India is a country of contrasts.
Myriad of people, chaos, noise, muck, beggars but still rich in warmth and hospitality. Overcrowded trains and buses drive you till crazy and yet they reach you safely to your destinations. Cities are a mix of old heritage buildings and modern infrastructures.
The sight of slums next door to expensive, elegant skyscrapers with apartments owned by billionaires and billboards advertising designer clothes merely reflects a fact of Indian life.

Those who are accustomed to

Colourful glass bangles at a shop in Laad Bazar.
Bangles are part of traditional Indian jewelry and glass bangles, loved by Indian women, has its own place. Inexpensive bangles

The ministry of Culture, Govt of India has announced that ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) will issue a common entry ticket for all World Heritage sites in the country except Taj Mahal for which a special entry ticket will be issued.
The scheme is likely to be introduced within next 3 months. This is quite a welcome sign as it will reduce time to stand in long queues in front each monument.

Some points worth to be noted.
1. The tickets can be

The Church of Mary Immaculate Conception is one of the earliest churches built in Goa. It is one of the most famous landmarks of Goa and can be easily reached by taxi, auto or buses.
This is the place where

Today I received this image of India as an e-mail forward and it depicts different foods from different parts of India. Felt like sharing with you all.
I have not heard of even half of them, let alone taste ! Real mouth watering specialties loaded with sensory stimuli waiting to treat your taste buds.
How many of them have you tasted ? Click on the map for a larger view.

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Answer to last quiz was Matri Mandir or Auroville in Pondicherry. Four people could guess it correctly, two were slightly off track;  Ram was not allowed to participate and many others raised their hands up.

Matri Mandir
The winners are

Guess which place is this ? And I’ll tell you some more about it.

Note:- Ram is not allowed to participate.
Ok, I’ll moderate comments for this post.
The result will be announced after a week.