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After 1000 years, water returns to Rome’s famed Baths of Caracalla!

More than a millennium after its waters last flowed, the historic baths of Caracalla in Rome have been witness to a poignant revival as water returned to its ancient precincts. This was indeed a surprise and welcoming change. If reports are to go by, this significant event unfolded recently, which was celebrated by a captivating spectacle: ballet dancers gracefully dancing on a platform positioned above a newly installed pool. As per the records, built originally in 212 AD under the auspices of Emperor Septimius Severus, the expansive thermal complex was completed during the reign of his successor, Caracalla. Spanning across a vast area, these baths stand as one of the grandest structures of antiquity. Over the centuries, they have transformed into a cherished tourist attraction, and are known for frequently hosting cultural events, such as concerts and theatrical performances. Recently, local authorities made an ambitious endeavour to reintroduce water to this historic site. A pivotal aspect of this initiative was the creation of a sizable, shallow pool, christened the Specchio, or ‘mirror’ in Italian. Designed by architects Hannes Peer and Paolo Bornello, this rectangular pool measures 42 m by 32 m and is just 10 cm deep. Its purpose is to evoke the grandeur of the Natatio, the principal swimming pool typically found at the heart of ancient Roman baths. Mirella Serlorenzi, the director of the site, aptly remarked, "Water, an element absent for more than 1,000 years, returns in a decisive yet respectful manner to the ruins." The installation, embellished with submerged water jets and artistic lighting effects, stands as a testament to Rome's ongoing commitment to restoring its ancient landmarks to their original splendour. The inaugural performance, choreographed by Iratxe Ansa and Igor Bacovich and presented by Aterballetto, marked the commencement of a series of cultural events scheduled to grace the hallowed grounds of Caracalla throughout the spring and summer months. This harmonious blend of contemporary artistry and ancient heritage promises to captivate visitors and breathe new life into Rome's storied past.

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Amarnath Yatra 2024: Pilgrimage to start from June 29, registration now open

Nestled within the picturesque Ladar Valley, the holy cave of Amarnath is perched at an impressive altitude of 12,756 feet above sea level, a considerable distance of approximately 141 km from the bustling capital of Srinagar. Soon, it will be the time for the annual Amarnath Yatra. The Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) has recently disclosed the schedule for the upcoming Amarnath Yatra, an annual pilgrimage revered by devotees. According to the announcement, this sacred Amarnath Yatra will span from June 29 to August 19, 2024. For those intending to participate, the early registration begins today. This early registration allows pilgrims to secure their spots for the 52-day-long yatra, ensuring a smooth and organised pilgrimage experience. Every year, the Amarnath Yatra unfolds amidst stringent security measures and careful monitoring. Pilgrims embark on this sacred journey through two distinct paths: the traditional 48-km-long Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the shorter but more challenging 14-km-long Baltal route in Ganderbal district. If reports are to go by, preparations for the safety and convenience of devotees undertaking the pilgrimage are underway. Specifically, personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are currently undergoing specialised training. This training is designed to equip them with the necessary skills and expertise to become part of the Mountain Rescue Teams (MRTs) operated by the Jammu and Kashmir Police. The objective behind this initiative is to bolster safety measures along the pilgrimage routes, ensuring the well-being of pilgrims amid the challenging mountainous terrain. Annually, the Amarnath Yatra welcomes a vast multitude of devotees, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, who gather at the site during the 'Shravani Mela' held in July and August, corresponding to the auspicious Shravan month in the Hindu calendar. This significant pilgrimage season marks the exclusive period when the Amarnath Cave is accessible. Pilgrims undertake this arduous journey, motivated by their deep faith and reverence, to seek blessings at the sacred site amidst the serene Himalayan surroundings.

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Middle East crisis: Several airlines suspend services, avoid Iranian airspace

1. Airline Actions: With the Middle East tensions flaring up, Air India has temporarily suspended its Tel Aviv flights. Other national and international carriers have also charted alternative flight paths to avoid the Iranian airspace. Longer flight paths will result in increased operational costs for the airlines, and the situation could also push airfares higher. Apart from Air India, Vistara and IndiGo from India have opted for alternative paths for their flights to the West. An official stated that IndiGo, which operates flights to Istanbul with aircraft leased from Turkish Airlines, is avoiding the Iranian airspace. 2. Actions of Middle Eastern and European Airlines: Major Middle East airlines, including Emirates Airlines, Qatar Airways, and Etihad Airways, announced they would resume operation in the region after canceling or rerouting some flights. It was not yet clear if the latest unrest would impact passenger demand, according to Brendan Sobie, an independent aviation analyst. 3. Saudia and Jordan's Actions: Saudia, the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, has suspended all its services to the airports in the northern region of the country until further notice. Jordan has closed its airspace indefinitely to all incoming, departing, and transit aircraft. 4. Kuwait Airways and European Aviation Agency's Response: Jordan's closure led Kuwait Airways to cancel its flights to Al Qurayyat in Jordan. The airline company has temporarily suspended its services to Iraq, Iran, Jordan, and Lebanon. The European aviation agency also urged caution in Israeli and Iranian airspaces, though it stated no civil overflights had been placed at risk. Dutch airline KLM has canceled all flights to and from Tel Aviv until Tuesday. 5. Impact and Comparison: Mark Zee, founder of OPSGROUP, which monitors airspace and airports, noted that this was the biggest single disruption to air travel since the attack on the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001. He added that disruptions were likely to last a couple more days. 6. Further Context: The latest routing problems are a blow to an industry already facing a host of restrictions due to conflicts between Israel and Hamas, and Russia and Ukraine. Iran's airspace is used by airlines traveling between Europe and Asia, and those carriers will be restricted to two viable alternative routes, either through Turkey or via Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Israel closed its airspace on Saturday before reopening them on Sunday morning. Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon also resumed flights over their territories.

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Your dream of traveling on a cruise will also be fulfilled, IRCTC has brought a cheap offer, book immediately

You also like to travel to the sea. So you can easily travel to the sea now. Many people dream of staying in a luxurious cruise and enjoying this pleasant journey, but many people do not go here due to budget. But IRCTC is giving you an opportunity through which you can enjoy a wonderful cruise. You can visit places like Guwahati, Silghat for very little money. We want to tell you that IRCTC has named this package as MV MAHABAAHU DOWNSTREAM CRUISE PACKAGE EX SILGHAT JETTY (CDRC03). This package is starting from 19th April. Because of this, you can enjoy a luxury cruise on a very low budget. You can enjoy things like restaurant, bar, swimming pool, open cinema, theatre, children's area on this luxurious cruise. Along with this, necessary medical facilities will also be provided. We want to tell you that this cruise package is for 3 days and 2 nights. how much will the rent cost This package is divided into four parts. Superior, Deluxe, Luxury, Suite. Booking with one or two people in Superior Cabin will cost Rs 52,920 per person and the fare per person is Rs 92,610. For children between 5 to 12 years, the fare for two children will be Rs 26,420 and for children between 5 to 12 years, if there is one child, the fare will be Rs 46,305. Booking for two people in the same deluxe cabin will cost Rs 66,150 per person. Single booking will cost Rs 1,15,973. For children between 5 years to 12 years, it will be Rs 33,075 for two children and for children between 5 years to 12 years, it will be Rs 57,987 for single booking. Luxury cabin booking fare If two people are booked together in a luxury cabin, the fare for one person will be Rs 70,560. For single booking, it will be Rs 1,23,480, for children between 5 years to 12 years, it will be Rs 35,280 for two children and Rs 61,740 for single children. Talking about suite cabin, it will cost Rs 81,585 and single booking will cost Rs 1,63,170. Also, for children between 5 years to 12 years, the fare for booking two children will be Rs 40,793 and for children between 5 years to 12 years, the fare for a single child will be Rs 81,585. You can book it on IRCTC website.

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Digi Yatra to be implemented at 14 airports

Digi Yatra will be implemented at 14 additional airports by the end of April. Efforts are being made to improve the facility’s user-friendliness through certain architectural adjustments. This initiative uses Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) to enable contactless and seamless passenger movement at airport checkpoints. Suresh Khadakbhavi, CEO, Digi Yatra Foundation, announced that Digi Yatra will be available at 14 more airports by the end of this month, marking a significant step towards making air travel easier. The foundation is a not-for-profit entity and the central agency for Digi Yatra, which was launched in December 2022. Digi Yatra Foundation’s CEO also emphasised that passenger data is securely stored and controlled by the passengers themselves, addressing privacy concerns. Passenger data shared for Digi Yatra is stored in encrypted form. “It remains on the user’s phone, where the data is under their control,” he told PTI in an interview. The process includes registering through the Digi Yatra app using Aadhaar-based verification and capturing a self-image, followed by scanning the boarding pass and facial recognition validation at airport e-gates. Efforts are underway to enhance user experience, and discussions are being held to expand the service to international travel. Stakeholders of the foundation include the Airport Authority of India (AAI), Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL), Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL), Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (HIAL), and Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL). To access the service, passengers need to register their details on the Digi Yatra app using Aadhaar-based verification and a self-image capture. Once registered, they scan their bar-coded boarding pass, and the facial recognition system at the e-gate verifies their identity and travel documents. After successful verification, passengers can proceed through the e-gate to enter the airport. Afterward, passengers must undergo the usual security clearance procedure before boarding their flight. Airport staff are instructed to enroll passengers only with their consent. India’s domestic air traffic is experiencing substantial growth, with over 15.2 crore passengers recorded in 2023.

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Gujaratis rescheduling domestic travel plans due to polls, say agents

Gujaratis, known to be compulsive travellers, are holding back or rescheduling their vacation plans this summer to exercise their franchise. Incidentally, May 7 — the day all 26 Lok Sabha seats and five Assembly constituencies of Gujarat go to polls in the third phase — falls amid summer vacations for schools and colleges. According to Ronak Shah, chairman of the Gujarat Chapter of Travel Agents Federation of India, travellers are indeed rescheduling their plans. “At least 20 per cent of them have rescheduled but these are all domestic travellers. No international traveller has changed his travel plan but at the same time it is also a fact that most of the international travellers have kept plans on hold till May 7,” he said. Other players revealed that there are several travellers from Gujarat who have also advanced their return latest by May 6 evening. “Nearly 160 domestic clients have confirmed return tickets by May 6. While we have planned to request the airlines for considering these rescheduling without much financial burden on the travellers, all those who have advanced are travelling by trains.. those who have booked around two to three months in advance,” said Suhag Modi, director, Akshar Travels in Ahmedabad. Travel operators are also advising their clients to plan accordingly. “We do not have any departures scheduled for the daytime on May 7 but for night hours. Similarly, the arrival of travellers on May 6 is expected to be much higher. While there is no rush to travel out on May 7, there is certainly a rush to return on the voting day,” Suhag Modi said. Ahmedabad-based Ajay Modi Travels has around 100 travellers, who had finalised their travel plans before the elections, seeking rebooking. “This time, people are keen to vote and leave after May 7. Around 20 per cent have either changed their travel plans or are returning before May 7,” said Allap Modi from the company. Suhag Modi said his firm was offering additional services to clients who agreed to reschedule plans to accommodate the voting day. “Certainly we cannot force them but are advising those who are approaching us and also offering some add-on services or something special if they do so,” he said. Even as the Election Commission is leaving no stone unturned to ensure a higher voter turnout this election, the BJP also has set a target of winning each of the 26 seats in the state with a margin of five lakh votes. This means the party, too, is going out of its ways to ensure a higher turnout. Meanwhile, at a meeting of 150 representatives of state and national associations of travel agents and tea merchants in Rajkot Sunday, BJP leaders urged the audience to “to keep business interests aside for one day to ensure maximum voting on May 7”, said Gopal Unadkat, secretary of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), Saurashtra- Kutch Chapter. The meeting was addressed by senior BJP leaders Vajubhai Vala, Rajya Sabha MP Rambhai Mokariya and Union minister and Rajkot candidate Parshottam Rupala. This comes days after Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel “assured refunds” for those rescheduling their vacation plans to be in the state on the voting day. He was addressing a meeting of the Resident Welfare Associations at New Ranip on April 5. Patel’s government has already declared May 7 a public holiday. The travel operators in Ahmedabad, too, met last week where it was decided that they would request the railways and the airline operators to help reschedule bookings for those clients who had booked before the declaration of elections. However, the rescheduling notwithstanding, Gujaratis, especially the international travellers, are going ahead with their plans around the election day, says Mahendra Vakhariya from Pathfinders Holidays Private Limited. “While around 40 per cent travellers, who are domestic travellers, have rebooked and planned accordingly, the international travellers are certainly going ahead with their plans which they finalised three to four months in advance.” On the contrary, Rajkot-based travel agents are witnessing a dull season. With not many people travelling at all, the travel business is less than half this time, says operators from Saurashtra. “The government functionaries, supporters of candidates or parties, and voters are not travelling at all so far till elections are over. Being a laid back market, people generally do not book much in advance in Rajkot. Also, due to the elections, there is a close scrutiny on cash transactions that majorly constitute this business. Hence, the business is down by almost 50 per cent. Since travel agents book tickets six months in advance with the airline, our paid purchases are going unsold,” shared Sanjay Mehta from Transglobe Travels of Rajkot. However, TAAI’s Unadkat expects demand to pick up after May 7. “Though people in Saurashtra and Kutch are not rescheduling as they have not booked at all, we are expecting this to change after the election day.”

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