Insights 2 India® (i2i) - Tour Organisers - Explore Incredible India through us!

Jaipur (TNN - 06 May 2008): The water scarcity in Rajasthan has thrown up a pleasant surprise. Thanks to the drying up of several watering holes at Ranthambore national park, some tigresses led 14 thirsty cubs to a hole, giving forest officials the first glance of the new cuddly additions to Rajasthan's dwindling tiger population.

"We have spotted at least 14 cubs in the recent past," Rajasthan chief wildlife warden R N Mehrotra told TOI, explaining that the cubs had been spotted in batches, following their mothers to ponds and reservoirs which are closely watched by wardens to keep count of endangered big cats. Rajpal Singh, a member of the state's empowered committee on forest and wildlife, said the cubs were spotted by rangers. "Most of the cubs were about three months old," he said.

Singh said generally tigresses were very protective about cubs and shield them from public glare. "But with the scorching heat, these tigresses had to take the cubs to the watering holes, enabling wildlife staff to spot the cubs," he added. He said two cubs, about 6 months old, were also spotted in the Berda area of the park. "Now the number of cubs below one year of age has increased to over a dozen and we are contemplating shifting some of them to the Sariska sanctuary as there is no tiger left there," he said.

EYE ON THE TIGER
• Rajasthan had just 32 tigers as per the last census. All in Ranthambore as Sariska had none left
• Birth of 14 cubs a big boost for state's tiger population

DWINDLING NUMBERS
The 2008 census put the no. of tigers at 1,411, a dramatic fall from 3,600 tigers in 2002

Madhya Pradesh - 300; Kerala - 46; Karnataka - 290; Orissa - 45; Maharashtra - 103; Rajasthan - 32+14; Andhra Pradesh - 95; Chhattisgarh -26; Tamil Nadu - 76; West Bengal (Except Sundarbans) - 10; Assam - 70

The discovery of the cubs will hugely impact tiger population at Rantahmbore, the lowest among parks in the recently released census report. According the census published earlier this year, Madhya Pardesh had the highest population at 300 with Rajasthan at the last spot with a mere 32 big cats. Uttarakhand (178), Karnataka (290), Assam (70) were the other states with tigers.

Wildlife experts say that the spotlight on falling tiger numbers, nationally now at 1,411, has led to tighter security in most parks that have become easy hunting grounds for poachers. "We are tracking the movement of young cubs. They are still in the process of marking their territories," said forest officer Daulat Singh Shaktawat of Ranthambore.

New Delhi (TOI - 17 March 2008): You may soon have a luxury train running between Mumbai and Delhi that is similar to the popular Palace on Wheels. Spurred by the success of the Rajasthani locomotive, the Railways Ministry has recently approved a plan to introduce a similar service to connect the city to the capital. The proposed luxury train will connect all major tourist spots of the country across four sectors and will be run by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), an enterprise of the Ministry of Railways. The Mumbai-Delhi sector is expected to be one of the four the train will ply over 28 days (one week for each sector).

FIVE-STAR HOTEL ON RAIL
The luxury train will have 22 or 23 coaches that will include a bar, lounge, restaurants and special suites that can accommodate two-three persons. IRCTC has already called for coach designs to be submitted. The idea is that passengers will have the option of booking for all the four sectors, or just some or even one of them. Nalin Singhal, acting managing director of IRCTC, told Mumbai Mirror that the luxury train would basically cater to foreign tourists who planned to travel throughout the country. He said that the luxury train, run on a single rake, would materialise only after a year. The IRCTC is in the process of finalising the route in the four sectors the train would connect. Mumbai-Delhi is almost certain to be one of the sectors. Other sectors could include Agra-Khajurao or Agra-Bhuj (Rajasthan). The coaches for the train, according to Singhal, will be manufactured by the railways' Rail Coach Factory (RCF) at Kapurthala in Punjab, and would cost approximately Rs 40 crore in all, according to Singhal.

CENTRE'S FIRST LUXURY TRAIN
The proposed luxury train will be the first one to be run by an enter-prise of the Central Government. Currently, there are five luxury trains in the country. While two of them - Palace on Wheels and Heritage on Wheels - are run by Rajasthan Tourism in collaboration with the railways, Deccan Odyssey and The Golden Chariot are run by the tourism departments of Maharashtra and Karnataka governments, respectively. Recently, the Punjab government also got approval for one luxury train from the Central Government. Additionally, IRCTC runs Fairy Queen, a single-coach train between Delhi and Alwar, and Mahaparinirvan Express, a train on the pattern of Rajdhani which connects all major Buddhist sites in India and Nepal. The corporation also runs a Bharat Darshan train which travels through almost all major cities of the country.

Agra (IANS - 10 March 2008): Concerned over the fading whiteness of the Taj Mahal? Don't be, say archaeologists, pointing out that the shade of the 17th century world famous monument to love depends on what time of day you see it and that its beauty will last for years to come.

"Even today it looks absolutely white if you see it early in the morning and on full moon day. Its colour changes when you see it in the afternoon — it looks cream," A R Siddiqui, deputy superintendent archaeologist, Agra Circle, said.

"This colour will remain for many more decades and many generations are going to see the Ta] in its current form."

Designed by Iranian architect Ustad Isa during the reign of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, the construction of the Taj — an ode to his love for his wife Mumtaz Mahal — began in 1631 and 20,000 workers toiled to complete it in 22 years. The material was brought from all over India and Central Asia. Legend has it that it took a fleet of 1,000 elephants to transport it to the site.

Currently a team of scientists is coating the arches on the western side of the mausoleum with mud.

Siddiqui said: "We have been using mudpacks for years to clean the Taj. We prefer this procedure because there is no threat to the marble. Even Mughal emperor Aurangzeb used the mud-pack to clean the monument."

Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) chief chemist N K Samadhia said the mud will either fall off on its own after drying or be washed off with distilled water and a light brush.

Concerns about the Taj's colour notwithstanding, the number of footfalls has increased ever since it was included in the world's seven wonders list — for the second time — after an online vote in 2007. Nearly 2.6 million tourists, including foreigners, visited the monument last year.

Jodhpur (TNN - 02 January 2008): No blaring music or hip-twisting moves at a swish club in Beverly Hills. Pop icon Madonna aka 'Material Girl' celebrated New Year's eve with husband Guy Ritchie, two-year-old son David Banda and family friends at a remote village near Jodhpur in Rajasthan.

The group celebrated the night of December 31 at Wilderness Camp, about 55 km from Jodhpur, listening to the folk songs sung by Langa and Manganiar musicians. They also watched a snake dance performed by Ka-lbelia dancers. The celebrity couple and their friends stayed at the camp in luxury tents run by Rohetgarh Fort, a heritage hotel owned by former noble of Rohet Manvendra Singh.

The visit, organized by former ruler of Jodhpur Gaj Singh and his son, polo player ~ Shivraj Singh, was kept a secret and the singer's security guards ensured nobody got near the group. Manvendra Singh said the guests were taken to Khandi, a village about 15 km from Rohetgarh, for a village safari. Madonna and her son rode horseback around small hamlets and met villagers dressed in their traditional colourful clothes. On Tuesday, a picnic was organized at Wilderness Camp and the guests were treated to traditional Rajasthani cuisine. Madonna and her family plan to go to Sardarsamand on Wednesday, about 50 km from Jodhpur, and have lunch with Gaj Singh and his family members.

Singh has organized Madonna's stay at Sardarsamand resort hotel, a century-old palace built by the late ruler of Jodhpur, Sardar Singh. After spending a night at the resort, they will return to Jodhpur on Thursday to stay at Ummed Bhawan Palace as the former ruler's guests.

Rajasthan has grown to be a popular holiday destination for Hollywood celebrities. Last year, Britney Spears and Justin Tim-" berlake celebrated New Year's eve in the desert state. Hollywood star Liz Hurley married Indian businessman Arun Nayar at the majestic Ummed Bhawan Palace here and actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt visited Jodhpur in October 2007.

New Delhi (TNN - 16 November 2007): The forget-dollar syndrome in face of a rising rupee seems to have gripped the tourism and culture ministry as well. The government has issued orders on Thursday that foreigners visiting monuments and heritage sites in India will have to pay only in the Indian currency.

In an even smarter move, the new notified rates take into account the good old US days when a dollar was exchanged for Rs 50, whereas the going rate now is just about Rs 39.25. And Indian visitors, who pay a much nominal rate, are not hit.

Entry fee to World Heritage Sites for foreigners was pegged at $5 per person while they had to pay $2 for entering a protected monument. These sites are maintained by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). After the new orders, the rates have been fixed at Rs 250 and Rs 100 per head, respectively "These have been fixed in line with international practices. It will avoid anomaly on account of falling USD-INR exchange rate. The fall in ASI's revenue will also be checked," a ministry official said.

India has 27 World Heritage properties, including 22 cultural and five natural properties. Of these, 18 are protected and ticketed by the ASI. Delhi's Red Fort is the latest addition to the list, which includes Taj Mahal, Ajanta-Ellora caves, Old Goa churches, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mahabodhi Temple and Qutub Minar. Although India has 3,667 historical monuments, there are 116 sites protected and ticketed by the ASI. "The ministry decided to act fast so that revenue receipts are not hit," the official said.

The speed was evident because ASI officials had no clue of the decision on Thursday evening. "We have not received any such communication so far," an ASI official said.

New Delhi (TNN - 29 April 2007): Delhi's all set to have its date with speed, with the world's best speedsters and mean machines providing live thrills that F1 lovers had hitherto only dreamed of. The idea was mooted a few weeks ago by F1 champ Ralf Schumacher in his meeting with Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, industrialist Dr. Vijay Mallya and Suhel Seth, managing partner, Counselage India. Even the F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone has gone on record saying the Indian capital city offers an exciting racing track. In fact, he'd prefer the race in the heart of Delhi than in the suburbs.

Hermann Tilke, German architect and designer of F1 motor racing circuits and auto racer, has already visited Delhi six times to inspect Rajpath — the track F1 bigwigs are interested in. "We'd like to position Delhi as a street circuit, with the track moving around India Gate down to Rajendra Prasad Road. We think it's a perfect track for F1 racing. We've already met the Delhi CM once and will be meeting her again to further discuss the matter," he said.

Although the existing infrastructure meets with his approval, some additional factors will have to be included on the track. "We will prepare concrete structures that can be easily installed and removed. And India Gate being the backdrop will offer tourists and spectators a perfect and alluring combination of history," added Seth.

Other track options too are being considered, including a 200-acre plot in Noida. Talking about it, Dr. Mallya said this may perhaps be "integrated with the commonwealth games infrastructure. As per our plan, we want to have a show race in 2008 and then have the actual Grand Prix race in early 2009". But before that, on May 15, the team will have a detailed meeting with Dikshit, the Delhi police chief, officials of the land and development, and fire departments, the home ministry besides the representatives of NDMC and CPWD, informed Seth, adding that F1 will be a major money churner for the capital. "At this moment, we're looking at investments ranging around US$ 100-120 million (around Rs 400 crore). But we are hopeful that with the first race we will be able to generate around US$ 180-200 million." Now that's what we call a real winner in hand!