Amritsar: Spirituality and More

Do you know how travelling is better than watching a movie?? Both offer excitement and escapism but it is travel that turns you into a better version of yourself through multiple experiences. One such place - Amritsar, located in northern region of India, will give you enough opportunities to gain valuable experiences.
At the surface level, Amritsar looks like a city with spirituality at its heart, which is true. But as you explore different locations, you will find multiple layers of this fascinating region that are guaranteed to make your trip immortal.

Golden Temple – Where spirituality lies in the air!

24x7 free communal kitchen, enchanting prayers and serene environment; Golden Temple brings every fantasy to life associated with spiritual dimension of India. This sacred place of Sikh religion is a must visit at least once in a lifetime. You can spend an entire evening gazing at the surrealistic view of this monument, which reflects purity and divinity through its golden color. The circumambulation of holy pool (Sarovar) located at the gurudwara complex is quite gratifying. This is usually followed by bathing in the tank, which is said to purify your body.
Volunteering at the community lunch is another great and unique experience you will hardly find at any other location of the world. You will be overwhelmed by the commitment with which the devotees dedicate themselves in the community service.

Jallianwallah Bagh – Where history becomes alive!

Jallianwallah Bagh, a public garden located at the walking distance from Golden Temple, is the throwback to the pre-independence era of the nation. The people pay homage to the civilians (more than 550) who lost their lives in this garden during massacre in 1919. The bullet marks in the garden and the ‘Martyr’s well’ will you leave you teary eyed while visiting the place.

Harike Bird Sanctuary – For the love of nature!

Harike Bird Sanctuary, nestled in the Tarn Taran district of Punjab, is a haven for nature lovers. The sanctuary covers an area of whopping 83 kms. You can sight birds, which migrate from as far as Siberia and Arctic region during winter season.

Wagah Border – The boundary that unites!

Retreat ceremony that takes place at this Indo-Pak border is a treat for everyone. Thumping down of boots by 6.5 feet tall soldiers, opening and closing of border doors by both nations and patriotic songs – all these activities are guaranteed to give bang for your buck. You will hardly find any Indian whose heart is not brimming with patriotism during these moments. Do not forget to purchase kurtas and sarees from the small shops located near border.

Gastronomic Affair

Focusing on the cuisine, Street food is another essential facet of this multi-dimensional city. Dishes that are not to be missed include:

• Succulent chicken and keema naan at Beera Chicken Corner
• Lassi from Ahuja Milk Bhandar
• Puri Sabzi from Kanha Sweets
• Aloo Kulcha with Cholle at multiple outlets
• Amritsari fish from Makhan fish and Chicken Corner
• Dal Fry and Tandoori Roti from Kesar Da Dhaba

Delectable food is sufficient enough to make you fall in the love with this city.

As a whole, you can consider the place as the cocktail of spiritual, historical and natural sites. Therefore, surrender yourself to this vibrant city, which is guaranteed to satisfy your craving for internal bliss.

Yoga Power: Five benefits of performing this ancient art!

Western Yoga enthusiasts have developed Doga or Dog Yoga which is art of performing Yoga with pets. Yoga, which is an ancient art of body and mind wellness, has always remained part of several modifications as per the needs of specific culture or region. But the main aim of all the practices was deriving a better health and thereby improving the quality of life.
These are some of the major benefits which a person can receive by performing Yoga on regular basis.
Cure to multiple illnesses – The major advantage of performing Yoga is cure and control of numerous diseases which otherwise needed dependency on those sour pills which had multiple side effects. Asthma, high blood pressure, arthritis, liver issues and indigestion etc are some of the medical problems which one can overcome by aasanas.
Inner peace – It is the most underrated thing in present day scenario as we search peace from the outside world. We even spend a lot of cash on materialistic stuff which is expected to give satisfaction and thereby peace of mind. Yes, Yoga indeed controls a stressful mind and blesses the soul with inner peace.
Improved body energy – Improper lifestyle and heavy workload results in lack of energy which is major cause of fatigue and insomnia. Yoga and breathing exercises come as a rescue to this situation which rejuvenates the body and turns each body cell into activate mode.
Better flexibility – Practising different forms of Yoga poses helps in improving the flexibility of human body. Yoga postures causes stretching and strengthening of the body muscles which also improves the posture of the body. This also prevents you from minor injuries which can be caused by tasks of daily life.
Weight Loss – What’s better than a natural way to burn those extra kilos which keep you out of shape? Several Yoga postures combined with breathing exercises are what one requires to maintain the body weight as per the individual’s height and age. It also saves you from strenuous body workout and overpriced gym membership fees.
So, adding this precious form of exercise into daily routine will definitely soothe your mind, body and soul which will help in attaining a better version of life!

Importance of digital media in Indian offline retail sector

Being the greatest player in providing employment to the majority of working class, retail sector remains one of the key industries in India. Major business giants like Tata group, Reliance Industries and others are also expanding their retail stores at accelerating rate with multiple verticals like jewellery, consumer electronics etc. in tier 1 and tier 2 cities.
But in spite of regular rise and modifications in this industry, it faces stiff competition from the rising fame of e-commerce in the country. So, strategic implementation of digital media is a major step that maintains the business of retail stores in this information age.
Several digital media agencies are working as support services to blow trumpet of their client and maintain their sales. Several strategies applied by these agencies include social media marketing, mobile phone promotions, SEO optimization and online ads.
In the country obsessed with Facebook and Twitter, active FB pages and generic tweets are necessary for long-term survival of retails names like Max, Home Centre, Big Bazaar, Crossword Book Store etc. Also, mobile apps are becoming important part of this digital promotion scenario by multiple agencies. The app by the retail stores comprises info on offers, loyalty points, QR code reader and launch of new collections.
Social media not only drives potential buyers but also keeps the consumers in loop for future visits by interactive methods like review of shopping experience, online contests and consulting of products as per customer needs.
Another major tool used by the Digital Marketing Experts is use of retargeting. It uses browsing history of internet users thereby customizing the displayed ads. Though popular mainly for online shopping, this method can also be used for driving traffic to webpages of offline stores which can ultimately lead to increased sales.
The use of digital media as major part in driving business by small retailers is still in its fancy in India, but will grow with proper awareness on its importance among businesspersons as it is said “marketing also promotes itself."

Someone is honestly there for nation’s improvement

Each one of us as a responsible citizen must have at least once blamed or cursed local authorities for irregularities in terms of roads, cleanliness, street lights, child labor etc but how many of us actually came forward for improving the situation.
There is actually a social program that works privately in order to improve conditions of Indian cities known as Changebhai.in. The firm actually acts as a link between citizens and local authorities so that various issues reach the concerned people in the government.
The process of lodging a complaint after registering on website is very simple one and doesn’t cost a single penny. The complainants have to just upload an image reflecting the concerned issue along with location info and details regarding the complaint. The number of solved and pending queries are also mentioned on the webpage. The issues can be varied including waste in your locality, overcharging and adulteration by retailers, cutting of trees illegally and other issues which trouble you as a citizen.
These issues can also be discussed by logging into social networking sites like Twitter or Facebook thereby making it more interactive and user friendly.
That’s not all, a smartphone app lovers can also install the mobile app ‘ChangeBhai Report Social Issue’ on operating systems including Windows, iOS, Android or Blackberry OS.
On a bit larger level, there is also provision of filing RTI (Right to information) using their services in case no resolution occurs from government side in spite of regular attempts to solve any menace. This concept was initiated in December 2013 and has already received honors like Leap Innovation Award 2013 and became finalist of Big online Business Idea at NDTV Profit.
But this is just an inception of a great idea. Actual victory will be when each one of us will use the tool in our hand (smartphone) and report the irregularities from our neighborhood on regular basis and consequently we will get a much better version of the nation we live in.

Why Indian cinema lacks superheroes ?

India is a nation where on an average two films release per day and cinema is considered a religion. And in spite of superhero movie attempts like Krishh series or Ra.One, the Indian cinema still lacks in popularity of this movie form as compared to the west.
Very first reason that can be considered is comic book culture which is quite mega thing in the U.S. All the superhero movies like Batman, Superman or Avengers clan are based on either of two comic book giants Marvel or D.C. Comics. So, there is loyal fan following which are automatically transformed into audience when a movie with superhuman characters is released. This factor not only gives faithful movie-goers but also prepares base of the story and characters while filmmaking. One can witness the mania of comics in the U.S. by going through a popular movie ‘Unbreakable’ by M. Knight Shyamalan. This kind of obsession is hardly seen in Indian soil.
Availability of huge finances for film production can be considered another big motivational factor for superhero cinema in Hollywood. In these movie types, there is requirement of big sets which are constructed or destroyed as per demand of the film. Also, high-end animation which gives these movies visual appeal needs lots of monetary funds. All these funds are easily available to Hollywood production as several countries where movie is released add to the funds. Also, worldwide release ensures that there is negligible chance that movie will not work as per the expectations.
Talking of Indian audience, masses give preference to a movie which contains ingredients like action-comedy, big stars, item numbers or skin show. Therefore, production houses or independent producers rarely take a risk of putting billions into project of this sci-fi genre. It is also conventionally believed that these movie types are targeted for children or teenagers only.
There is need of contribution from risk-taking talented filmmakers and good script writers for giving birth to ‘desi’ superheroes which will not only result in box-office success but will be remembered for generations.

Olive Oil: Finally produced commercially in India

With growing popularity of its health benefits, olive oil consumption in Indian cooking is becoming more common. One can find importance of olives even in several verses of Bible. In India, most of the olive oil brands available are imported from countries like Spain or Italy which are its leading producers.
Olive cultivation in India was considered a difficult approach in India but it were the efforts of Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje who after visiting Israel in 2006 was determined to start olive agricultural program on large scale in Rajasthan. As a result, Rajasthan Olive Cultivation Limited (ROCL) was founded with the collaboration of Rajasthan State Agricultural Marketing Board (RSAMB), Indolive Limited (Israeli company) and Finolex Plasson Industries Ltd.
Good thing about the ROCL olive oil production is that they use mechanical processes for virgin and extra virgin olive oils instead of chemical treatment which ensures quality. The oil will supposedly be available commercially under the name ‘Raj Oil’.
Though the cultivation of olives indigenously is good for health purposes and economic growth it may have some negatives ecologically as per some environmentalists. There is possibility of depletion of already existing plant species along with spread of pests and diseases with olive agriculture. But ROCL claims that the plant species are thoroughly inspected to be free of pests and diseases. There is also possibility of loss of water available locally as lot of water is used for irrigation purposes.
If these concerns are taken care of, this sector may give opportunities to large number of farmers along with traders and scientific community to gain maximum profit and raise the standard of our nation in terms of its productivity and export. Consumers will also be able to get olive oil which will be 20-25 percent cheaper than the existing brands.

Drones in India: Good, bad but not so ugly !

An interesting news was in the air last week when an unmanned drone from Mumbai,India delivered a Pizza to a skyscraper at around 1.5 km distance. Francesco's Pizzeria from Mumbai that tried this concept claimed that drone was flying within the range of 130 metre from the Earth's surface and was within safety levels.
Seems quite cool and resembles a scene from a sci-fi movie but it is actually inception of bullet delivery service in our nation. Many e-commerce companies and restaurant chains believe this will not only help improve services offered to the customer but will also prevent traffic problems and pollution caused by vehicles.
Indeed, it is high-end scientific approach but as per government authorities drones can result in compromising of safety of common people as many terrorists may use this technology for destruction. Also, in India where wiring is used for most communication methods which can act as barriers, we can't be sure if using drones amidst them is a practical application. Also, some mischievous elements in India may interfere with the working of the drones in future just for the sake of fun by using the delivered products illegaly.
It surely is going to be a bit costly process for the companies that use them but will definitely change the scenario of the country soon !