Category Archives: Travel

INTERNATIONAL: NATIONAL: AVIATION & AIRPORTS: PM Modi Inaugurates Deoghar Airport, Unveils ₹16,800-crore Projects in Jharkhand

He also flagged off the Deoghar-Kolkata IndiGo flight from the new airport.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated the 657-acre Deoghar airport, constructed at a cost of ₹401 crore.

He also flagged off the Deoghar-Kolkata IndiGo flight from the new airport.

The airport has a 2,500-metre-long runway, which can handle the landing and takeoff of Airbus A320 planes.

Mr. Modi had laid the foundation stone of the Deoghar airport on May 25, 2018, as a key step towards providing direct connectivity to Baba Baidyanath Dham, which is an important religious destination for devotees from all over the country.

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, on the occasion, said the airport will be linked to Ranchi, Patna and Delhi in the days to come.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL RECORDS: INDIA RECORDS: HOTELS & RESTAURANTS: MasterChef Australia’s Season 10 Winner, Sashi Cheliah, Gears up to Launch his First Restaurant in India – ‘Pandan Club’ in Chennai

Sashi was the winner of MasterChef Australia Season 10. This will be his first restaurant in India, in T Nagar, serving Peranakan cuisine and lemongrass cocktails.

Police officer turned MasterChef contestant turned chef turned restaurateur Sashi Cheliah seems apologetic about his requirements for his first restaurant in India. “The thing is, we need professional chefs for this project,” he says, over filter coffee at the Leela Palace lobby, glittering with chandeliers and fragrant with vases of marigolds.

In Chennai with World On A Plate, Sashi is relaxing after cooking seven-course degustation menus, two nights in a row, for completely sold-out dinners at The Leela Palace.

Then, true to form, the Singapore-born, Adelaide-based chef headed straight from the five-star kitchen to Chennai’s popular Erode Amman Mess for his own dinner. “It was fantastic,” he says, “When it comes to flavour there are so many great places to eat in this city.”

With roots in Tamil Nadu, including grandparents who came from Madurai, he has chosen to launch his restaurant, Pandan Club, in Chennai.

A post on his Instagram profile, which has 1,29,000 followers, announcing openings for kitchen personnel resulted in a storm of resumes: many from fans and amateur cooks.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

INDIA RECORDS: AVIATION: First Aircraft of India’s Newest Airline ‘Akasa Air’ a Boeing 737 MAX Lands at Delhi Airport after Long Ride from Seattle. 71 More to Follow in Time.

Flying all the way from Seattle in the United States, India’s newest airline Akasa Air’s first Boeing 737 MAX aircraft touched down at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi on Tuesday.(June 21).

“The arrival of our first aircraft is a very happy moment for all of us & marks an important milestone, bringing us closer to our vision of building India’s greenest, most dependable, and most affordable airline,” said Vinay Dube, founder, managing director & chief executive officer, Akasa Air.

It was only last week the airline took delivery of its first 737 Max aircraft from Boeing in Seattle.

In November 2021, Akasa had inked a $9 billion deal with the US-based aircraft major to purchase 72 MAX planes, which includes an initial delivery of 18 aircraft by March 2023 and the remaining 54 aeroplanes in the next four years.

These planes will be powered by the fuel-efficient CFM LEAP B engine.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

GLOBAL RECORDS: FIRST INDIAN: Michelin Star Celebrity Chef Vikas Khanna First Indian to make Gazette Review’s Top 10 Global Chefs

Indian celebrity chef Vikas Khanna was ranked sixth in Gazette Review’s rankings of the top 10 global chefs. The list is topped by Gordon Ramsay.

Michelin star celebrity chef Vikas Khanna has been ranked among the top 10 global chefs in the world by Gazette Review, becoming the only Indian chef who has made it to the prestigious list. Gazette Review ranked Mr. Khanna sixth, with British chef Gordon Ramsay leading the list.

The 50-year-old Amritsar-born and New York-based Khanna is known for taking Indian cuisine across the globe and on the world food map. He is the only Indian origin chef who has made it to the list along with great names in the industry.

Mr. Khanna, who also wears other caps including that of being a writer, filmmaker and philanthropist, took to social media on Tuesday and shared his joy on being listed.

In elite company

Others on the list include Anthony Bourdain, Paul Bocuse, Alain Ducasse, Emeril Lagasse, Marco Pierre White, Heston Blumenthal, Wolfgang Puck and Jamie Oliver.

Mr. Khanna is one of the first Indian chefs to receive international acclaim. Since 2011, his main restaurant Junoon in New York City has received a Michelin star, a hallmark of fine dining.

Mr. Khanna has served food to the former U. S. President Barack Obama, the Dalai Lama, Pope Francis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and many other world leaders and celebrities.

Mr. Khanna is known for creating the most expensive cookbook in the world.

From 2011, Khanna hosted five seasons of Master Chef India, a series based on the original British version.

source/content: thehindu.com (edited)

GLOBAL RECORD : SCOTLAND : TRAVEL, TOURISM & HOSPITALITY : Edinburgh Restaurant ‘Mother India’s Cafe’ Voted Scotland’s Best Indian by Uber Eats Hailed as ‘Heavenly Curry Mecca’

An Edinburgh restaurant is celebrating success after it was shortlisted for the inaugural Uber Eats UK and Ireland Restaurant of the Year awards.

Mother India’s Cafe – based on the Old Town’s Infirmary Street – featured as one of ten Scottish nominees, with customers who voted deeming it the best Indian restaurant in Scotland , along with Mother India’s sister sites in Glasgow.

For the next stage in the awards process, customers can view the shortlist and vote for their favourite restaurants from across the UK and Ireland from until 16 June at ubereatsawards.com.

edinburghlive.co.uk (edited)

GLOBAL RECORDS : SCOTLAND: TRAVEL, TOURISM & HOSPITALITY : Glasgow Indian Restaurant ‘Swadish’ Named the Best in Scotland, as wedding venue scoops top award

 

An Indian restaurant and a wedding venue in Glasgow have been named the best in Scotland.

At the Scottish Entertainment Awards, Swadish, on Ingram Street, won the Best Indian Restaurant Award, beating off competition from across Scotland.

There was also success for another three Glasgow venues, as The Auditorium at Òran Mór was given the award for Best Wedding Venue, The Record Factory in Partick, famous for its live music, won the Best Late Night Venue award, and Connolly’s Irish Bar won the Best Irish Bar award.

Swadish has scooped other awards in the past for its fine dining experience, which brings together seasonal Scottish ingredients and traditional and modern Indian culinary techniques.

glasgowworld.com (edited)

WORLD RECORDS: INDIA 2nd : Delhi Airport Replaces Dubai as the World’s Second Busiest Airport in March: Report

The Delhi Airport was in 23rd place in March 2019 before the pandemic.

Delhi Airport was the world’s second busiest airport in March 2022 in terms of domestic and international flights handled, said Official Airline Guide (OAG), a global travel data provider, in its recent report.

Whilst Atlanta retains its position as largest, Dubai is knocked out of second place this month (March) by Delhi which moves up from third place last month (February),” the OAG’s report mentioned.

The Delhi Airport was in 23rd place in March 2019 before the pandemic, it added. In March this year, airports in Atlanta in the US, Delhi in India and Dubai in the UAE handled 4.42 million, 3.61 million and 3.55 million seats, it mentioned.

dnaindia.com (edited)

The Indian Leg of the Great Backyard Bird Count, the 10th edition of Bird-O-Thon Records an Impressive 1,017 Species

A pair of bright yellow eyes stared right back at Angeline Mano, a 23-year-old birder, as she zoomed in with her binoculars. Angeline was at Stanley Reservoir in Salem, one of the largest fishing reservoirs in South India, documenting birds for the recently-concluded, annual Global Backyard Bird Count (GBCC). The bulky bird with a finely streaked breast, was a brown fish owl, perched on a branch just 10 metres away.

The India leg of the four-day event, coordinated by Bird Count India, allowed participants to count birds for as little as 15 minutes from a particular location. They upload their sightings online, on eBird (www.ebird.org/india), the world’s largest biodiversity-related citizen science platform.

source/content: thehindu.com (edited)

INDIA RECORDS : COLONIAL HISTORY : Arunachal Pradesh Villagers Build ‘Misum-Miyang Kumsung Museum’ on Century-Old Battleground of Anglo-Abor Wars

The Museum is located near spot where British officer was killed during the Anglo-Abor War of 1911-12

The people of a village in Arunachal Pradesh’s Siang district have constructed an “eco-friendly” museum near a spot where warriors of the Adi community killed a British officer during a war in 1911-12.

The Adi people inhabiting large swathes of central Arunachal Pradesh had resisted colonial expansion several times between 1858 and 1912. These are called the Anglo-Abor Wars.

The Misum-Miyang Kumsung, meaning “ancient artefacts museum,” has been set up at Komsing village, about 12km from district headquarters Pangin. The spot is near where the Adi warriors had killed Noel Williamson, the British political officer during the last of the wars in 1911-12.

Locally known as the Poju Mimak, the war was fought from October 6, 1911, to January 11, 1912. It is considered one of the most decisive Anglo-Abor wars in the history of the freedom movement in Arunachal Pradesh.

source/content : thehindu.com (edited)

INTERNATIONAL RECORDS : USA : Week-Long Activities to Celebrate India@75 Launched in the US

Programme aims to celebrate the diversity of India and its people through cultural activities.

In commemoration of India’s 75 years of independence, the Indian Consulate here in collaboration with a city-based cultural organisation and a children’s museum commenced a week-long celebration involving a plethora of activities, including traditional paintings, music and storytelling, that honour the history of India’s people, culture and achievements.

The Consulate General of India in New York, The Culture Tree and the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) kicked-off the special activities and interactive programming on Monday that aim to celebrate the diversity of India and its people through dance, music, literature, puppetry, drama, food and art, The Culture Tree said in a statement.

Anu Sehgal, founder and President of The Culture Tree which provides South Asian-themed classes and programmes, said that through these events, we can offer cross-cultural exposure that can help shape knowledgeable, open-minded and respectful individuals, while also offering ways in which children and families from the diaspora can connect with and celebrate their heritage.

source/content: telegraphinda.com (edited)