Born out of complex interactions between different races and cultures over several thousand years are rich and varied traditions of architecture, music and dance, textiles, arts and crafts, paintings, cuisines, etc. Interesting travels can be built around them — studying, exploring and discovering.
India has something for everybody. For those whose interests are more specific within broad categories or whose interests transcend generic categories, India offers yet another wide choice of travel.
Due to our vast repertoire of research scholars on diverse fields and understanding of local conditions, we are particularly equipped to provide ‘research and liaison support’ to documentary film makers, film shoots, University study tours, etc.
Besides travel, we also arrange for long-duration stays to facilitate participatory research, field-projects, learning and training on a number of special interest subjects.
One definition of a great civilization is the magnificence of its architectural legacy, and India is surely among the foremost. It is home to almost every conceivable historic style due to its numerous intra-cultural interactions. On one hand are world famous forts, palaces, tombs and caves, and on the other hand are structures still cloaked in obscurity, off the tourist circuit, waiting to be 'discovered'.
There are at present more than 3650 ancient monuments and archaeological sites and remains of national importance. These monuments belong to different periods, ranging from the prehistoric period to the colonial period and are located in different geographical settings. They include temples, mosques, tombs, churches, cemeteries, forts, palaces, step-wells, rock-cut caves, and secular architecture as well as ancient mounds and sites which represent the remains of ancient habitation.
The concept of museums in India may be traced back to the historic times, in which references to the chitrasala (picture gallery) do occur. However, in India the museum movement post-dates the similar developments that occurred in Europe.
The earliest necessity to house objects of antiquarian remains dates back to late 1796 AD when the Asiatic Society of Bengal felt the need to house the enormous collection of archaeological, ethnological, geological, zoological pursuits. Currently, there are a large number of museums around the country housing artefacts that belong to different eras of Indian history.
The rich and varied music and dance tradition in India is born out of complex interactions between different races and cultures over several thousand years. While North India’s classical dance, Kathak, is renowned for its elaborate footwork, south India’s Kathakali is admired for its minute movements of eyebrows and eyeballs. While Hindustani classical music is noted for its melody, the Carnatic music is extremely soulful. There are umpteen forms of regional folk music and dance, each of them creations of different socio-economic setups and traditions.
Indian paintings provide an aesthetic continuum that extends from ancient civilizations to the present day. Each style of painting, whether it is miniature, glass, Warli, murals or Madhubani, has a distinct character of its own and provides an insight into the intellectual and cultural sensibilities of the people who paint them. While murals are huge works executed on walls, miniatures are executed on a small scale on perishable materials, and while Warli paintings illustrate simplicity Tanjore paintings depict richness.
Due to the vastness of its territory and diverse ethnic groups, India is blessed with an extremely large repertoire of cuisines - from juicy tender kebabs of the Mughalai cuisine of the North to the exotic Moppilah cuisine of Tellicherry in South, from tangy macher-jhol of West Bengal in the East to the spicy Malvani cuisine of Maharashtra in the West. From immeasurable variety of ingredients and methods of preparation to varied cooking practices, food aficionados have limitless options to explore in India.
Overflowing with colours, textures and designs, India's textile heritage makes for a fascinating travel experience. Such is the diversity - the splendid silks of North and South India, the colourful mirror work, block printing and tie-and-dye work of Rajasthan and Gujarat, the magnificent embroidery chikankari of Lucknow, to name a few - that you can spend months just exploring India’s textile heritage.
The Indian handicrafts range from wooden artefacts, clay pots, terracotta products, metallic ornaments, pottery, sculptures to glass pieces. These arts and crafts are specimens of the cultural diversity and rich artistic tradition of the country.
Our arts and crafts tours are an apt introduction to the unrivalled craftsmanship of the region for the ‘curious’ and a journey into their intricacies for the ‘connoisseur’. We will take you to rural India where arts and crafts exist in their original form and offer you interactive sessions with the artists, artisans, craftsmen and weavers who will share their skills and stories about their life and work.
