Winter 2009
(The writers of this article passed out of IIT six/eighteen months ago. They now work in the mad corporate world and crave the month long December holidays that IITians are fortunate to have. The following article is a collection of awesome ways to spend your vacation.)
For most IITians, December is the most happening time of the year. Inter IIT junta spend their time first preparing to roll over the other IITs at the annual sports meet and then experiencing the unmatchable pleasure of making this happen. MI junta work day and night to make MI happen. Others squeeze in a cool breezy internship.
It's funny how in just three months outside IIT, you begin to miss the extreme lukkha-ness of December. Just as the best plans are conjured up in the middle of the end sems, the best holiday plans are made when there is no possibility of actually putting them into practice. Here's our wish list for this December. And your ready-to-use holiday plan!
I Travel and explore
1) Wildlife-spotting at Kanha:
Kanha National Park in east Madhya Pradesh is arguably the best place in India to catch a glimpse of a tiger. The 1945 sq km park is covered with lush sal and bamboo forests, and home to more than 200 tigers and leopards, 350 swamp deer and 300 species of birds. It is also the land of Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book! While the jeep safaris at Kanha are surprisingly affordable, the adventurous kinds prefer scouting for tigers on elephant back.
2) Pondicherry:
This year is the perfect time to spend your Christmas in Pondicherry, more so if you are taking part in Inter IIT at Chennai which is just a few hours away. With its beautiful seafront promenade and lovely pockets of French culture and architecture, Pondicherry has an old age charm about it. The town has some amazing restaurants, cheap beer and several dainty places for accommodation. The Aurobindo Ashram and beaches on either side of town are other attractions.
3) Desert safari in Rajasthan:
The winter months are the best time to experience desert life through a camel safari around Jaisalmer. There's plenty of competition between safari organisers; so look around for a good deal. For just Rs.500 a day, one is provided with food, blankets and a bum-numbing ride through the arid desert. Besides, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Bikaner are also great options for a taste of the desert and some beautiful monuments.
4) New Years' plans around Bombay:
If you are in Bombay around end December, there is no better way to bring in the new year than to do it on one of the Sahyadris' beautiful peaks. Harishchandragadh, Rajmachi, Kalsubhai and Vasota (permit required) are all ideal destinations. Carry some ready-to-eat food, vessels, fuel, lighters, lots of water and chocolate and you'll be all set for a romantic candlelit New Year's eve dinner under the stars. For the beach bums, there's always the equally tempting option of booking a bungalow at Nagaon/ Kihim and spending the night on the beach. If you are up for an adventure, raise the stakes by cycling from IIT to Gateway of India, taking the ferry across and then cycling again to the beaches.
II Learn cool skills
1) Paragliding:
December's lovely clear and cool weather makes it the ideal season for adventure sports. Several companies offer short paragliding courses at Kamshet, near Lonavala. Indus Paragliding (http://www.indusparagliding.in/) runs courses that vary in length from 3 to 5 days. These cover everything from basic ground training and launch techniques to flight training with the highlight being several long solo flights.
Wallet factor: Rs.6,500-14,500 (includes equipment, accommodation, food, etc.)
2) Amateur horse-riding:
The Amateur Riders' Club located in Worli, Mumbai offers 10-day courses for both beginners and advanced riders (http://www.arcmumbai.com/riding/learntoride.asp). Experienced instructors give you a crash course on the theory of riding followed by riding lessons on horseback.
Wallet factor: Rs.2,500-4,500 (includes equipment)
3) Salsa:
If you are looking to maximise your dude(tte)ness quotient come MI, there is no better way to do it than to learn salsa. Salsa as a dance form is the complete package - it allows the man the chance to assert his authority while the woman sways along in all her feminine grace. Salsa classes are the rage in India's metros these days, so finding one should not be too difficult. If you are in Mumbai, good starting points would be the Salsa India Dance Academy and Sandeep Soparrkar's classes.
4) Wine sampling near Nasik:
If you are a budding wine connoisseur, Sula Vineyards (http://www.sulawines.com/) is the place to visit. Tours take you through the winemaking process from grape to bottle, and end with one learning to swirl, sniff and taste a variety of wines. Besides Sula, Chateau Indage also has some fun wine appreciation tours.
Wallet factor: Rs. 100-150 for a winery tour followed by wine tasting
III Contribute to the community
The Teach for India campaign aims to help undereducated children through various programmes such as basic education, storytelling, etc. The concept is very simple - it puts interested volunteers in touch with an NGO based on your preference of area and time commitment. You then pledge 2 hours a week for 12 weeks to the NGO. In many cities, volunteer enrollment is over. However, if you are inspired by this initiative and feel strongly about helping the underprivileged, no one can stop you from applying directly to NGOs.
Disclaimer: This article is a mixture of ideas from personal experience and those of friends. If you think you have better plans, please get in touch with us and let us know because we do not claim to have any expertise in the field!
Krishna Ramkumar and Nishant Patni were editors of InsIghT in 2006-07. They are now with the Boston Consulting Group.
