Lifestyle

Lucknow, Oct 16 (IANS) 'CHAHAK', a festival being organised by the state basic education department in Uttar Pradesh will be held after Diwali.

The new initiative, CHAHAK -- Children Having Happiness in Ambience and Acquiring Knowledge -- will be a kind of parent-teacher meeting in which parents will be briefed by the teachers about the progress made by their child in school.

The child will demonstrate the knowledge acquired.

"The idea is to involve parents in the child's progress," said principal secretary, basic education, Deepak Kumar.

Students' achievements will be highlighted by showing their portfolio to parents. There will be demonstrations related to language skills such as poetry recitation, story-telling, role play, etc., by the children in front of the parents.

The school will organise quiz and games to demonstrate numerical aptitude, in which the child can identify different patterns from numbers 1 to 10.

In this initiative, parents who regularly discuss the progress of the child with the teacher, will be honoured. All children enrolled in school and their parents will be involved in this.

The CHAHAK exercise was part of NIPUN Bharat Mission (National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy) launched by the Union education ministry under the Samagra Shiksha scheme (an overarching programme for school education sector extending from preschool to Class 12) aligned with the National Education Policy 2020, the official said.

The scheme ensures that every child from Class 1 to 3 can acquire FLN (Foundational Literacy and Numeracy) skills by the end of 2026.

"It is essential for the children in the primary schools to have basic knowledge. NIPUN Bharat Mission instructs teachers or educators to prepare a study plan that develops the students' literary and basic language skills," he added.

--IANS
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By Puja Gupta
New Delhi, Oct 14 (IANSlife) Day 2 of the Lakme Fashion Week x FDCI was dedicated to sustainable fashion. Several designers presented their collections, brought to shape through eco-friendly practices.



Industry veterans like Anju Modi, Abraham and Thakore, and Satya Paul to young talents like Diksha Khanna, Swatti Kapoor and Rina Singh launched their latest line created with environmentally conscious thoughts and requirements.

Designer duo Abraham & Thakore, who marked 30 years in the industry, launched 'Time Travel: Past, Present and Future' collection that included their signature black and white designs. The Autumn-Winter'22 collection saw heirloom textiles reimagined into designs twisted for modern-day Indians.

The collection included the double ikat handwoven silk houndstooth saree in black and amla acquired by The Victoria & Albert Museum in London, presented in 2011 for their collection called 'Masculine and Feminine'. The collection was inspired by classic men's fabrics and aimed at creating a sharp look for a new generation of women.

Alongside, they also gave a sneak-peek of the Spring-Summer '23 collection and a few of their archival pieces. The range extended to daywear, workwear, and occasion-wear in colours like sage, carmine, earthy beige, and brown, splashed with a hint of shimmer. There were saris, textured and 3D jackets, kurtas, kaftans, tunics, palazzos and churidars in fabrics like organic cotton, habutayi, and mashru silks, lenzing eco Vero, and Tencel. Additionally, there were co-ord sets, shirts, jackets, vests, and pants, loungewear and accessories for men.

Anju Modi's collection "Damayanti" created in association of TENCEL fiber was inspired by the paintings of Indian artist Raja Ravi Varma. The outfits reflected the western techniques and styles used by the artist to paint his muse Dayamanti. Anju used TENCEL's lyocell and modal fibers to create a line of sarees, embellished with hand embroidery, traditional blouses, embellished dupattas, dhoti pants and other occasion wears.

Satya Paul's collection "A Stranger Thinks" focused on athleisure along with formal wears. There were clean and contemporary silhouettes in fabrics like satin, organza, cotton, viscose and silk. The colour palette was inspired by colours of the sky, space and cosmos. There were prints inspired by space, water, planets, stars, clouds, deep sea divers, astronauts, marine life, fauna, flora, animals, buildings, machine elements and even iconic global monuments.

Rina's collection "It's Only a Dream" took inspiration from the story of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. The designer has experimented with an exploration of block prints on hand-woven fabrics like cotton and cotton silk, Kota, linen and blends, Jamdani incorporated into cotton and cotton silk silhouettes. Soft, vibrant colours and patterns that moved from gingham checks to multicoloured ones and stripes were used for overlays and layering.

Smocking, pin tucks, fragile laces and embroidery were seen on skirts and dresses, soft summer jackets, pretty peplum blouses, sheer robes, feisty peasant tunics, along with sheer smock dresses for women. For men's wear options were also spotted on the runway that included white shirts, biker's jackets with pastel stripes worn with comfy trousers.

Winner of the R|Elan Circular Design Challenge, 'Pieux' by Pratyush Kumar brought a great sustainable fashion experience on the ramp. His collection was made using of deconstructed and reconstructed old clothes.

Inspired by the incredible world of life under the microscope, Pieux showcased the theme of Illusion in their collection at the event. To create illusion in pleats they worked on the concept of lenticular print. The collection captures the details and intricacy visible under the microscope through different techniques like pleating, weaving, eco-friendly digital printing and 3D printing. The brand opted for materials like CARTEX -- 100 per cent upcycled carpet waste handloom textile, R|Elan Greengold (100 per cent recycled polyester made from post-consumer PET bottles), Greengold + Feelfresh Fusion Fabric (100 per cent recycled polyester with added anti-microbial properties), GRS certified recycled nylon, GRS certified recycled Polyester and organic cotton to create garments as well as footwear. There were oversized sweaters, kimono, buttonless jacket with wild prints and colours.

Swatti unveiled a line of fluid, flowing women's wear inspired by the colourful fruit pomegranate and and Greek Goddess of Love – Venus. Titled 'Venus', the line was designed with recycled, upcycled material to minimise the carbon footprint.

She used chanderi, khadi, and mul in easy relaxed silhouettes. Pintucks and pleating were seen in garments with surface texturing, block prints, hand embroidery and bead work. There were kurtas, tunics, skirts, dupattas, pants, dresses, shirts and a variety of overlays and scarves in a wide selection of colours.

The brand 'Studio Medium' by Riddhi Jain experimented with Jamdani and Bandhani weaves to create the 'Jamban Journal 2.0' collection.

The designer took inspiration from the work of artists - Ichiko Kubota and Jeremy Gardiner to bring to life the traditional 6-yard drape, tunics, jackets, scarves and kurtas dappled with the Bandhani craft.

Designer Diksha Khanna's 'Fluid 2023' zeroed in on natural dyed hand-woven denim and linen in shades of indigo, rubai orange and arabica brown, merged with ivory and beige. The intriguing 3D ladder hems on coat lapels were inspired by the concept of empty stairwells. She used hand woven Chanderis, rugged khadi denim for numerous mix and match options with waistcoats, robes, shorts, slim pencil skirts, comfy jackets and cropped blouses. The collection also included mini coin bags and denim backpacks, done by the designer for the first time.

(IANSlife can be contacted at IANSlife@ians.in)

--IANS
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By Puja Gupta
New Delhi, Oct 14 (IANSlife) Music sensation Kanika Kapoor turned showstopper for designer Swatti Kapoor on Day 2 of the Lakme Fashion Week x FDCI, being held at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai.



The singer sashayed the runway wearing a maroon-coloured maxi skirt teamed with a matching cropped, and a drawstring blouse.

Kanika Kapoor wearing label Swati Kapoor

Speaking about Swatti's collection, Kanika said: "I absolutely love her approach towards her label. It is very understated, chic and well-constructed, very feminine and comfortable. She pays lots of attention to details."

Kanika says her style has evolved over the years and today it is about comfort and anything that makes her feel good about herself. "I have gone through logomania to very, very pretentious clothes to today wanting to be as simple as possible and I believe that less is more."

Swatti unveiled a line of fluid, flowing women's wear inspired by the colourful fruit pomegranate and and Greek Goddess of Love - Venus. Titled "Venus", the line was designed with recycled, upcycled material to minimise the carbon footprint

Upon a sustainable approach, Kanika believes: "Sustainability in fashion in important and I think it's very easy to talk about it but difficult to follow it. We are all living in a very commercial world but I'm glad that there is more talk about it. And someone like me is also changing and working towards it."

Swati Kapoor's collection

Swatti used chanderi, khadi, and mul in easy relaxed silhouettes. Pintucks and pleating were seen in garments with surface texturing, block prints, hand embroidery and bead work. There were kurtas, tunics, skirts, dupattas, pants, dresses, shirts and a variety of overlays and scarves in a wide selection of colours.

The opening day also saw the brand 'Studio Medium' by Riddhi Jain who experimented with Jamdani and Bandhani weaves to create the 'Jamban Journal 2.0' collection.

The designer took inspiration from the work of artists - Ichiko Kubota and Jeremy Gardiner to bring to life the traditional 6-yard drape, tunics, jackets, scarves and kurtas dappled with the Bandhani craft.

Label Swati Kapoor

Designer Diksha Khanna's 'Fluid 2023' zeroed in on natural dyed hand-woven denim and linen in shades of indigo, rubai orange and arabica brown, merged with ivory and beige. The intriguing 3D ladder hems on coat lapels were inspired by the concept of empty stairwells. She used hand woven Chanderis, rugged khadi denim for numerous mix and match options with waistcoats, robes, shorts, slim pencil skirts, comfy jackets and cropped blouses. The collection also included mini coin bags and denim backpacks, done by the designer for the first time.

(IANSlife can be contacted at IANSlife@ians.in)

--IANS
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By IANSlife
New Delhi, Oct 12 (IANSlife) No matter how many digital platforms we create, art festivals are uniquely appealing due to the experience of actually being there, visually relishing artworks hanging on the walls, enjoying a chat with the artists, mingling with friends and enjoying a cup of coffee in a makeshift cafeteria! The India Art Festival, is a contemporary art fair hosted from 13th to 16th October 2022 at Constitution Club of India, Rafi Marg, New Delhi.



Rajendra Patil, founder, and Managing Director, of the India Art festival, is all set to welcome and host the coming Art festival with full zeal and enthusiasm. He says that India Art Festival pays attention to improving the quality of art displayed at the art festival; though our directive principles germinated from our institutional backgrounds appeal to our conscience to be balanced and accommodative towards unrepresented sections like independent artists while judging their work on a set benchmark.

Quality and trust are not only the keys to building an art gallery brand, but they ensure continual reputation and credibility among art buyers. The Curators Art, Pichwai by Beyond Square-Udaipur, Rhythm Art Gallery, Rabi Art Gallery, Gallery Pioneer, Pastel Tales, Artecious- New Delhi, and Artvista- Mumbai are some of the galleries that take meticulous care to create inspiring viewing ambiance in their booths forcing visitors to enter it.

In this edition of IAF, 25 Art Galleries and 450 artists are displaying over 4500 artworks in 110 booths. IAF, known for its democratic presentation of art offers emerging, independent artists the opportunity to exhibit along with major and mid-level art galleries presenting established and master artists with thousands of innovative artworks.

The India Art Festival, New Delhi Edition program begins on Thursday, 13th October 2022 from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm at Constitution Club of India.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)

--IANS
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By Kumar Vikram
New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) While the authorities have swung into action and ordered a detailed investigation into the cough syrups produced and exported to Gambia by an Indian company, government data revealed that 384 persons were arrested after 462 samples of medicines were declared adulterated or spurious during 2019-21.


A total of 81,329 drug samples were tested in 2019-20 out of which 2497 samples were declared as not being of standard quality and 199 were declared of spurious nature. Similarly, in 2020-21, out of the total 84874 samples lifted for testing, 2652 samples were declared not of standard quality while 263 were found to be spurious. A total of 220 and 164 people were arrested in 2019-20 and 2020-21 respectively.

Officials said that the government has taken a series of measures including strengthening of legal provisions, workshops and training programmes for manufacturers and regulatory officials and steps such as risk based inspection.

As per a recent Parliament reply, the government has taken various regulatory measures since 2019 to ensure the quality of medicines in the country. The Drugs Rules, 1945 were amended providing that every Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (bulk drug) manufactured or imported in India shall bear Quick Response Code on its label. The stored data or information shall include the minimum particulars including unique product identification code, Batch No, manufacturing date, expiry date.

The Drugs Rules, 1945 were amended providing that any person who sells or distributes any drug shall be responsible for the quality of that drug as well as other regulatory compliances along with the manufacturer under these rules.

The rules were amended providing that "in case the applicant intends to market the drug under a brand name or trade name, the applicant shall furnish an undertaking in Form 51 to the Licensing Authority to the effect that to the best of his knowledge based on search in trademarks registry, central database for brand name or trade name of drugs maintained by Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, literature and reference books on details of drug formulations in India, and internet, such or similar brand name or trade name is not already in existence with respect to any drug in the country and the proposed brand name or trade name shall not lead to any confusion or deception in the market," said the reply by the Ministry of Health.

The regulatory control over the manufacture, sale and distribution of drugs in the country is exercised through a system of licensing and inspection by the State Licensing Authorities (SLAs) appointed by the state governments.

Earlier this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a warning about drugs manufactured by a Haryana-based pharmaceutical company following which the Union government initiated a probe. The cough syrups have been linked with the death of over 60 children in Gambia. An initial enquiry has found that these drugs were not sold in India and were meant for export. The government has also said that the samples of the four syrups have been sent for testing and action will be initiated after the test results.

--IANS
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By IANSlife
New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANSlife) Time to break up with the typical vegetarian protein sources and give your taste senses a much-needed break. Hello Tempayy, a super bean-based, simple-to-cook dish that can be altered across cuisines, meal occasions, and cooking methods, has been introduced in New Delhi and Gurgaon by Vegolution, a Bengaluru-based food startup. The brand's successful launches in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Coimbatore, Kochi, and Mumbai in its first year of business follow closely on the heels of this expansion.


Tempayy (also known as Tempeh or Tempe) is a delicious, nutritious, wholesome and 100 per cent vegetarian protein-rich food made by fermenting the best quality non-GMO soybeans. This tasty, ready-to-cook offering is a new source of balanced nutrition for vegetarians and conscious foodies seeking to add variety to their meals. Hello Tempayy, is currently available in six variants: Natural, Spicy Peri Peri, Simply Sriracha, Peppery Szechuan Chilli, Roasted Chettinad and Spiced Tawa Masala. The bold flavours developed by Vegolution will reveal new and unexplored tastes to the modern Indian palate through its range of Hello Tempayy ready-to-cook products.

Data from the Indian Dietetic Association (IDA) in 2018 indicates that at least 84 percent of Indians are protein deficient, which leads to associated health conditions. Through this new age offering, the brand offers the perfect mix of great taste, versatility, and balanced nutrition to break the monotony of vegetarian protein options on the main plate. Numerous other reports over the years also highlight that Indian vegetarians have poor levels of Vitamin B-12 and more than 50 per cent of the women in India are iron deficient. Rounding out its nutrition profile, the products are fortified with Vitamin B-12 and iron, making them a one-of-their-kind superfood. With great flavour absorption, a hearty texture, and a mild nutty flavour, this is the perfect ingredient to add variety to daily diets. It is easy to cook and can be seamlessly incorporated into a variety of cuisines making it perfect for curries, stir-fries, kebabs, rolls and so much more.

Here are some flavourful recipes by Hello Tempayy:

TEMPAYY BHURJI

Ingredients:

Tempayy cubes
Turmeric powder
Fresh ginger
Onions
Fresh coriander leaves
Milk
Black pepper powder
Oil
Salt to taste
Preparation:

Tempayy:

Crumble the Tempayy cubes by hand and set aside
Finely chop onions, green chillies, ginger and coriander leaves and keep aside.
Cooking:

Heat oil in a pan.
Add chopped ginger and saute for 30 seconds
Add chopped onions and saute for 5 mins or until they turn translucent.
Add chopped green chillies, turmeric powder and crumbled Tempayy. Saute for 7 mins.
Add salt, black pepper powder and fresh coriander leaves. Saute for 02 more minutes. Add salt to taste.
Pour milk and saute for 2 more minutes.
Serve hot with some pao or sliced bread of your choice.


TEMPAYY KATHI ROLL

Ingredients:

Tempayy cubes
Broken Cashew paste
Sliced onions
Sliced coloured peppers
Jeera powder
Chat masala
Kashmiri chilli powder
Tomato ketchup
Salt to taste
Oil
Fresh coriander
Ginger garlic paste
Curd
Kasurimethi
Roti/ Indian Bread of your choice
For the onion tomato masala

Onion
Tomato
Tomato puree
Ginger garlic paste
Kashmiri chilli powder
Turmeric powder
Bayleaf
Cardamom green
Cinnamon
Oil
Preparations:

Unbox the Hello Tempayy natural cubes (OR) Hello Tempayy Tawa Masala Cubes
Marinate the cubes with turmeric powder, Kashmiri chilli powder, ginger garlic paste, curd and salt. Skip step 2 if using marinated cubes.
Slice onions and peppers.
Onion Tomato masala:

Finely chop onions and tomatoes.
Heat some oil in a pan. Add bay leaf, cardamom and cinnamon to it. Once they start to splutter, add the onions and fry till golden brown.
Take ginger garlic paste in a different bowl. Add Kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric powder along with little water to form a thick paste.
Pour the paste into the onions and cook for 05 minutes.
Add chopped tomatoes and cook for 05 mins.
Add the tomato puree and cook for 10 minutes.
Once the oil separates, switch off the gas and the gravy is ready for use.
Procedure (filling):

Heat some oil in pan.
Add sliced onions and saute for 5 mins.
Add pepper and saute for 5 mins.
Add jeera powder, chat masala, tomato ketchup, onion tomato masala, cashew paste and fresh coriander. Stir well.
Cook for 5 mins.
Keep aside and let it cool
Kathi roll:

Saute the Hello Tempayy cubes
Add the filling and sauteed cubes on one side of the roti.
Fold inwards at the bottom and then fold from both sides to form a drum shape.
Cut into two and serve


Siddharth Ramasubramanian, Founder and CEO of Vegolution, said, "In-depth primary research has shown us that vegetarian Indian consumers crave variety and are usually unable to meet their daily protein requirement. Vegolution's Hello Tempayy will offer vegetarians, fitness enthusiasts and people who want to make conscious food choices, a range of products suitable across meals and cuisines. More importantly, it will bring flavours and textures that fit the Indian taste profile. We are focused on encouraging people from all walks of life to build a healthy and enthusiastic relationship with food."

Aiming to take people from protein-deficient to protein-positive with a product range that can be embraced as a staple by conscious foodies, the products are manufactured in custom-built facilities in Bengaluru and more recently in Pune.



(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)

--IANS
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London, Oct 6 (IANS) The number of people diagnosed with or dying from primary liver cancer per year could rise by more than 55 per cent by 2040, reveals a new analysis.

According to a new report, published in the Journal of Hepatology, countries must achieve at least a 3 per cent annual decrease in liver cancer incidence and mortality rates to avoid this increase.

"Liver cancer causes a huge burden of disease globally each year," said researcher Isabelle Soerjomataram, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC/WHO), Cancer Surveillance Branch, Lyon, France.

"It is also largely preventable if control efforts are prioritised -- major risk factors include hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, alcohol consumption, excess body weight, and metabolic conditions including type 2 diabetes," Soerjomataram added.

For the research, the team extracted data on primary liver cancer cases and deaths from the International Agency for Research on Cancer's GLOBOCAN 2020 database, which produces cancer incidence and mortality estimates for 36 cancer types in 185 countries worldwide.

The predicted change in the number of cancer cases or deaths by the year 2040 was estimated using population projections produced by the UN.

Results showed that in 2020, an estimated 905,700 individuals were diagnosed with liver cancer and 830,200 died from liver cancer globally.

According to these data, liver cancer is now among the top three causes of cancer death in 46 countries and is among the top five causes of cancer death in nearly 100 countries, including several high-income countries.

Liver cancer incidence and mortality rates were highest in Eastern Asia, Northern Africa, and South-Eastern Asia. Investigators predict the annual number of new cases and deaths from liver cancer will rise by more than 55 per cent over the next 20 years, assuming current rates do not change.

--IANS
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Seoul, Oct 5 (IANS) A satirical cartoon about South Korea President Yoon Suk-yeol has sparked a debate about freedom of expression after the culture ministry expressed regret and issued a warning to the organiser of a cartoon festival that awarded a prize to it.

Drawn by a high school student, the cartoon, titled "Yoon Suk-yeol Train," went viral on the internet this week after it was displayed along with other prize-winning works at the Bucheon International Comics Festival, which ran from Friday to Monday, Yonhap news agency reported.

On Tuesday, the culture ministry, which sponsored the contest, expressed regret and issued a "stern warning" to the organiser, the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency, which is affiliated with the city of Bucheon, just west of Seoul.

"Selecting and displaying the work that explicitly deals with political topics in a national cartoon contest for middle and high school students goes against the event's purpose of inspiring students' desire for creating cartoons," the ministry said.

The ministry claimed the agency violated the terms of sponsorship, under which works with sexually explicit, violent and political content should be disqualified.

The ministry said it will take appropriate measures after investigating the selection process. It noted the government provides about 10.2 billion won (US$ 7.2 million) annually to the agency.

The agency countered that the work has been chosen in a fair process by a jury appointed by random recommendations.

The ministry's statement drew angry reactions from industry organisations and opposition politicians.

The Korea Webtoon Association accused the ministry of oppressing freedom of expression with a veiled threat to freeze the government subsidy.

Cho Kwan-je, chief of the Corea Cartoon Art Association, said some comics organisations are preparing to announce a joint statement against the government move.

"The government has gone too far," he said. "It (the cartoon) may have caused discomfort because of its satire of the president," he said, adding he felt sorry for the student who faces controversy only for expressing his thoughts in the artwork.

Culture Minister Park Bo-gyoon reaffirmed the ministry's position.

"The Yoon Suk-yeol government guarantees freedom of expression and creation as much as possible," he said. "It is not the work that we are taking issue with, but the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency, which politically polluted the student comics contest that has built a reputation for pure artistic sensibility," he said.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Oct 3 (IANSlife) As an ode to the beauty rituals and skincare traditions from around the world, Global Beauty Secrets (GBS) and Jean-Claude Biguine (JCB) Salon at Jio World Drive have come together to give you a rejuvenating experience. Global Beauty Secrets's beauty collection is now at Jean-Claude Biguine Salon at Jio World Drive, Mumbai. Ancient beauty is at the heart of the brand, with an ever-evolving skincare selection that focuses on beauty rituals from around the world.

GBS and JCB hosted an experiential for the leading ladies of the beauty industry that kicked off with an assortment of traditional beauty rituals starting from hair, skin as well as beauty tools. The event was co-hosted by beauty editor Aparrna Gupta while recreating natural Sandal Dar Rejuvenating massage, manicure, pedicure, and nail art experiences for the guests with the brand's certified products.

The launch comes at a time when beauty is more important than ever as an expression of personal style, whether the look is natural, classic, or backed by rituals that date back to centuries. Now customers at JCB Salons can experiment with traditional beauty ingredients & formulas from all over the world. "When I started Global Beauty Secrets, I always wanted to recreate ancient beauty rituals. As a global brand, we look forward to this collaboration and are super excited to offer the Rituals to everyone." says Aishwarya Nir, Founder of Global Beauty Secrets."

Speaking about the collaboration, Samir Srivastav, CEO, Jean-Claude Biguine India said: "As thought leaders, JCB Salons is always scouting for new beauty concepts that deliver efficacious results but also transform how clients view beauty. Women today have taken over the reins and are leading the transformation in the beauty & wellness space. And of course, the economic success couldn't be more evident. JCB Salons looks forward to partnering with home-grown brands led by women entrepreneurs and therefore happy to collaborate with Aishwarya Nir of Global Beauty Secrets."

(IANSlife can be contacted at lothungbeni.h@ians.in)

--IANS
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New Delhi, Oct 3 (IANSlife) Nothing gets the day off to a better start than a cup of freshly brewed coffee! The top travel company, Booking.com, has put together a list of coffee estates in India where visitors may participate in the selection of coffee beans, have tastings, and get a much-needed caffeine boost on this International Coffee Day.

These coffee plantations, which span for miles, are primarily located in the mountainous regions of South India in the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. If you enjoy coffee, mark these locations on your calendar for a guaranteed caffeine surge!

Coorg, Karnataka

Surrounded by numerous lakes, lush green hills, rich flora and fauna, Coorg, is known for its Arabica and Robusta brews. Almost 40 percent of India's coffee is grown in Coorg, and it plays a significant role in the local economy. November is the best time to visit this hill station as coffee lovers will be able to witness berry picking during this time. Some of the places that you could visit during your stay at Coorg include Abbey Falls, mini Tibet of Bylakuppe, Virajpet and Mandalpatti.

Chikmagalur, Karnataka

Known as the 'Coffee Land of Karnataka' Chikmagalur is a must visit for coffee enthusiasts. When the British Raj introduced coffee to India, it all began at Chikmagalur. Additionally, it is from here that the bulk of the nation's coffee is produced. You can hire a tour guide to show you around this lush, mountainous region and explain how coffee is made, or you can hike through it to learn more about the plantations or just back and simply enjoy a warm cup of coffee. In Chikmagalur, you may discover a lot of resorts surrounded by coffee plantations. You don't have to travel far to look for or smell fresh coffee beans.

Palani Hills, Tamil Nadu

The Palani Hills, a continuation of the Western Ghats, are home to elegant mansions on coffee estates. Along with coffee, the area is renowned for its avocado, pepper, and lime plantations. The Rajakkad Estate has a hotel that dates back to the 18th century, which takes pride in serving freshly ground coffee. Guided tours of the coffee estate are also available.

Wayanad, Kerala

Apart from the beautiful coffee plantations, Wayanad also provides multiple other activities to do that will make your visit worthwhile. If you travel in November or December, you may gather berries, go bird watching, hike up to the Edakkal caves, which have inscriptions that date back 8,000 years, or go rafting on the Kuruva Dweep river. Don't forget to visit a handful of the country's biggest waterfalls, which can be found in Wayanad.

Chikhaldara, Maharashtra

One of the only coffee plantations in Maharashtra, Chikhaldara is about 600kms from Pune. Pretty lakes, waterfalls, and the hilly terrains of Amravati. It is a bird watcher's paradise with several old forts to keep the history nerds engaged. As it is still relatively unknown on the tourist map, this plantation should be on your itinerary for a peaceful holiday away from the hustle bustle.

Araku Valley, Andhra Pradesh

Araku Valley is a beautiful hill station in the Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh. Located along the Eastern Ghats, the area is home to numerous tribes, all of whom are involved in the cultivation of coffee. The local tribes have their own brand of brilliant organic coffee called Araku Emerald claimed to be the first organic coffee by a tribe in India. Visitors can buy from them and enjoy the local taste of this famous coffee. Other regions in Andhra Pradesh that produce some great coffee are Chintapalli, Paderu and Maredumilli.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)

--IANS
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