Monsoon magic weaves its spell

Purnima Sharma

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Alexander frater was born to the sound of falling rain in Port Vila, Vanuatu, in 1937. Over 50 years later, he wrote about his lifelong attachment in ‘Chasing The Monsoon: A Modern Pilgrimage Through India’. For natives of the subcontinent, the fascination, however, seems more recent. Many are now travelling to savour the season at their favourite destinations. From travel industry veterans like Noida-based Madhu Sudan Sharma, who likes to spend time in Himachal, to food bloggers such as Delhi resident Dipali Bhasin, who has been going to Goa every year for nearly two decades to enjoy the rains on its beaches, the number of vacationers preferring domestic destinations for a monsoon holiday is on the rise.

A number of state tourism boards are cashing in on this trend. “Kerala was probably the first state to promote the concept of a fun-filled rain-drenched destination,” says Ravisankar KV, former member, Kerala Tourism Advisory Board. “It all started after Frater wrote about chasing the monsoon in God’s Own Country,” he says. In this delightful travelogue, the author literally chases the monsoon from Kerala towards Goa, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata, before finally heading for Cherrapunji in Meghalaya.

Sunu Mathew of the Thiruvananthapuram-based C World Holidays says, “Tourists now refuse to remain stuck in hotel rooms. Also, monsoon is the best time to enjoy the state’s famous backwaters and spend time on its unique houseboats.”

Many opt for ayurvedic treatments offered there. The number of domestic arrivals in Kerala has slowly risen from 17,228 in 2004 to 78,034 in 2019.

Since a number of festivals across India are celebrated during monsoons, tourism boards offer many activities centred around them. Manipur just celebrated its Shirui Lily Festival to welcome the clouds in the North-East. Many rock music concerts are also organised.

In the west, Gujarat celebrates Saputara Monsoon Festival to pay homage to the monsoon. Spread over a month against the backdrop of the Sahyadri Range or Western Ghats, spread across Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Gujarat, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, guests get to savour the state’s cultural heritage. Adventure activities such as paragliding, water zorbing, and segway rides lure tourists amid lush landscapes.

Malti Desai, an Ahmedabad-based business executive, and her family often go to Saputara, Gujarat’s only hill station, and make it a point to visit Modhera Sun Temple and Rani ki Vav.

“Karnataka offers beautiful vignettes, particularly during the monsoon,” says Mysore-based Pushkal Prasad, who often drives down to Coorg with his friends. Stopping at the roadside stalls for some chai-pakodas and puri-bhaji is a given. Rainbows not just in Coorg but also in neighbouring Bandipur forests and Ooty are an added bonus, adds the fashion designer.

The Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board (MPTB) is another one to promise a delightful time in Pachmarhi, Amarkantak, Mandu, Khajuraho, and Orchha. “These really come into their own during the rainy season,” says Sheo Shekhar Shukla, principal secretary, tourism and managing director, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board. “Visitors can enjoy the lush greenery, gentle slopes and picturesque water bodies,” he says. And it’s also time to enjoy some ‘hat ke’ experiences such as gram-stays and homestays that the MPTB has introduced, he suggests.

“It’s good news that Indian travellers have begun discovering domestic destinations,” says Dhananjay Sawalkar, joint director, Department of Tourism, Maharashtra. His state, too, has introduced the concept of monsoon tourism offering visits to waterbodies in the Sahyadri Range. “Visitors can enjoy not just hill stations like Lonavala and the Karla Caves, but also the Malshej and Amboli waterfalls. Besides, there are events like the fireflies’ festival in Purushwadi and the Pandharpur Wari yatra as well,” he adds.

The Indian Railways, too, is doing its bit for an up, close and personal encounter with the monsoon — through the vistadome coaches, introduced in over 45 picturesque routes, including Mumbai-Pune, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and Yeswantpur-Mangalore stretches. “Ever since these vistadome coach services were introduced, starting with the Visakhapatnam-Araku route, travelling during monsoon is an absolute delight,” says Rajeev Jain, additional director general, PR, Railway Board. The wide windowpanes, glass roofs, LED lights, revolving seats, and GPS-based info system — all add to the experience.

Not just tourism boards, numerous hotels are also offering good deals during the monsoons. In addition to discounts, many of them by the Ganges in Hardwar also offer a holistic experience against its banks. Not just the Ganga aarti but also walks by the river, nature treks, cycling and village tours.

While homestays in Assam offer scenic views of paddy fields and dense green forests, and walks in the tea gardens, places in ‘apple country’ Himachal provide mountain vistas peeking from misty clouds. With the off-season tariff applicable until August, visitors have exciting experiences starting with walking tours and apple harvesting, making pies and jams.

A sizeable number of foreign tourists also come in to have a taste of the famed Indian monsoon. Neeta Kalra, director, Le Passage to India, a destination management company, says, “We have people from France keen to visit Cherrapunji and many from the Middle East who want to see what our rains are all about, something they don’t get to see too much of.”