Colours of India "Holi"

Colors of India (Virtual Holi) is theme number two of the events lined up on the sun calendar of the internationally collaborative Solar Eclipse'99 project. This is a project about using computing technology to connect up communities located in different parts of the world. The aim will be to interact, exchange, share ideas and work together through synchronous networking, in spite of the participating members being separated by huge physical distances.

This event that was scheduled for the evening of the13th(Friday) March was designed around playing virtual holi through the information technologies with other countries from around the world. As part of our "new audiences"( which for us would imply those not involved yet or likely to be involved in the conceivable future, in any way whatsoever, to these technologies.), we had with us a painter Jitish Kallat and six street children from YUVA(Youth Unity for Voluntary Action) who painted on the theme of the festival. The interesting outcome of this being that Kallat created a digital canvas by interpreting the paintings done on paper by the street children. This went online on web. Since M F Hussain had agreed to come and could not at the last minute, the response to his last-minute cancellation has been interpreted in a 'Hussain feature' and is being put up on the web.as well, along with a critical elaboration of Hussain's work by art writer Meher Pestonjee.

Though the site was launched with the above event, we expect the site to be an interesting place to discover and exchange notes on colors. We have also created this site with the view that it will extend and grow with suggestions from people who are accessing it. 'Colors of India' being the overall theme, anything that would contribute to this is expected to be either included or linked to this site. The aim is also to make the site interactive, playful and useful. We solicit suggestions, feedback as well as additions to the theme of 'Colors of India'.

Christmas

Are you going to celebrate Christmas in Budapest with Hungarian friends? I tell you some essential information about opening hours, public transport and some interesting Hungarian Christmas traditions.

In mid-November Budapest starts to prepare for Christmas. Streets are decorated with colourful lights, shop-windows are adorned to lure in customers hunting for gifts. More and more people set out to look for the ideal Christmas presents in shops or in the markets. If you're looking for a unique Hungarian gift and want to get away from the all alike shops visit the Budapest Christmas Fair at Vorosmarty Square.

Shops are open for the Bronze, Silver and Gold Sundays on the three weekends before Christmas. Shops close around early afternoon on 24th December and open only on 27th December. Some larger shopping malls might stay open until early evening on 24th December. On Christmas Day and Boxing Day all shops, supermarkets are closed in Budapest. Many shops do not open between Christmas and New Year's Eve. Life gets back

Restaurants are also closed on Christmas Eve (24th Decemeber), but most of them open on 25th-26th December. Budapest is a popular tourist destination even in winter and restaurant owners are well aware of that. Don't worry you'll definitely find several good restaurants open during Christmas in Budapest

At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ in Hungary. The main celebration is on Christmas Eve (it's Szenteste in Hungarian, meaning Holy Night) Familiy members get together in the afternoon on 24th December and decorate the Christmas tree. Grandparents or elder brothers and sisiters look after the little ones, so they won't see their presents placed under the tree. The fragrant fir is adorned with colourful paper decorations and a special Hungarian Christmas candy (szaloncukor) wrapped in shinny coloured papers. Housewives cook traditional Hungarian Chrismas dishes in the kitchen.

We usually have fish soup, stuffed cabbage, pastry rolls stuffed with poppy seed, walnut or chestnut stuffings (it's called bejgli in Hungarian). Family members exchange gifts in the evening on 24th December while listening to tradtitional Christmas songs. In Hungary baby Jesus brings the presents, not Santa.

What is Tour

Mojacar on the Costa de Almeria is made up of two very different parts; the traditional hilltop village of Mojacar Pueblo and, in complete contrast, the modern coastal strip of Mojacar Playa. The former is a very attractive village, with its steep, narrow streets of cube-shaped, whitewashed houses. A profusion of flowers completes this picture postcard scene. Mojacar Pueblo is best enjoyed in the evening once the many day trippers have departed.

The town has had a long and varied history. There are remnants of Phoenician, Carthaginian and Roman occupations, but it wasn't until the Moors arrived that the town began to flourish. After the Christian re-conquest of 1488 Mojacar continued to thrive, although the situation was reversed in the mid-nineteenth century when the area was racked by droughts and the population declined. It wasn't until the 1960's that Mojacar began to recover after it became home to a colony of artists and writers. Tourists soon followed and the resort of Mojacar Playa was developed into the resort that we see today.

Mojacar's busiest beaches are Playa del Cantel and Playa de la Cueva del Lobo. There are plenty of activities available here including scuba diving, windsurfing, fishing and sailing. Only part of Mojacar's coastline is developed, so it's not difficult to find quieter beaches just outside the resort, especially in the direction of the Cabo de Gata national park to the south.

The fall of Moorish Mojacar to the Christians is celebrated every June with the 3-day 'Moors and Christians' festival. This colourful spectacle has fireworks, music, and re-enactments of the battles with the participants dressed in historical costumes.

RAM NAVAMI

Ram Navami, the birthday of Lord Rama is a major Hindu festival celebrated all over the country by all sects of the Hindu fold. Ram, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu was born on the ninth day of the bright half of the lunar month chaitra.

The festival preparations start early in the morning with people taking bath in the holy waters and coming to the temple of Lord Ram. They keep fast till 12, noon, when the avatar is supposed to have taken place. People take "Phalagar" only in the afternoon. It consists of a sweet made of khoya, potatoes or calacosia made in any form without the use of Haldi, garlic and onion. All kinds of root vegetables are consumed and no green vegetables. Fruits are allowed. The puja is done in the noon by singing various slokas, hymns and ending with the distribution of Panjeeree, chranamrita, fruits and sweets.

In Ayodhya, the birthplace of Sri Ram, the temples are heavily decorated and great festivities take place. Ramayana is read and recited and great fairs are held here on that day. Ran Navami is also celebrated as the Vasanta Navarathri festival with the celebrations starting from the first lunar day of the bright half of the chithrai month.

Marques are the new way to Celebrate

More and more are people using marquees outside for weddings and birthdays. More and more we are seeing programmes on TV such as the sweet 16 on MTV where the parents of 16 year olds will set up a big birthday party for there children, but the current phase of these parties are the way they are set up. No more are the high and flying using top class buildings and venues such as the Ritz. The new way forward is to get there own marquee or hire one and the things you can decorate them with is amazing, you can put bands, studios and restaurants.

Although marquees were along time considered a use for circuses they are now seen as much more extravagant and even A list celebrities are using them for there own concert events.

The overall growth of the marquees has to be down to the way they are now developed, a few years back it would have cost a fortune and it was very hard to set up your own marquee, but now they are easy to set up with poles, have a much cleaner look.

We all remember the millennium dome and how much money was spent to make that, I feel if that was to be made now in 2008 it would cost them less than half of what they initially paid. So if you are planning to have a party or celebration a marquee is the way forward.

Kerala Tour Packages

Kerala Tours Overview:

Kerala, dubbed as 'God's Own Country', withholds some of the coveted tourist destinations in India. This southern state of India bears a tropical climate and has plethora of some fascinating places, laid with the treasures of the nature and a traditional culture that is quite unique. The state is one great place for an ideal tropical vacation. Imposing backwaters, stretched out sandy beaches dotted with palm groves, rich wildlife reserves and many historic places accounts for the much popularity of the state as a big tourist place. To harness the gifted resources numerous agencies provide their services and facilities. Tour operators of the state and beyond provide for guided tours through out the state. The services and facilities are often provided as tour packages that includes all the services rendered by the host operator. The tour packages are provided for some specified destinations and that too for a specified time. The services generally include travel and transportation facilities, catering and accommodation, boat rides, cruises, assistance from professional guides, porters and arrangements for brief trips.

Popular Tour Packages of Kerala :

The tour packages provided by the operators are categorized on the basis of tourist destinations and time covered by the tour. There are packages, intensive ones that cover a weeks time. Yet the extensive ones may take a whole fortnight or more. The destinations, however, remain to be the same, those of the important ones in the state. Backwaters, being the best in Kerala, showcase as Backwater Tour Packages and include the popular backwater destinations. Still more, there are places like Kochi (Cochin), Kovalam, Munnar, etc., that see themselves included in the tours. Many tour packages are provided as Tropical Tour Packages, which sometimes include destinations in the neighboring states like Madurai of Tamil Nadu. Some popular tour packages provided for tourist destinations of Kerala are :

6 Really Unique Mother’s Day Gifts

Chances are one of these different ability will be just absolute for anyone’s mom this Mother’s Day abnormally if they’re searching for a actual appropriate and abnormal allowance for her. Here’s 6 of the a lot of abnormal and a lot of different on the Internet.

Real Estate Anywhere - your Mom admiring to move to and reside in Hawaii, Florida, Arizona or even New York someday? Okay, so you can’t absolutely accomplish her absolute dream, but you can accord her a smidgen of it. Accord her a tiny section of acreage in her admired accompaniment with a acknowledged Deed to a one aboveboard inch bindle of acreage in the accompaniment that you apperceive she loves. But go one footfall further, afterwards all Mother’s Day comes but one time a year, and accord her buying to all 50 states on one Deed. They’re alone numbered and Mom’s name will be inscribed on it and it’s thoroughly legal. What could be a added abnormal allowance than land?

Photo Stamps – Mom can accept fun even if she’s paying bills if she sees accustomed animated faces searching aback at her from alone postage stamps. Get them for Mom and a lot of acceptable she will use them on addendum to her accompany about the cutest kids or grandkids in the world. Or upload a photo of the ancestors cat or even a account of baby old Dad and she’ll accept postage she’ll never wish to use up.

Personalized Account Chocolates - What a cool artistic idea! And according to all the contempo publicity about chocolate, it’s a advantageous allowance abstraction as well. You can accord your Mom alone amber ability and amber affair favors. They’re now accessible acknowledgment to anew patented technology that makes it accessible to carbon Mom’s account (or of the children…anyone) or a appropriate bulletin appropriate on the apparent of adorable chocolate. Getting started is simple - just acquisition the amber that is appropriate for her, upload a photo or angel and argument - and actualize a memorable alone gift.