Best Destinations for Couples in India

Couples like to travel with each other at the slightest available opportunity. They want to spend as many romantic moments with each other as possible before they have children and start a family of their own.

In India, there are many places that couples can explore and enjoy. Whether it be a honeymoon or a year or two of marriage, couples can enjoy these places to the fullest.

So, in this article, we will be exploring the 5 best destinations for couples in India.

5 Best Destinations for Couples in India

So, the destinations are as follows-

1. Udaipur, Rajasthan

Possibly, one of the most romantic cities in Rajasthan, it is the perfect getaway for couples to explore a bit of history as well as the hotels that have mostly been built facing the many lakes of Udaipur. Also, there are many romantic places to stay in Udaipur, especially on Lake Pichola. The Amet Haveli is by far the best place to stay as it is an 18th- century palace cum hotel. It has got glittering lakeside views and the facilities of the restaurant and pool are sublime.

2. Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu

The city at the southernmost tip of India is also a romantic option for couples to travel to. It has a wonderful and beautiful sight for travellers where they can watch the sunset, as well as the moon, rise at the same time. It is where the confluence of the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal happen. It is also a pilgrimage spot as it has got the 3,000-year-old  Bhaghavathy Amman temple on the seashore. The best hotel to stay in Kanyakumari is the Sparsa Resort Kanyakumari.

3. The Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh

The epitome of love, The Taj Mahal is the most romantic sight in all of Agra. It is the most frequented site in all of India. Couples marvel at the magnificence of this Mughal mausoleum built by Shah Jahan for his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal after her death.

While exploring the Taj Mahal, you can also throw in a visit to the nearby wildlife park and enjoy a safari with your loved one.

The best hotels to stay in Agra are the Oberoi Amarvilas Agra and Grand Imperial.

4. Kumarakom, Kerala

To explore a fine taste of Kerala, couples can go to Kumarakom where they can enjoy the backwaters on a traditional houseboat. Couples can enjoy the old-fashioned romance as well as tasty Keralan cuisine too. The best way to enjoy Kumarakom is to book a villa at Taj Bekal Resort and Spa.

5. Manali, Himachal Pradesh

Another favourite of honeymooners and couples alike, this picturesque town gives beautiful views of the Himalayan peaks and provides a lot of snow to enjoy with. Couples can also try their hands on adventure-filled activities such as paragliding, skiing or mountaineering. Or they can enjoy the stunning views of Solang Valley as well.

The best place to stay at Manali is the Treebo Trend Celebriti Manali. It is both cosy, comfortable and romantic as its interiors are all wooden.

So, these were my picks of the best destinations for couples in India. These all are great vacation spots for couples to get all cosy and romantic with one another while enjoying stunning views.

Book Review: The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai

The third book that I am going to review is The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai. This comes under the category of Diasporic Fiction and has the backdrop of Darjeeling and the beautiful peaks of Kanchenjunga. It also tells the story of the Gorkhaland movement in which a lot of violence and bloodshed was perpetrated.

So, coming to the novel. The main characters of this novel are Sai, Judge, Mutt, the cook, Biju, Sai's parents Mr and Mrs Mistry, Bose, Lola and Noni, Father Booty, Uncle Potty and Gyan. The book is a parallel view of the lives of Sai and Biju. While Sai lives with her maternal grandfather in Kalimpong, Biju is a wanderer in New York as he keeps switching jobs now and then. Sai is a shy girl and has a limited social circle. She gets upset whenever she remembers her parents. Their tragic story will be revealed to the reader as he/she goes on reading. She likes Western culture just like her grandfather and despises Indian culture and people. Her grandfather, the Judge, whose name is Jemubhai Popatlal Patel is also a strong follower and supporter of English culture and values.

The story thus continues on like this. On the one hand, we see Sai interacting with her neighbours such as Uncle Potty, Father Booty, Lola and Noni, we also see Biju spending time with Saeed Saeed and other Indian, African and other ex-pats in New York. He carves a special bond with Saeed, as the reader will come to know in the pages of this novel.

The main thing about this book is that the author has wonderfully captured the beauty of Kalimpong in just 300 pages. I felt as if I was there myself looking at the surreal peaks of the Kanchenjunga mountains and enjoying their golden glow in the sun. I was able to feel the house of Sai and the Judge on Cho Oyu, Lola and Noni's Mon Ami and the busy marketplace of Kalimpong. I was also able to get a feel of Biju's New York where he worked under unhygienic conditions and the dull, drab life that he leads in the city.

Readers will also get a glimpse of Sai and Gyan's short romance in the novel. The novel also features the Gorkhaland movement of the 1980s. This movement was a bloody and violent movement in which the Gorkhas started demanding their separate state after taking inspiration from Punjab where the fight was on for the creation of Khalistan. It took mammoth efforts from the government's side to clamp down on both of these movements. In the novel, the reader will read and experience the disasters this particular movement caused in Kalimpong. Continuous strikes and curfew situations were imposed on the people. The characters of the novel become highly disturbed by this movement and want it to end as quickly as possible so that they can rest at peace.

In the end, the reader will also come to know of Biju's imminent plans of return from New York and his reunion with his father. The last chapter will surely move hearts and make the atmosphere emotional.

Thus, this novel has the power to move and also provide seamless and beautiful views of Darjeeling and more specifically of Kalimpong. I have been to Darjeeling when I was quite young but I enjoyed the trip. My most cherished memory of that trip is the yak ride. I had a lot of fun with my family in Darjeeling, experiencing the high tea in the evenings. I also liked my visit to the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park where I saw the cute Red Panda and instantly loved it. We all went to Tiger Hill where I almost cried as it was bone-chilling and numbing cold there. It was a good trip and it will forever be with me in my memory. So, I hope that you'll like reading this novel.

Link- The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai (International Readers)

https://www.amazon.com/Inheritance-Loss-Kiran-Desai/dp/0802142818/ref=sr_1_1?crid=12SZLNTEDSBHQ&keywords=the+inheritance+of+loss&qid=1639281449&sprefix=the+inheritance+of+l%2Caps%2C380&sr=8-1

Link- The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai (Indian Readers)

https://www.amazon.in/Inheritance-Loss-Kiran-Desai/dp/0143423908/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2I893MF6OH0AL&keywords=the+inheritance+of+loss+kiran+desai&qid=1639281526&sprefix=the+inheri%2Caps%2C286&sr=8-1

Book Review: Keep the Change by Nirupama Subramanian

My next book review is on an Indian novel titled Keep the Change by Nirupama Subramanian. This was the author's first novel. It is the story of a 26-year-old girl and her rise up the ladder in the corporate world.

This is a sort of rom-com we can say and the characters have played their roles to perfection. It's almost like you're watching a Bollywood movie come to life. The story is truly Indian and my Indian readers will connect a lot with it I'm sure.

So, coming to the story, the principal characters of this novel are Damanyanthi, her parents, Jimmy, CG, Rahul, Sonya, Victoria, Harish and others. So, Damanyanthi is a modern Indian girl with dreams and aspirations that she wants to fulfil. But, living in 32 Amman Kovil Street is not helping things get any better. She works at SSV Iyer and Sons and feels drained after her drudgery there. Her parents are worried about her increasing age and constantly search for suitable boys that they can her married to. Damayanthi has got her own thoughts on the matter. She wants to spend her life with a man, but he should be good-looking, has a romantic side and can keep her happy. That's why she keeps shutting the question whenever her parents start popping it to her. Her parents just don't stop looking for a boy for her and throw unsavoury suitors her way. Fed up with this life in Chennai, she decides to start job-hunting and eventually lands a job at First Global bank and shifts to Mumbai to jettison her career.

Once, in Mumbai, she is excited to be in the city for the first time and joins her job with a lot of enthusiasm. She meets her boss, colleagues and gets drawn towards two people during her new career; the irresistable Rahul and the stern, but a man with a good heart CG. The former she meets in between the book, almost when the reader is nearing the end. CG she meets just after the initial chapters. The reader will soon realize that there will be a big fiasco between Rahul and Damanyanthi after which she will become attracted to CG and he to her. She also battles with her size-zero flatmate Sonya, who lives with her in 124 Pine Crest.

After some tragic events, Damanyanthi craves to go home and is happy when she sees the familiar scenes and sights of Chennai. But, after some trouble at work and CG missing her, she once again goes to Mumbai. Towards the end of the novel, readers will also learn about the secret identity of Victoria. The novel is written like a series of letters. This form of the novel is called the epistolary novel. In the novel, the reader will also see the dreamy and imaginative side of Damayanthi where she dreams of what she could do if given a chance.

I, for one, liked reading this novel. This told me all about how women are treated in the corporate world and how they have to battle the patriarchy all on their own. I also learnt that sometimes, you just have to let things go and be yourself for once. This novel is essential for any girl who is either a corporate or non-corporate worker. This will give you some lessons as to how to tackle your life, how to stay away from people like Rahul who seduce you and then leave you for good. How people like CG should be trusted and made to bring out their good side. This is the story of the modern girl who is not afraid to make her decisions and is able to shut down her parents if they start imposing their rules and regulations at her. The modern girl has her own wants and desires and also wants a man who can keep her happy, who listens to her problems and advises her the proper solution for it. So, I am sure all my Indian as well as international readers will like reading this novel. It can become a bit of drag as it's in letter-form but it is good nevertheless.

Link for Keep the Change- Nirupama Subramanian (International readers)

https://www.amazon.com/Keep-Change-Nirupama-Subramanian/dp/8172239424/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=keep+the+change+nirupama+subramanian&qid=1639229263&sr=8-1

Link for Keep the Change- Nirupama Subramanian (Indian readers)

https://www.amazon.in/Keep-Change-Nirupama-Subramaniam/dp/B00BG6ND8S/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=keep+the+change&qid=1639229354&sr=8-1

Book Review: The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce

 Hello to all my book lovers and travellers. I am Vidushi Malhotra and will be sharing book reviews and travel writings through this platform. I am very excited to start my journey in these two areas. So, let's roll ahead with the good times and cheer.

So, in this first blog post, I will be sharing a book review for The Music Shop written by Rachel Joyce.

So, this book moved me a lot and as I am a lover of music, this book struck all the right notes with me. I had already read this book a long time back. But, nevertheless, I wanted to read it again. So, I took it out and read it. I was able to relate to the story very much and liked all the characters as well. They are very lovable and I tell you, you'll never be able to part with them after reading this novel.

So, coming to the novel. The main characters of the novel are Frank, Saturday Kit (whom everyone lovingly calls Kit), Father Anthony, Maud, Ilse Brauchmann, Williams Brothers and others. The setting of the story is in London's Unity Street. All the characters, excluding Ilse Brauchmann, have their shops on this run down street. But, they all love living on this street as it provides them comfort and solace and keeps them away from the humdrum of city life.

Frank runs a music shop, Maud has a tattoo parlour, Father Anthony runs an artefacts shop selling Christian items such as Jesus on the Cross, the Williams Brothers are undertakers. Kit is a helper in Frank's music shop and is a very energetic boy.

The story is divided into 4 sides; Sides A-C are set in 1988 while Side D is set in 2009. Each of the sides has a beautiful story to tell. The reader will get to know a lot of things about Frank and his past life with his mother, Peg.

So, the story starts with Frank sitting alone in his music shop and helping customers find the right music according to their moods and feelings. He is pretty much happy with his life and doesn't want a partner to share it with. He has a fear of commitment and that's why he's scared to talk to women. He also a story of his past life with his mother, Peg. He never addressed his mother as "mother" but by her name. She was not a conventional mother. She was a lover of music and she inculcated Frank with the same habit by making him listen to different artists so that he could learn to appreciate them.

In his history, the reader also learns that Frank has once loved a girl but his mother was against their marriage. When the girl became pregnant with Frank's child, he again insisted his mother let him get married to her, but was immediately shut down by Peg. After that incident, Frank decided never to love another woman.

Thus, his life goes on with Maud, Kit, Father Anthony, the Williams Brothers and other residents of Unity Street, until one day, he sees Ilse Brauchmann standing outside his music shop and she suddenly faints. He helps her regain her consciousness. But, as soon as she regains it, she immediately leaves the shop and everyone is surprised as to why she fainted all of a sudden in front of Frank's shop.

After that, the entire story revolves around Frank and Ilse Brauchmann's slightly awkward but cute romance. Ilse, at first, is not ready to reveal her real lifestyle to Frank as she fears that he might leave her. But, when Frank learns of her true life, he immediately feels sorry for her. They have their arguments now and then in the story but in the end, they both become aware of the fact that they can't live without the other and end up marrying each other. The reader will come to know of this marriage in the bonus track of this novel.

Rachel Joyce has captured the lives of her characters very well. When you read this novel, you'll feel yourself getting transported to the world of these characters on Unity Street. You'll feel as if you are living your life with the characters. This novel has nostalgia and those who have lived in the generation of record players and vinyl discs will surely feel good after reading this novel.

I certainly had an enjoyable time with this novel. I was able to connect with the story of Frank and Ilse. I could feel that I also had a house in Unity Street and was observing the lives of characters in day to day life. There are also some tragic parts in the novel which the reader will unravel as he/she will read the novel. Frank's backstory will leave some readers teary-eyed as well. I certainly felt bad after reading the history of Frank.

Overall, the story is very nicely told and I'm sure that once you'll start reading, you will not be able to put down this novel. Thus, this was my review of this book. I hope you will like reading this novel. I will be giving the links from where you can procure a copy for yourselves.

Link for The Music Shop- Rachel Joyce (International readers)

https://www.amazon.com/Music-Shop-Novel-Rachel-Joyce/dp/0812986563/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+music+shop&qid=1639210223&sr=8-1

Link for The Music Shop- Rachel Joyce (Indian readers)

https://www.amazon.in/Music-Shop-Rachel-Joyce/dp/0552779458/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ES99BGZFDEEZ&keywords=the+music+shop+rachel+joyce&qid=1639210266&sprefix=the+music+shop%2Caps%2C311&sr=8-1