Manipur Calling

Manipur is one of the most charming places of India. Described as the jewel of India, it is one of the seven states of North-Eastern India referred to as the “Seven Sisters”. Nestled in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayan ranges, Manipur shares its borders with Myanmar in the East, Nagaland in the North,Assam in the West and Mizoram in the South.The people here speaks the Manipuri language locally known as ''Meitei lon''. Manipur is credited with introducing Polo to Europe. Manipur, has got the Loktak Lake,Circular fish-farms and floating villages made of weeds and grasses are the most unique feature of the lake.

Naturally, fishing is the most important occupation of the people of Manipur.People here are simply amazing.They will eat whatever they find.They led a very simple life.The people here are very friendly and their way of respecting people and their elders are highly appreciated here.

As beautiful as the place is, they have certain strict do's and dont's.If you by chance hit an animal say a pet,drive as fast as you can or else the angry crowd with just beat you up.If you do not wish an elderly person it's considered impolite.Never argue with old women here or be ready to be in hospital.

Now I hope if you visit Manipur you know what to do right?.Though People are very good at hospitality.They are known for that.I hope you enjoyed my blog.

By: Mimi

Stranger's foot

My blog is called as stranger's foot.It's been 9 months since I was away from my home town, To this new place which might be described as the city of dreams.My blog is completely based on my very own experience.I enter my new life that is to be lived by,with many challenges.Actually it is a world that is upside down from my home town.It is completely different from Manipur. I find many amazing things. It was completely different for me.The people,environment,way of life everything is different to me and a new thing to me.But as time goes on I began to get the concept of being in this city.I had a difficult time tying to fit in in this place.
I had to follow certain strict rules to survive in this city of dream.I was admitted to one of the best college in Mumbai. My travel is through train which takes me one hour to reach,I had a great time enjoying the ride.One thing thing that I learn is that never be a kind girl when it comes to getting off or getting in train...because if you do that then you're looking for trouble.People will simply push you and will hurt you.And you can never give a bus driver a 100 rupee note for he won't return until the last stop.Never ever try to argue with the rikshaw drivers,they always win and you will find yourself as a fool.And one important thing is the traffic...It drives me crazy.It really is irritating.Because of the traffic I had to be always one hour ahead of schedule.I would never buy a car for myself even I had a chance to.
Even though I had such difficulties I am happy and enjoyed living here.I liked the people a lot. I got the best college ,students,friends,not to mention my two awesomest teachers.They are so cute and good to us.
I know now that if I had to be someone in my life,I had to struggle alot. Life is full of miseries we just have to overcome them by challenging them.I hope you enjoyed reading my blog.

By: Mimi

Blue and Green World- Hidden Gems Of The World

We live in a colorful world, made up of wonders. I see to colors highlighting this wonders which are 'Blue' and 'Green'. The beautiful water world shines blue and the greenery of nature highlights its beauty. So here we'll explore some underrated extremely beautiful places of the world.

Blue Caves- Zakynthos Island, Greece 

Let's start with these beautiful caves which are located in an island of greece. These caves caught my eye at 1st sight itself by its stunning texture created naturally. Everyone in Greece have finally started taking a boat ride crossing these caves which has added new idea to my wish list. 

Plitvice Lakes- Croatia

Here comes the another wonderful place with gorgeous blue water lake and greenery. This lake was earlier unnoticed by people by as the travelers started exploring even they can't miss such beauty. So they created a root for people to enjoy the attraction of this place.

Skaftafeli-Iceland

They say name describes the place. Why not? The beautiful Skaftafell park is almost an oasis caught between sand and glacier. The park has no roads but regular trips are guided by park guards. Waitomo Glowworm Caves, New Zealand 

I got speechless after watching this place. Its like touching the stars from earth. This place is enough for catching anyone's eye. The boat safari here is must to happen and again increased my wish list. Seljalandsfoss Waterfal- South Coast Of Iceland

If you like camping you can't afford to miss this place being a real traveler. 

Alesund City, Norway 

Have you ever even dreamed of living in a place surrounded by water ? Well no worries this proves a man can't be trapped anywhere. A beautiful mini city created on a small island. 

Seychelles, Madagascar 

And here comes another paradise of the world. You absolutely don't want to miss this super stunning place if you ever visit Madagascar.

Pamukkule, Turkey

When I say 'wonder' I mean it. So I obviously can't miss one of our favorite spots which is coming up rapidly and tourists have started noticing. The fact of hot springs in the snow really adorable. Now this place is surely among 'One in lifetime' things.

-Taniya Mhatre

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Places to see In Egypt.

Egypt is probably the world's oldest civilization having emerged from the Nile Valley something  around 3,100 BC, historically. Egypt is probably one of the oldest vacation spots and famous tourist spot.

1.  The Pyramids of Giza & The Great Sphinx: Giza Pyramids Was the One of the Seventh Wonders of the World.This wonder is situated in the capital city - Cairo. The pyramids at Giza were built over the span of three generations – by Khufu, his second reigning son Khafre, and Menkaure. The Great Pyramid of Khufu is an awe-inspiring 139 meters (455 feet) high making it the largest pyramid in Egypt, although nearby Khafre’s Pyramid appears to be larger as it is build at a higher elevation.(Src - http://www.touropia.com/top-attractions-in-egypt/) 
2. Queen Hatshepsut’s Tomb & Valley of the Kings: Queen Hatshepsut is regarded as one of the most successful pharaohs Egypt ever had, and most notably, she was one of ancient Egypt’s most prolific builders. Situated in Luxor’s outskirts. (src-  http://www.onthegotours.com/blog/2012/01/top-5-must-see-sites-in-classical-egypt/)
3. Luxor Temple :  Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor and was founded in 1400 BCE. Known in the Egyptian language as ipet resyt, or "the southern sanctuary."
4. Philae Temple :   is currently an island in the reservoir of the Aswan Low Dam, downstream of the Aswan Dam and Lake Nasser, Egypt.The temple complex was later dismantled and relocated to nearby Agilkia Island as part of the UNESCO Nubia Campaign project, protecting this and other complexes before the 1970 completion of the Aswan High Dam (Src- Wikipedia)
5. Edfu & Kom Ombo:  
    The Temple of Edfu is an ancient Egyptian temple located on the west bank of the Nile in the city of Edfu which was known in Greco-Roman times as Apollonopolis Magna, after the chief god Horus-Apollo.(Source : Wikipedia)

Submitted By Viral Kumar Lodaya, 105,Bvoc Tourism. 

Places to see at Beijing, China

Beijing is China's capital and most modern city. This bustling city is home to over 21 million people, while remaining steeped in China's rich, royal past. This bustling city is home to over 21 million people, while remaining steeped in China's rich, royal past. 

Places to visit:

The Great Wall of China

As you first look upon the Great Wall, it is impossible not to be awestruck at this man-made structure. Construction started in the 7th century BC, with additions and rebuilding continuing until the 16th century AD. The Great Wall was built to keep out the warring invaders of the north, but additional sections were extended eastward for nearly 6,700 kilometres. The Badaling section is the most well preserved section of the Wall. You can climb to its top and walk for a mile in either direction: the Great Wall snakes ahead though the mountains as far as you can see.

The Temple of Heaven 

This masterpiece of Ming architecture is one of the most photographed buildings in the world due to its elegant beauty and symmetry. Built in 1420, it was the place where Ming and Qing emperors (Sons of Heaven) prayed to heaven for a good harvest. Music plays softly through the day in a 660-acre park surrounding the temple.

The Summer Palace 

Built in 1750, the Palace overlooks tranquil Kunming Lake. There you can stroll along corridors where royal families spent their summers hundreds of years ago.

Tiananmen Square 

Tiananmen Square is a large city square in the centre of Beijing, China, named after the Tiananmen gate (Gate of Heavenly Peace) located to its North, separating it from the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square is the fourth largest city square in the world (440,000 m2 – 880×500 m or 109 acres – 960×550 yd). It has great cultural significance as it was the site of several important events in Chinese history.
Outside China, the square is best known in recent memory as the focal point of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, a pro-democracy movement which ended on 4 June 1989 with the declaration of martial law in Beijing by the government and the shooting of several hundred or possibly thousands of civilians by soldiers.

The Forbidden City (the Palace Museum) 

In the heart of the capital lies the Forbidden City, built during the Ming dynasty in 1406. The Forbidden City is actually a city-within-a-city; with 9999 rooms spread over 250 acres. During the Ming and Qing dynasty, 24 emperors made their home in the Forbidden City and forbade commoners from entering. The Emperor's Palace has been transformed into a museum that holds many treasures of the Imperial Family.

Submitted by Nivedita Roy, Roll no 108, FYBVOC Tourism, St Xavier's College.

Coins now and then, Nation same!

As I visited Prince Wales Mueseum since it was part of my assignment, 1st time I saw the varieties of coins from ancient Indian coins to new era. No doubt that the people in that era were advanced enough to create such designs and carved it in not only metals but also stones. In that era every state had their own currency. Not only state but also every King made his coins for his people to use those coins in his Kingdom. That was great to see.

Let's start with Mughal coins. The richness of it proves the royalty of the King and his Kingdom. These letters were carved on coins (each coin are carved seperately) which is spectacular to see.

Now comes the coins from the era of Chandragupta Maurya's reign. These coins look even more attractive as every coin has a picture which is indicating something.The coins are still as it is there in museum and the shine of it is still fresh.

So here comes coins from Shivaji's era some of them were carved in copper,some in gold and some in stones. Every coin has it own value. Shivaji was emporer of Maharashtra and entire Maratha kingdom.

And my favorite coins! The story behind this coins is adorable. These coins were introduced by Muhammad Tughlaq. Because of poverty in his reign he introduced copper coins to his people so they can effort goods without gold or silver coins. Tughlaq's coins didn't work that long but his idea created the history.

And finally the modern Indian coins! These coins are worked after studying entire constitution,rules and culture of our country. The national emblem and and other symbols indicated our culture and a message of modern India. These coins share one nation not a particular region that is the sign of unity and Independence of India.
After doing research on each and every coin I got more interest in learning not only coins but also other topics in the museum.It wass a great experience for me to be part of this study and talking about it. I may come up with one more new topic to discuss about it.
-Taniya Mhatre
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F.Y.B.VOC Tourism

The East Asian Art Gallery at Mumbai's main museum

As a part of an assignment in the Bachelor of Vocation course in travel and tourism, we first year students tried our hands at tour-guiding at Mumbai's main museum, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sanghralya (formerly known as the Prince Of Wales). This museum houses over 50,000 artifacts of different kinds- archaeological, artistic and natural. Each student guided the group through five artifacts. I chose the Japanese and Chinese art gallery, which is part of the Sir Ratan Tata and Sir Dorab Tata collection, as it suited my interests. This gallery houses artifacts from the Orient-like lacquer, jade, ivory, porcelain and ceramic art; as well as paintings. These artifacts are from 18th-19th century dynasties.#1 Chinese artChinese Porcelain-Chinese ceramic ware shows a continuous development since the modern dynastic periods and is one of the most significant forms of Chinese art.  Porcelain is so identified with China that it is still called "china" in everyday English usage.Chinese Blue and White porcelain, for example:(18th-19th century AD)

Blue and white porcelain designate white pottery and porcelain decorated under the glaze with a blue pigment, generally cobalt oxide. The decoration is commonly applied by hand, by stenciling or by transfer-printing, though other methods of application have also been used. The technique of cobalt blue decorations seems to have come from the Middle-East in the 9th century through decorative experimentation on white ware.

Blanc de Chine (18-19th Century AD) - It is a type of white porcelain.

Those are statues of Buddhist deities, one of them Guan Yin, a deity of mercy. 

#2 Chinese jade

It is the primary hard stone of Chinese sculpture. Prized for its hardness, durability, musical qualities, and beauty, it was associated with Chinese conceptions of the soul and immortality. By the Han dynasty, the royal family and prominent lords were buried entirely en-sheathed in jade burial suits sewn in gold thread, on the idea that it would preserve the body and the souls attached to it. Jade was also thought to combat fatigue in the living.

#3 Japanese porcelain 
It's one of the of the country's oldest art forms, and dates back to the Neolithic period. 

#4 Japanese lacquer- Lacquer is a clear or coloured wood finish that dries by solvent evaporation or curing process that produces a hard, durable finish. These objects are decoratively covered with lacquer. 

#5 Woodblock Prints (Moku Haga)- It's a hand printing process imitated from the Chinese woodblock prints of the 17th century. The process involved several people- the master painter to draw the design, the block makers to cut the blocks, the paper makers to prepare the design and artists to prepare pigments. The following painting is by artist Kikugank Eizan (1787-1867).

Published by Nivedita Roy, roll no. 108, FBVOC Tourism, Xavier's