Indian festival in Spain – It’s all about the movies!

Beyond the glitz, glamour and the 100 Crore Club of the Indian film industry lies indie-cinema – a movement rapidly gaining currency. What’s fuelling this new way of storytelling is the emergence of Indian film festivals in India and abroad; one of the most prominent ones being the Imagine India International Film Festival in Madrid. Believe it or not, Spaniards love themselves a good Indian movie and considering the festival is in its 12^th year now, they love them a lot!

Mesmerising beauty of Spain

The festival in Madrid will showcase movies from India and other countries in the subcontinent to an attentive audience at various venues. The festival aims at promoting friendship and cooperation between India and Spain and presenting a clearer understanding of Indian society and ethos to a foreign audience. And what better way to do it than through the universal medium of cinema! The Madrid festival will present movies that paint a picture of India through the eyes of Indians and that will be one of the most important things about this film festival.

Colours of Spain

The Festival

The festival is a competitive event where films in different formats and divided in to 4 sections will compete for jury awards:

- Competition section of Indian feature films; which will be further divided into Indian, Asian and International sections

- The Out of Competition section will feature films by directors from India and other countries in southern Asia

- Short films

- Documentary films

If you’re the kind that would take ‘cineMa’ over ‘Ma’ most days, you need to be in ‘Ma’-drid during the festival dates of May 17 to May 31 and up the delight-factor in your life. Considering movies screened at this film festival in Madrid will touch themes that range from daring to ‘in your face’ and utterly unexpected, a Madrid trip this summer is on the cards for you.

The beauty that Madrid is!

Here’s another reason to take a Madrid trip: the festival will feature a Retrospective Section that is dedicated to old masters. Get ready to be re-introduced to the genius of Mrinal Sen on celluloid! The festival organisers are literally handing out free candy with 9 re-mastered, squeaky clean prints of some of Mrinal Sen’s best offerings. Wait in line to see the likes of Bhuvan Shome, Khandhar, Ek Din Achanak and Ek Din Pratidin among others at Filmoteca of Aragon.

A glittering Madrid at night !

What’s On; Where?

In the Indian section, several films will be competing for different categories like best film, best director and best actress and actor as well as the cherry on the top – The Golden Chakra – a jury award. Some of the movies to catch are: Onir’s ‘I am’,’ Char’ by Sourav Sarangi, ‘Alms for the blind horse’ by Gurvinder Singh and ‘Color of sky’ by Biju. In the Asian section, two names making a lot of noise are Rahbar Ghanbari’s ‘Growing in the wind’ and the Vietnamese director Siu Pham’s ‘Homostratus’. The films will be screened at different venues like Spanish Film Institute, Casa Asia, Collegio de Psicologos and Pza Augustin Lara.

The Imagine India International Film Festival is a promising event that will exhilarate you with a new type of cinema seldom seen in mainstream Bollywood! While at the festival, here’s who you might run into: AR Rahman, brand ambassador – Sharmila Tagore, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Carlos Saura and Jaime Chavarri. So get ready for a glam red carpet opening to the event, book your tickets and travel to Madrid for some great cinema and a travel experience of a lifetime.

Ngada Festival: Nagaland’s Cultural Feast

With low-lying hills, thick vegetation and a unique local culture, Nagaland can be a revelation for a tourist that’s stimulated by varied experiences. The harvest festival of the Rengma tribe, known as the Ngada Festival, is a wonderful excuse to undertake the excursion and is held in Kohima. Folk art forms, feasts of meat and poultry, plenty of drinks and merriment are the highlights of this celebration. In the Gregorian calendar, the festival takes place during the end of November or early December. Climatically, it’s cooler than in summer months when the humidity of the area can be a drain on energy reserves.

The way to Kohima, capital of Nagaland | Photo Credit: Jackpluto / Wikimedia

The Festival

The Ngada Festival is to Nagaland what Baisakhi is to Punjab; a thanksgiving for a good harvest. Festivities kick-off for eight days after the village priest declares the start of Ngada. The exact day of commencement is usually calculated on the basis of the moon’s position. It’s essential for every family of the community to stock up on grains and rations from harvested crops. The tribe is superstitious about bringing in stocks after the festival has started. Different activities are expected to be undertaken by the children, women and men on each of the appointed eight days. Ample rice beer, meats and pickles keep the community satiated and in high spirits throughout this period.

Preparing for Ngada

Travellers that may not be conversant with the region will discover that this festival is quite different to what they may have experienced in other parts of the country. It’s important to understand the practices the community follows while celebrating Ngada.

The first two days are spent in preparation. On day one, many households are busy readying large amounts of rice beer for the week to follow. On the second day, the men work together to clear the forests of undergrowth and litter. Women pay respects to deceased ancestors by packaging rice beer in banana leaves and placing it over graves after thoroughly cleaning the compound.

A tribal in Nagaland dressed in traditional attire | Photo Credit: Yves Picq

By the third day, the ceremonial part of the festival takes off. The big day starts with the gathering of men who have a breakfast of rice beer and meat. They dress in traditional finery and make quite an impression on procession around their villages, later in the day. Women follow the procession with hollow bitter gourd containers filled with homebrewed beer. The cheerful gathering go about singing folk songs as they visit households in the village with tokens of love and brotherhood.

The fifth day is the day of the grand feast. Banana leaves, fruits, roots and vegetables are gathered from forests and cooked in community kitchens. The Rengmas believe that souls of the departed also partake in the feast, and return to the land of the dead after the meal. Shows of athletic prowess and folk performances take place after the feast. The remaining days are spent appeasing three forces the tribe fear for their potential to wreak havoc – fire, rats and malevolent spirits!

You can witness these rituals for yourself by travelling to Kohima for this year’s Ngada festival. The nearest railway station and airport are at Dimapur, connected by train to Kolkata and Assam. The last 70 odd kilometres can be negotiated by taxi. Visit MakeMyTrip.com for combined flight plus hotel bookings.

Bera Utsav- A Crackling Affair in Murshidabad

As the swollen waters of the legendary Bhagirathi flow past in its serpentine path, they water and irrigate the lands gifting it fertility in plenty. This river was probably one of the main reasons why settlers came here, developing what eventually came to be known as the city of Murshidabad. It is this beautiful historic city that hosts the wonderful Bera Utsav, and is a huge draw for tourists to the city. This year the event will take place in the month of September.

A traditional dance at the Bera Utsav. Photo Credit: Akash Mondal / flickr

A Fiery Celebration

The Bera Utsav takes place at Lal Bagh on the banks of the Bhagirathi river near the magnificent Murshidabad Palace, the erstwhile abode of the Nawabs. The highlights of the festivities include a host of traditional songs and dances, and a splendid fireworks display. A local fair is also organised during this time with fun rides, people dressed in their traditional finery and plenty of local food. This is also a great opportunity to visit West Bengal and experience its rich history and culture.

History of Murshidabad

A historic city, which became the capital of Nawab Murshid Quli Khan in the early 18^th century when he moved here from Dacca (now Dhaka in Bangladesh); this is also probably where the city gets its name from. It eventually became the seat of several other successive Nawabs of Bengal and prospered under their reign. It was also in the 18^th century, 1757 to be precise, that the famous Battle of Plassey was fought here, which brought with it the colonial era in India.

The historical city of Murshidabad. Photo Credit: Sarfarazit08 / wikimedia

Things to do in Murshidabad

As a place of historic interest, a visit to Murshidabad can prove to be a wonderful holiday for anyone who enjoys history. Strewn with palaces, colonial buildings and beautiful monuments, it is currently not on the tourist map and one can enjoy a relatively quiet and peaceful holiday admiring the city’s many wonders. These include Berhampore, the headquarters of the Murshidabad district and several other interesting places such as Krishna College, the Berhampore Central Jail, Lal Dighi, Kisnapur Kalibari, and of course the banks of the Bhagirathi. Other places of interest include Lal Bagh, which is part of Murshidabad town and home to the breathtaking Nizamat Qila or the Hazarduari Palace (Palace of a Thousand Doors). It was built by the British engineer Duncan McLeod in Italian style. Also worth visiting are the Moti Jheel or Pearl Lake close to the palace, the Khushbagh cemetery, Nizamat Imambara, and Katra Mosque.

While here, it is also a good idea to see what else the state of West Bengal has to offer besides the capital Kolkata of course. Visitors can make several weekend trips around Kolkata; they could also head to the cool climes of Darjeeling and Siliguri or to the Sunderbans for a more adventurous trip among the mangroves.

If you’re keen to take a tour of this historic city, make your bookings today!

Thimithi Festival: When Draupadi is Worshipped

A heroine, a victim, a warrior, a seductress, a scapegoat – too many labels go with one of the most powerful characters of the Mahabharata, Draupadi. A beautiful princess, Draupadi was married to the five Pandava brothers. The tragedies of her life began when she was insulted in the court of Kauravas after her husbands lost her in a game of dice. This waged a war, one of the most destructive ones in Indian mythology, and consequently Draupadi was also blamed for causing immense bloodshed. According to South Indian legend, the worst was not over with the war. It is believed that she was forced to walk on a bed of burning embers and come out unharmed to prove her fidelity or to purify herself from the attempts to defile her.

The Srinivasa Perumal Temple in Singapore sees a procession of priests and devotees during the festival every year. Photo Credit: RoB / WikimediaToday, all that remains of Draupadi are fragmented tales; some considering her to be the cause of the war, others calling her a tragic heroine. What a life to lead, I wonder! Such ruminations flooded my mind when I first read about Thimithi Festival. Celebrated in the Tamil community, this festival is dedicated to Draupadi or Draupati Amman, a Tamil deity.

If you are travelling to Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu or even South Africa, look out for this festival celebrated in full fervour by the Tamils. Celebrated in the month of Aipasi in Tamil calendar, this year it falls on 25^th October. This festival is, however, just a part of month long celebrations when tales from Mahabharata are enacted and pujas are performed. The central event of the festival is the fire walking ceremony when devotees walk on a stretch of hot embers to prove their dedication to the deity, who is believed to ward off evil spirits. 

The Tamil community celebrates the Thimithi Festival to worship Draupadi, who is believed to ward off evil spirits.In Singapore, a procession of priests and devotees starts from Srinivasa Perumal Temple and goes up to Sri Marriamman Temple where the rituals are carried out. During the festival, stories of Mahabharata are enacted followed by a marriage procession of Draupadi’s wedding to Arjuna. Then the idols are washed with milk and water, dressed beautifully and worshipped. After this, the famous fire walking ceremony begins. Thousands of people participate in this ceremony to fulfil a wish or to seek penance. Interestingly, only men are allowed to participate in this ritual. The rituals begin late in the night and carry on till early morning.

It is said that the famous sage Veda Vyasa gave a boon to Draupadi that she will always be remembered as a powerful queen who sacrificed her life and helped execute the divine plan of the great war of Mahabharata. Whether this was something anyone would appreciate after living a life of innumerable difficulties, is open to debate. But surely, on this festival Draupadi enjoys glory and power that she was denied during her life.

Draupadi perfectly befits the adage, “Today’s victims are tomorrow’s heroes”. Now revered as a deity in South India, come watch the spectacle of the tragic heroine of Mahabharata revered by thousands during the Thimithi Festival.

Book cheap flight tickets to Malaysia and Singapore on MakeMyTrip.com. You can also opt for a complete holiday package as you combine the festival with your preferred travel destination.

Sonepur Mela: Animals, Dances, Food, Circus and More

A congregation of thousands of animals and birds, the Sonepur Mela in Bihar is popular as one of the largest cattle fairs in India. Though the venue of the festival is the small town of Sonepur in Bihar, it attracts thousands of buyers, tourists and traders and is at par with the famous Pushkar Cattle Fair and Nagaur Cattle Fair. Sonepur is a humble town in Northern Bihar, situated at the confluence of rivers Gandak and Ganga. Taking bath in the holy water of the sangam is regarded as extremely lucky. In fact, the auspicouss day of Kartik Poornima falls during the festival and witnesses a large number of devotees. Stretching from a fortnight to a month sometimes, Sonepur Mela is organised every year in the month of November. Read on to know more about this Indian cattle fair.

Photo Credit: Flickr /' ranjan154

The origins of the fair date back to the times of Chandragupta Maurya when he used to buy elephants and horses from Bihar. Over the years, the fair has grown to become one of Asia’s largest cattle fair with a huge variety of animals put up for sale. From pigs and donkeys to horses, elephants and several birds, all can be bought here. Sonepur Mela is also known as the Harihar Kshetra Mela. The Harihar Nath Temple in Sonepur is believed to be built by Lord Ram and people come to pray here from far off places.

While other cattle fairs in the country are famous as trading centres for camels, cows and donkeys, Sonepur Mela is credited as the only fair in India where even elephants can be bought! A number of elephants, with colourful designs painted on them, are displayed at the famous Hathi Bazaar. Elephants are generally bought by zookeepers and for logging purposes. The bird fair is another major attraction of the fair. Thousands of colourful birds can be seen fluttering in their cages at the fair. While some buy them as pets, some trade them further. Watching these creatures of sky, caged is not an appealing sight for many. While at the fair, how about buying a bird and setting in free? – A noble deed isn’t it?

Another compelling sight at the fair is that of animals performing tricks to impress their audience. If you plan to visit the fair, be ready to be mesmerized by some cute performances by baby monkeys and puppies. Want to take back a puppy home? Go ahead; choose your pet pal at the fair.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia / Neelabh2007

For anyone who wants to get a glimpse of India’s great cultural diversity, the Sonepur Mela will provide ample opportunities. From cultural dance performances to popular Bhojpuri ones, the fair is synonymous with entertainment for locals. The fair was just a trade centre originally, but over the years it has become a grand event with games, competitions, cultural performances and even circus shows!

Sonepur is around 30 kilometres from Patna, across river Ganges. The best way to reach the fair is to take a flight to Patna and then enjoy a boat ride across Ganga, to Sonepur. Alternatively you can also board a train to Patna. For accommodation, do check-out the list of comfortable hotels in Patna offered by MakeMyTrip.