India

Introduction

India is growing up as a modern country where to live, but not in every part of it, but only in its most popular city as the capital New Delhi.
India is a country of contrasts, for example you can consider the distance from the poor to the rich people, the technological and traditional cultural aspects, the chaotic traffic of the big cities and the atmosphere of the temples where people use to relax and to lose their mind in others peaceful worlds. For those tourists who come in India for relaxation, Yoga is the best solution: a practice of physical, mental, and spiritual discipline which is use for the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility.
For those tourists who are looking for cultural and traditional sports we recommend to enjoy the traditional dances of India, more in particular to admire the colored clothes and the sinuous movement of dancers' body, or watching the special gymnastic technique called mallakhamb. Moreover, considering those tourists which prefer special outdoor adventures we propose a trip on a elephant, an unmissable experience for the beauty of landscapes and for the unusual transport which is used.

Mallakhamb

Mallakhamb is an ancient traditional Indian sport. The name is composed by “Malla”, which means “gymnast” and “khamb”, which means “pole”, so it indicates a sport for a gymnast’s pole. Mallakhamb originated in the XII century, but it hadn’t importance in the next seven centuries (as well as the art and culture in general), until it was revived by Balambhatta Dada Deodhar, who was the sports and fitness instructor to Peshwa Bajirao II, the regnant during the first half of the IXX century. Looking at the performance of these gymnasts it seems they do this with ease, but it isn’t absolutely ; the exercises, in fact, are really complex and require the athlete to turn, twist, stretch and balance on the pole. With a combination of grace, agility, dexterity, quick reflexes, muscle coordination and sense of timing, the gymnast makes his incredible exhibition, such as a magic. Mallakhamb is a very special game in India, and athletes who practice this magnificent sport deserve to be observed in their performance. This sport is so popular in this country that, more than 14 states of India, participate in Mallakhamb competitions at the national level. Moreover this game has evolved over the years, developing a series of variables inside, for example the Plain Mallakhamb - fixed on the ground, the Hanging Mallakhamb, the Cane or Rope Mallakhamb, the Revolving Bottle Mallakhamb. These are little changes of the original games, but make it more interesting, and tourists will be certainly fascinated. 

Bharata Natyam

"When the universe was overcome by desire, greed, jealousy and anger, when people became slaves of pleasure and pain, Brahma was moved to create a form of entertainment seen and heard and understood by everyone at the same time, as people could no longer understand the mystic and ambiguous scriptures"    Kali Yuga

Bharata Natyam is not a simple dance, it has got a divine origin. This is an Indian art composed, structured, keep and pass on by the Devadasi, a holy dance.
It is the most popular dance among the Indian classical dances and it was born in South India, in the State of Tamil Nadu, with Madras as capital city.
It is also the most ancient dance of all classical Indian dance styles in the entire India; the others are Odissi, Khatak, Mohini Attam, Kuchipudi e Khatakali, which are all based on Natya Shastra, the Bible of the classical Indian dances.
Bharata Natyam reveals the spirituality through the movement of the physical and the emotional body and it expresses all the moods and passions of the soul.
In this dance are performed especially mythological subjects and epical events which are represented in a dramatic way. 

Yoga, meditation and tourism

After the everyday treadmill's stress, your entire mind will still lust for a little moment of peace and calm. Sometimes, to reach this (quite always rare) state of mind is necessary to join natural beauties such as only India can offer or just to have a stroll on the seashore gazing the neverending horizon with the seawind in our faces.

In India you will embrace the best way not only to unwind but also to reinvigorate yourself: Yoga.

Yoga is a well-known practice, it is as physical as mental, its intent is to create a real simphony of lives, combining the mind, the body and the soul.

This holistic practice was born 4000 years ago, and it is considered as one of the most ancient therapies of human history.

There are different forms of Yoga, first of all there's the Hatha (those adressed more to postures and meditation), secondly there's the ashtanga (which follows the system of the so-called "eight steps") and, last but not least, the IIyengar (which allows the use of some supports in order to achieve difficult poses).

Anyway here, in India, you will find any kind of Yoga courses, but, the level of the structures in which you will practice this activity is almost variable, especially in turistic areas. This is the reason why we recommend you to ask for advices in tourist offices and to decide your yoga-course considering your exigencies basing your choice also on other tourists or local people's tips.

In Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Mumbai, Tamil Nadu, for instance, are only the top of the list, in these cities Yoga can be practiced in countless places, in some structures, Yoga courses are totally free, but a small offer is always welcome.

Yoga and also meditation are considered as something really inherent of India's essence. Do you remeber of those fab-four which spend several months in the city of Rishikesh, lost in this Ganga-river area, they enjoyed both India landscapes and the spiritual quest. The Beatles came back to Liverpool totally changed, their music released after that period proves it.

So, this retreat must be an incredible experience, it will modify your own life, creating a new connection between your inner landscapes and those outside your hotel window.

Riding an Elephant in India

This is not a real sport, but it is one of the best activity for tourists.

Everyone in India dreams to get on an elephant and feel like the ancient kings worthy of attention by their own people.
This is the opportunity to try to feel the breeze on the back of an animal so huge and also scary.
This activity can be done throughout the year and every day.
Booking isn’t required, you just go to the many fences which are located throughout the country and then you will decide your itinerary, but if you try to play polo on elephant back you have to book in advance.
Play polo on an elephant is a particular and unusual experience, very similar to that practiced on horses but it is much more slower, of course, but if you aren’t interested to play this extravagant sport you can also see it while it's playing.