2013 Republic Day Parade folk dances and cultural performances

Since last year, the Republic Day parade at the Shivaji Park grounds in Mumbai have included tribal performances. The simple and unique traditional folk dances of indigenous tribals have been showcased. The 2013 Republic Day parade event has even more such performances than last year.

Indrayani Express Mumbai to Pune review and station halts

The Indrayani Express is a super fast train which leaves early morning from Mumbai, which is the best time to board it when going to Pune especially if you are leaving on a Sunday. This is because invariably there are mega blocks for maintenance & repairs of the railway tracks. So even if the Indrayani Express itself is delayed in starting, at least it is the first one out of the station! It is far better than waiting endless hours for a later timed train for which you have booked tickets.

Joshi wadewale review

On our way back to Pune to board the Indrayani Express train to Mumbai, we halted for lunch at an outlet called simply 'Joshi Wadewale'. The term wadewale refers to one who makes wadas, these being the name synonymous with one of Maharashtra’s most famous street food: wada-pav. This street food is a simple combination of potatoes coated with gram flour (besan) & deep fried, then squashed in the middle of a loaf of bread (pav) slathered with spicy chutney with a green chilly popped in sometimes. The Joshi Wadewale outlet, though, is not a street side cart or food stall.

2013 Republic Day Parade Floats Shivaji Park Mumbai

One of the highlights of the Republic Day parade are the beautiful tableaux or floats which represent various aspects of the State and country. This year at the 2013 Republic Day parade at the Shivaji Park grounds, there were not only many more floats but they were far more magnificent than even previous years. It was not so much  the size of each float that was an awesome sight, but the extremely painstaking efforts made for even the smallest details.

Mumbai police at 2013 Republic Day parade Shivaji Park

The photographs below are of the squads of the various units of the Mumbai Police as well as other squads at the 2013 Republic Day parade in Mumbai. All of them looked splendid, kitted out in their full gear!

The Mumbai police squads included the band and special security units.

Deccan Odyssey Tourist Train Maharashtra India tariff bookings

The Deccan Odyssey is a luxury tourist train operated by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) in collaboration with the Indian Railways. The train is known as the Deccan Odyssey because it makes its way across the Deccan Plateau in India for a 7 nights and 8 days journey. 

Hot tip: The Deccan Odyssey is offering 10% discount on all bookings made for the journey scheduled on 20^th February 2013. You may get an even bigger discount, subject to the group size and the class of accommodation booked. So be quick!

2013 Turtle Festival Velas Beach Ratnagiri booking

Every year, turtle hatchlings, primarily of the Olive Ridley turtle species, are gently guided into the sea from over 600 nests across 30 or more villages around the beach of Velas. This beach is located in the district of Ratnagiri in Maharashtra.

The project of releasing the turtle hatchlings is celebrated as the Turtle Festival.