of churning and extracting nutrients.. Nutrition is what needed as fuel to run ourselves and our brains.. So my day on Saturday started with a session on growing better food for nutrition which is chemical free. " Treewalks " an initiative by Lokendra Balasaria is a session conducted by like minded people on regular intervals to know more about the trees, taking care of them, growing up vegetables and contributing more to detox the planet. Next I headed on to UNLOCKED.. which too is based on Detoxing, be it from technology or our digestive system. I discovered a board game "UNSPOKEN" over a Kiwi, Cucumber and Mint detox juice with an intention to add better n...

# Destination Weddings : Best Place in Gujarat # Go Golf : Annual series of Golfing initiatives spread across age groups.. The above headline in Urdu is suggestive of a farm loaded with blossoms and flowers.. so is the place where I spent my weekend. A must go for any traveller or an Amdavadi.. “Gulmohar Greens” is the place I reached on Saturday, 26 th May 2018... here the name Gulmohar is taken for a tree which is in full bloom during peak summer season, loaded with hues of red, orange & yellow flowers. So is this place.. always green, colourful and fully live with activities from all across genres. A perfect mix which is difficult to achieve.. hence a must try for a resort style living and a home away from home! Peak Summer, when the temperatures have soared to their highest of degrees, 47 degree Celsius,     to be precise, this is one place which gives you respite. Spread on sprawling 75 acres land, primarily known for a Golf course, has loa...

Touching the new millennium 2000, the skyline of Ahmedabad had been known for very few star category hotels, and Sabarmati peripheral region used to be one key zone to build these Landmark locations.. and attract operators. Then came in Hotel Fortune Landmark in the year 1998 at Usmanpura, with a view of Sabarmati from their rooftop and close vicinity to the airport; soon followed by other revolutionary change, with Vibrant Gujarat seasons, Medical tourism and upsurge in tourism industry there came in a rising room demand which led to landing in  various other players and investors pouring in the market.  Hospitality being a highly demanding industry,  volatile markets and aggressive competition; this is one Landmark which has been standing tall, carrying the same brand tag since two decades. Chef Suresh Khanna amidst his vivid  creations On 23rd May 2018, Hotel Fortune Landmark celebrated their twenty years of operations. A journey worth a mention...

Well as the interiors suggest, this place is completely meant for teenagers and the youngistann who can get themselves sink into calories without counting and also dig well into cheese .... Weird, be it the combinations or the tastes, there are fried Oreos and ' paratha ' pizzas. For the food tasting session, I started my culinary journey with a Brownie Shake, crumbled brownie churned with milk and served in a long beaker kinda glasses.. I had fun clicking some pictures with the freakish graphics and toons. The shake too is good to go with, quite filling and highly recommended. The next came in queue was Dal Makhani with Paratha, part of their new menu delights. This Dal Makhani has a very typical punju touch to it, not too heavy and tastes exactly like a home made version. Good to go, as it is a mini platter, served with 'paratha'. Personally, I would give it four star out of five to it..  Another extension of parathas are the paratha ...

The Fern – An Ecotel Hotel, now has been known for being one of the places for their innovative approach towards serving gastronomical delights; while we explore them on world map. They have been organizing food festivals from all corners of the Globe. This time they have picked up regional Indian specialties, not from one but four states in a go.. Chef Chandan North Eastern and central belt, rich in alluvial soil, has lot of locally made food varieties which forms staple diet of the local population. Hence, such varieties from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh are being served this on-going week at The Fern- An Ecotel Hotel.   veg kebab platter The food festival is going on at Garden Cafe, wherein there are live counters for appetisers and a lavish buffet spread.   The fest is on from 4 th to 13 th May 2018. So head on to take a gastronomic tour of Varanasi, Indore, Patna, Lucknow at a go.. dhushkas, poha jalebi and dal ...