While looking for the best places to go on a family trip I always keep a few things in mind. Here are those:

1. There should be activities for all of us to do.

2. A comfortable hotel room where we can retire at the end of the day and have a good night’s sleep.

3. Availability of food that can have the flavour of simple home-cooked food so that your stomach doesn’t end up revolting on your holiday.

4. The availability of transportation in case of an emergency.

5. Medicine shops should be also available in the vicinity so that you can buy emergency medication.

Best places to go on a family trip

I am an Indian and I think my country has the best places to explore on a family trip. If you are in love with the mountains, the sea, heritage and history then you can find the best places for a family trip in India. I am listing five places we explored from Kolkata, the city I live in India, and for me these proved to be the best places for a family trip.

1. Darjeeling

This was my third trip to Darjeeling but my husband and son’s first trip and they were very excited. We were travelling in the end of May and the rains come full-fledged in June. So our travel agent Dreamland Escapes advised us to stay in Darjeeling town and not venture too much into off-beat locations because in case of a landslide we would get stuck.

So we stayed in a wonderful hotel, Hermitage Resort Darjeeling, booked by them. It has the best views of the Himalayas and we had an absolute ball exploring Darjeeling. From witnessing the sun rising on the mountains right from our bed to walking down Observatory Hill in the mist, the old-world charm of Darjeeling was just amazing.

When you are going for a family trip the best thing to do is opt for dates that would allow the rush to move away. People usually visit Darjeeling in March-April but in May you will spot a lot of travellers in this quaint mountain abode but there is no mad rush.

Since our hotel was within walking distance of the Mall we lounged around that lovely place and then headed to Glenary’s for dinner. In fact, Glenary’s is a place that should we revisited for lunch and evening snacks as well. On the day we headed there for lunch the sun was peeping from behind the clouds after a shower and the valley below looked heavenly from the open deck, where we were sitting.

Needless to say shopping for knick-knacks and small gifts for his friends, to take back home was exciting for him. He enjoyed the luscious momos that we had at a shack next to the Darjeeling Tea Gardens and liked the monasteries, especially the Ghoom Monastery.

If you are travelling with elderly people on your family trip then Darjeeling has a lot of hotels where guests can be dropped off at the gate so that there is no climbing required. Do check if the hotel you are booking has this facility.

What we loved most on our family trip to Darjeeling were the leisurely walks down Observatory Hill and the coffee shops around the Mall where you can enjoy your cuppa and watch tourists pass by.

2. Puri-Gopalpur 

Situated in the neighbouring state of Odisha, Puri and Gopalpur are just an overnight train journey from Kolkata. This was my seventh trip to Puri and while I visited this place often with my parents on our family trips, it was my turn now to take my son to the temple town and give him a taste of the waves as well.

I have been around the world and have been to several beaches but the sea at Puri is indescribable. Perhaps that’s why the number of tourists is swelling every year in Puri because the attraction of those giant waves will always be unparalleled.

This time we decided to do things a bit differently. We drove down to Puri and Gopalpur. Husband was at the wheel, I was the navigator and son – who had very enthusiastically bought a car mattress – played the DJ and a few hours later Rip Van Winkle. It took us 11 hours to reach Puri with lunch and tea breaks in between. The highways were amazing, although some diversions played with our patience. But the drive was scenic and totally worth it.

On my earlier sojourns in Puri we have gone on cycle rides and late-night walks on the beach but this time it was all about playing with the waves – my son loved the ride on the waves in an inflated tube along with a nulia (the local people who are adept in handling the treacherous waves) and loved to splash around in the pool. Hans Coco Palms, the hotel we stayed in has a sprawling pool, great food (they cooked a whole crab for us), lovely rooms and very courteous staff. It was wonderful to laze by the pool and enjoy the palm-dotted ambience.

A visit to Konark Sun Temple and Puri Temple should also be on the itinerary.

After three days we headed for Gopalpur in our car. The Bypass road in Puri is a boon for car trippers and thanks to yet another wonderful highway we were in Chilika in no time. The second largest coastal lagoon in the world is a beauty to behold. One can opt for a boat ride here but it was too hot in the afternoon, so we decided to give it a miss and proceeded to Gopalpur.

Mayfair Palm Beach Resort is the best place to stay on a family trip. While the property is beautiful with really large, well-maintained rooms, it was the private beach, the restaurant next to the beach and the crystal-clear sea that had our heart.

With ample activities for children this resort is very family friendly. My son wouldn’t get out of the pool and the sea, loved playing table tennis, tried his hand at pool, if he had been younger I would have surely spent more time at the children’s play area. Then the hotel staff organised housie and musical chairs and my son enjoyed these events too.

We spotted boats and fishes in the sea, took long walks in the manicured lawns and I just wished the hours wouldn’t pass as I sat on the lounger in the huge balcony with my Kindle. It was a truly relaxing family holiday.

3. Ooty – Coonoor

Never knew Nilgiris could be so beautiful. Ooty used to be a Bollywood shooting hub at one point of time, but once I went there I realised why. The winding roads through the tea gardens, the stunning lakes, the pine forests, waterfalls, animal farms, wild animal spotting at Mudumalai  Wildlife Sanctuary and topping it all is the scenic toy train ride that remains etched in one’s memory forever.

After going through umpteen places to stay and weighing the pros and cons we zeroed in on La Montana by TGI solely because of the views it offered. Once we checked in we realised apart from the unbelievable views the hotel has huge rooms, excellent facilities and great food.

The best thing about this hotel is we could see the toy train passing from our balcony. And every time we heard the train’s whistle reverberating through the valley we would run like children to the balcony to see the train.

One can spend hours staring at the Pykara Falls, the Emerald Lake or Ooty Lake. We fell in love with the colourful flowers at Sim’s Park in Coonoor.

A chocolate factory in Ooty can be a truly exciting place for children. My son loved the variety of handmade chocolates that were being made right in front of him. Needless to say, he picked up a veritable collection. As adults, we found the tea factory rather fascinating and bought all kinds too.

From boating at the lakes to spotting a wild elephant at the national park to heritage tours, Ooty and Coonoor have activities and sightseeing opportunities that are perfect for a family trip. That’s why it’s one of the best places to visit with your family. In fact, many opt to stay in Coonoor and make day trips to Ooty. We did the opposite though.

4. Sikkim

I have travelled the length and breadth of Sikkim in shared cars and without prior hotel bookings earlier but when you are travelling with your family, including children or elderly people, you can’t afford to do that. So once again my travel agent Dreamland Escapes made all the bookings and worked on our itinerary for our 8-day Sikkim trip. I always prefer to go through a reliable travel agent because it saves me a lot of time and booking hassle.   

We wanted to stay near the main artery of Gangtok the MG Marg. We opted for the Yangthang Heritage Hotel. The best thing is despite being right in the middle of the city the hotel is away from the noise and has unfettered views of the Kanchenjunga. The very second day we went berserk in excitement seeing the peak peeking out in the wee hours of the morning. The hotel has huge rooms and bathrooms, courteous staff and delicious food. Our stay there was amazing. From Gangtok we did the usual rounds of Changu Lake, Nathula Pass, Banjhakri Falls, Rumtek Monastery and Bakthang Falls.

Just walking around MG Marg and shopping is a joy in Gangtok. We found ourselves at Baker’s Café every day devouring cappuccinos, pastries and churros.

At Ravangla we visited the Buddha Park which is green and beautiful and, inside, the murals depicting the life of Buddha are a visual treat. On our Sikkim trip not a day passed without having momos but here at a small café at Buddha Park we had the tastiest vegetable momos. From Ravangla we also visited the magnificent Ralang Monastery.

In Ravangla we stayed at Buddha Retreat. Hotel Zumthang, where we stayed earlier, is also another great option with a scenic location that offers great views.

Our trip ended in Kaluk where we stayed in the Ghonday Village Resort. The resort is so beautiful, with fabulous views of the mountains that we just wanted to sit at the balcony or in the garden and enjoy the ambience. Our only activity was taking short walks on the mountain roads and interacting with the locals. We always returned to the giant chessboard in the hotel, the evening bonfire, the delicious local food that the hotel served and generally enjoyed the stay at the resort.  

5. Santiniketan

As Kolkatans Santiniketan is our favourite place for quick weekend trips but now that Santiniketan has made it to the UNESCO World Heritage List the interest of the international travelling community has peaked. Rabindranath Tagore set up Santiniketan in 1901 establishing an open-air school and the Visva Bharati University because he wanted to re-invent learning. International students have been coming to study literature and arts in Santiniketan for a long time and it has become a place where art and music thrive.

Santiniketan has moved with the times but it has not shed off its old-world charm. On my recent visit to Tagore’s university town it was rather comforting to see the greenery untouched, the trademark red soil dazzling in the winter sun and the quaint bungalows looking pretty in the tranquil ambience and Santhal drums beating somewhere in a remote tribal village.

We stayed in the beautiful Rangabitan Tourist Complex that’s run by West Bengal Tourism Corporation. It’s a huge property and some of the bungalows face the forest. You wake up to the chirping of birds. The rooms are all renovated, have smart TVs and the food has a home-made touch.

This time we went to the Rabindra Bhavan where apart from photos and prizes, Tagore’s pens, clothes and the gifts he got from different countries are on display. It is a fascinating exhibit. The Uttarayan Complex is where Tagore had his five beautiful homes. Since the University campus is closed to visitors now, we could not visit the places inside it. My son found Tagore’s homes and the museum particularly fascinating because he is studying about the Bard in his school curriculum, and it was a moment of discovery for him.

This time we made it to Prakriti Bhavan, the nature art museum where stones and tree barks are placed as installations with interpretations. The imagination is unique and nature is shown as raw and beautiful.

The Sonajhuri Haat located next to the Khoai River is a major attraction in Santiniketan that not only attracts people looking for beautiful handicrafts but with an opportunity to dance with tribal dancers and sing with baul singers, this place gives a holistic experience of the culture and craft of the place.

We were lucky to catch a Lokoshilpa Mela where local dancers were performing, and local food was being made and sold and a bohurupee (polymorphous character) posed as a native ghost and was turning out to be quite a scare fest.

All in all, these holiday spots traverse mountains, oceans and a heritage site and have accommodations to fit every budget. In India a family trip often means travelling with elderly parents and children. The places we went to are ideal for everyone.

Photos: Vivaan Sengupta, Jaydip Sengupta and Amrita Mukherjee

Actress Sudipta Chakraborty turned reporter to interview voters before the Loksabha elections

Sudiptaa Chakraborty might be a National Award winning actress (Best Supporting actress for Rituparno Ghosh’s Bariwali) and one of the most well-known faces in West Bengal’s film and television industry, but there is a side to her which I have always admired and liked immensely. Sudiptaa is the kind who gets away by speaking her mind all the time and is absolutely clued in about what’s happening around her. So I was not surprised when I found Sudiptaa anchoring the television show Tarokar Chokhey Taroka Kendro (Star constituency through a star’s eyes) on ABP Ananda.

For the programme, Sudiptaa turned reporter and travelled with her boom to constituencies like Midnapore, Dakkhin (South) Kolkata and Tamluk. She travelled to Midnapore town, Kharagpur and different villages of East Midnapore. For Dakkhin Kolkata, she covered Rashbehari Avenue, Behala, Kolkata Port Area (Kidderpore dock), Parnasree, Bhowanipore and Hazra area. For Tamluk she travelled to Tamluk township, Haldia and other villages.

She has come back with a treasure trove of experiences. She shares it all in this blog. Read on, it’s indeed an eye opener….

“Many villagers have no clue that the elections are here”

A large number of people in the villages, mostly women, are not really aware of who all are contesting from their respective constituencies, what this election is for, what the difference is between an assembly election and parliament election and all that.  I have even met a number of people who actually have no clue that elections are at their doorstep.

“Bengal has no major issue”

With my limited knowledge gathered on this tour, all I can say is there is no big issue in Bengal. All that a common Bengali wants is a peaceful life with a decent job, a full stomach and a roof over his/her head. More than 80% voters of Bengal demand nothing more than that. It sounds crazy, yet it is true.

“Most people have no time to think about women’s issues”

Educated lot is really concerned about it. The rest have no time to think over it. They devote the entire day to earn their bread.

This lady fetching fish eggs in chest-deep water told Sudiptaa her election demand is a big utensil

“One woman demanded a big utensil”

I met a woman near Haldia, who earns her living by collecting fish eggs from the river. She spoke to me with a wide smile while standing in chest-deep water. She earns Rs 150 -200 per day. She doesn’t have electricity in her home. She spoke her heart out to me and in the end all she demanded was a big utensil (ekta boro handi), in which she could accommodate maximum number of fish eggs each time she went down in the water. She was amazing. I still can’t forget her unconditional smiling face despite the toil she has to do every day to earn Rs 150.

“There isn’t a single commoner happy with a politician”

The party workers are happy for obvious reasons. But barring them, I didn’t meet a single commoner who sounded happy with the politicians. From Midnapore to Kolkata, from a village to a city, only one sentence echoed in my ears, “Vote er aage shobai eshe onek boro boro katha bole, vote chole gele aar tader khuje paoa jaye na.” (They all come before elections and promise big but after elections you can’t find them.)

“This experience has made me a more conscious citizen”

Facing the truth on the ground has made me more conscious as a citizen and as an actress as well. This experience has enriched me as a human being and I am sure it will reflect in my future projects.

Mount Kilimanjaro, the Chander Pahar

As a child Chandrani Kar would read the great Bengali adventure novel Chander Pahar (The Mountain of the Moon) and fantasize about protagonist Shankar’s journey across Africa. But as she grew up in a conservative Bengali family in the suburban town of Chakdah near Kolkata, studied political science at Kalyani University and then moved to Kolkata post marriage, mundane life took over. And one fine day without realizing, she had forgotten about Shankar, about Africa.

But destiny had other plans for her. In 2000, her husband Sankha Kar, an award-winning photographer, got a job offer in a Dubai newspaper. “Anyone else would have jumped at the opportunity of living in Dubai, but I burst into tears. The thought of leaving my family and staying alone in a foreign land was harrowing to me,” said Chandrani.

Living in Dubai did not change her outlook much. “My husband worked long hours while I was holed up in our apartment. We went out only on his off days, because I used to get scared crossing the road or using the escalator on my own. I never hailed a taxi alone. I was scared if the driver went the wrong way, I would not be aware. I had hardly gone out alone in Chakdah or Kolkata,” said Chandrani.

The Balloon Safari changed it all

There was a surprise in store for her when her husband Sankha expressed his desire to go to Africa. “He wanted to go because he is interested in wildlife photography. At that point I was elated at the prospect of seeing the land of Chander Pahar, but as our travel date neared I started developing cold feet. Finally in 2008 when we flew to Tanzania, I got my first glimpse of Chander Pahar – Mount Kilimanjaro. I could feel the goose bumps.”

Chandrani and Sankha inside the balloon basket in Tanzania

Their first stop was the Kirurumu Tented Camp which had only zippers for door latches and every kind of animal sound for company. “I was so scared I could not sleep the entire night. The next day we had the balloon safari over Serengeti. Thankfully, I had not read up anything on the experience. If I had, I would have been petrified. After a 45-minute balloon ride, landing in the middle of the dense jungle should have been a very scary experience. But for the first time in my life I did not feel any fear.”

The balloon ride proved to be the turning point for Chandrani. “I realized I had overcome all my fears in Africa and emerged a more confident person.”

Chandrani in front of a cottage with a zipped door in Tanzania

Adventure takes over

After that, Chandrani was willing to go anywhere and do anything and she quickly developed a keen interest in photography. “I could feel I had completely changed inside. My husband always encouraged me to pick up the camera but like always, I was not too sure. But in Africa, I felt I was wasting all the opportunities God was giving me. In my first trip I had a Sony handycam and a 5-megapixel Panasonic digicam. In the next trip, Sankha bought me a Canon with a 16X Zoom, and in the following, a Canon with a 30X Zoom and now I have a DSLR.”

Chandrani found herself exploring the African Savanna between 2010 and 2013, taking up challenges, courting danger and escaping perils on the way – holding on to her camera firmly all the while. I personally believe her adventures are worth going down in a book, but till she sits down to write it, here is a glimpse of her exploits in her own words along with some photographs taken by her on each trip.

Lionesses at Ndutu, Tanzania

Tanzania, 2010

• Ndutu lodge had no fencing or boundary:  This time our destination was Nogorongoro and Ndutu. As soon as we stepped into Ndutu lodge, I realized there was no boundary wall, only a single signboard that said DO NOT ENTER BEYOND THIS POINT. We humans could read it but what about the animals? I was shocked when I was informed this was the rule in Tanzania so that the Big 5 – lion, elephant, buffalo, rhinoceros, leopard could find free roaming space. It took me some time to digest this information.
• There was no electricity or telephone: The rangers with AK-47 first ensured we had locked the door of our cottage and only then left at night. If there had been any emergency we could have alerted them by a torchlight and a whistle. There was no electricity or telephone in the lodge.
  

  Ndutu Lodge in Tanzania had no fencing

• In the middle of the night a strange sound woke me up: I was so scared that I couldn’t open my eyes. But I finally overcame my fear and woke up Sankha. Then we looked out of the window and saw two giraffes chomping on leaves next to the window. There were days when we couldn’t enter our room because of a line of giraffes blocking our path.
• Our car broke down: The sun was just going down and our car broke down one day right in the middle of nowhere. While the driver tried to fix it and Sankha helped him out, I kept a watch. Now when I think back, I wonder what I would have done if I had spotted a lion in the bush.
• We went on the trail of 15 lionesses: We spotted this group and started following them. At one point few of them were just a couple of feet away from the open jeep. My eyes met with a lioness and I could feel cold sweat when I realized she was just a jumping distance away from me. My head was jutting out of the jeep and I quietly sat down. I can never forget those eyes.
  

  Giraffe in Tanzania

  

  Zebras in Tanzania

  Kenya and Tanzania, 2011

• We went by road from Kenya to Tanzania: The driver we went with told us that in his 20 years in the profession he had not taken a single tourist across the border. He also went on the 12-hour journey for the first time from Masai Mara to the Kenya-Tanzania border.
•  We saw a lion kill: Usually the lioness does the hard work of hunting. But we were lucky to see a lion at it. We were admiring the zebras and wildebeest when suddenly a lion emerged from a bush next to us and went at them. In a moment the peaceful atmosphere was shattered by terror.
• We were the only two people in Ndutu Lodge this time: It was off season there when we had gone. So we were the only occupants staying in the lodge, with no boundaries. Imagine the scenario.
  

  Lion with prey at Ndutu, Tanzania

  

  Leopard with prey

  

  Wildebeest migration at Serengeti, Tanzania

  Botswana, 2012

• We flew in a six-seater bush plane: From Kasane airport we boarded this small plane to reach Xugana Island Lodge at the heart of Okavango Delta. This is most often the only way to travel in Botswana. The small, light plane rattling in the wind made my stomach churn. We landed safely, but the next time we took the flight, the landing was delayed because of elephants in the runway.
• There was a mosquito net for a door with no lock: Our room was on a platform in the delta but I was shocked to see a mosquito net for a door. Apparently that was their way of giving you a feel of the jungle but it took me some time to recover from the shock.
  

  Chandrani in front of a 6-seater bush plane in Botswana

• There was a hippo under our room: The entire night we could not sleep because of a sound below our room. The manger told us in the morning that a hippo had his home below our room and he was making the sound. That’s why he had asked us not to get out of our room at night.
•  We were in a small boat in a crocodile infested delta: They call it the Mokoro. It is a long boat, just a foot in width, and if you move too much there is a chance of tipping over. I was so engrossed with my camera I didn’t realize what I was into. Even when I saw the crocodiles all around and below the boat in the crystal clear water I didn’t flinch. Not to mention the bobbing heads of the hippos everywhere.

Chandrani on a Mokoro ride in crocodile and hippo infested waters in Botswana

Up close with a hippo in Botswana

• We escaped being chased by elephants: The elephants in Botswana are extremely aggressive because poaching and hunting is still rampant there. As such, there would be at least 35 elephants standing right next to our dining room every day. But this incident happened when we were in a marshy area on our tours. The guide sensed something was wrong and was sensible enough to move the car in the nick of time otherwise the herd would have trampled over us.
• We could have touched the leopard or it could have been the other way round: Our safari jeep in Savuti had a roof and was open on all sides. We saw a leopard which vanished into the jungle. We kept waiting for it only to realize that it had crept right next to the jeep tyres without us noticing. As it walked around we could not even breathe, let alone take photographs.

An elephant taking a mud bath in Botswana

Bee-eater birds captured in Botswana

 Kenya, 2013

• We escaped a storm: This time we were in Masai Mara in winter when it does not usually rain. But we saw a cloud gathering in the horizon. We were far away from the main road and our guide said that we would get stuck in the mud if it rained and since the sun was setting no one would come looking for us till next morning. He drove the car like a maniac and the rain came pouring down only when we hit the main road. It was a narrow escape once again.

Storm clouds gathering in Kenya

A road less travelled. In Kenya

Sunset at Masai Mara

Lions in Kenya

When we went back to our room in Ashnil Mara camp we were greeted by a group of hippos lazing on the banks of Mara River just a few yards away from our balcony. Seeing them in the moonlight I forgot our narrow escape from the storm and once again got sucked into the magic of Africa. 

Chandrani is right now an amateur photographer. She says she is completely content winning competitions in Facebook Groups and planning her sixth trip to Africa by the end of this year. You can check out her photographs on her facebook page Chandrani Clicks

Julie Campos Farmer doing yoga on the Umm Suqeim beach in Dubai

If you are on the quest for any kind of luxury you can be sure your pursuit will end in Dubai. In this emirate of the UAE you just have to name it and you get it – of course it will come with a steep price stag.

For instance I wanted the luxury of attending an yoga session on the beach with a group under the aegis of an able instructor, enjoy the sunrise, feel the sound of the waves as I close my eyes in my yoga posture and then finish off the session with a dip in the sea. Not that I am some kind of a fitness freak or hardcore yoga enthusiast but the whole thought of a session like this filled my being with blissful energy.

I checked if this is possible in Dubai. It is. Some five star hotels offer sessions like this on their private beach for prices between Dhs80 and Dhs150 a session ($22/Rs 1,200 and $40/Rs2,250 per session). I wasn’t sure if I was ready to part with that kind of cash to bring to life my yoga-on-the beach fantasy.

Then I read in the magazine Aquarius that yoga instructor Julie Campos Farmer, through her organization Fields Of Yoga, offered such a class at the beach at Umm Suqeim 1 on Saturday mornings and, that too completely for free. I tried to read the fine print and thought there must be a catch somewhere, a donation expected maybe. Nevertheless I shot an email to the given address and got a warm reply from Julie herself asking me to join the next Saturday session and I very happily noticed that at the end of the email it was written:

Timings:  7:00-8:15am (please plan to arrive at least 5 min early)
What to Wear: comfortable clothes that will allow you to bend and stretch. Bring or wear a swim suit if you would like to join us for a swim after the practice.
What to bring: a bottle of water, a yoga mat and a towel
Rate: Free!

Yoga session in progress

I have been to the Jumeirah Beach many times but never to this tiny tranquil patch at Umm Sequiem 1 next to the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club. As I stepped on to the beach the 7am-sun created a lovely warm hue on the inviting blue waves that met the azure of the sky in the horizon. I could spot the Burj Al Arab in the distance. The collective sight made me feel grateful to the bedside alarm clock, for a change.

Julie, a Yoga Alliance (200-HR RYT) certified teacher, who has done her training in Goa, greeted me with a warm smile and didn’t seem to be judgmental about my love handles. She gestured me to take a place at one of the mats that she had placed on the beach. The session had already started and she was instructing those attending the session with gusto.

Take it easy if you can’t do a posture is what Julie says

There were six other people in the class, five women and one man, who followed Julie’s moves with precision and the instructor on her part, did her level best to assist her students. My eyes kept drifting to the tranquil setting. I saw two men set off on a kayaking adventure oblivious to the yoga session in progress on the beach. Then I spotted the lone speedboat in the distance and a woman emerging from the sea in a bikini just like Ursula Andress. I closed my eyes and the sound of sea lapping on the shore filled my ears. I breathed a fulfilled sigh. I couldn’t believe I was getting all this for free.

The setting was absolutely tranquil

Kayaking enthusiasts in the backdrop

Later when I asked Julie why she didn’t charge for this session she answered in her inimitable simplicity, “Dubai is a place where people are always pursuing wealth. I have a studio at home where I charge Dhs50 per session but I thought Sunrise Yoga is a great way of doing something worthwhile for which you don’t charge.”

Julie’s morning session is often attended by as many as 15-20 people. “I have regulars and first timers. My sessions are open to everyone – from a labourer to a well-placed person. I have had regulars, who have been on business trips and taken the taxi straight from the airport just to be in time for the session. I have had whole families trooping in with three generations in tow, and there have been women dragging along their unwilling boyfriends, who have later admitted that they enjoyed the session immensely.”

What about tourists? “This is a great way to explore Dubai,” says Julie adding, “I often get emails from tourists much before they land here telling me to book a place for them at my beach yoga session.”

Julie started Sunrise Yoga in January 2012 and apart from the summer break – which she will be taking after two weeks because it will get too hot to practise yoga in the open and she will be travelling to her home in California also – she is always the first to reach the beach and lay out the mats. “There have been days when I have had only one person attending the class. I am alright with that too. Actually the turnout depends a lot on how people have had their Friday nights,” she smiles.

Yoga reaches its crescendo when Julie does the headstand and asks us to try. I, of course, prefer to stand and watch while one of the enthusiasts, who has been doing yoga for 25 years, gives it a try with a bit of help from the instructor. The session ends with a prayer as Julie says, “Let’s thank god for giving us this lovely place to practise yoga, for giving us health.”

I did my own small prayer though, thanking god for bringing me this amazing experience, this luxury for FREE.

Here’s how Julie did the headstand:

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

To enjoy yoga on the beach email Julie at: [email protected]

(Photographs: Amrita Mukherjee)

It’s common to witness Dubai bashing in the international media but when one comes across a report like this in Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/britchick-paris/why-dubai-is-rapidly-beco_b_3156110.html#postComment

one is indeed pleasantly surprised.

More than anything else what struck me most in the article is the following paragraph:

Dubai allows you to be you. And controversially especially if you are a woman. I’m not the only woman to think that. I feel safer here in Dubai than I do in London or Paris. There is a healthy respect that means you are just left alone, so long as you in turn respect the local values and customs.

Also in Europe there is often an underlying chauvinism, that means that men can do it better, hence the paucity of women board members at big Western companies. Here from my experience and that of my entrepreneur friends, women in business are admired. I can hear all the cynics ready to wade in but I cannot refute the evidence I have from the last few weeks working here. It has been a breath of fresh air. Not to mention the openness and creativity that comes from a city that is exploding and growing at lightening speed. In ten years it has achieved what New York did in 150.

This egged me to write about what I know about the city living here for the last six years.

Ask any woman from any nationality if they feel safe living in or travelling to Dubai the answer will always be “yes” without a second thought.

Without any statistics at hand it might be a bit hard to explain why the answer is always so but I will try to do so with a few examples.

When I first moved to Dubai in 2007 my husband and I would go for after-dinner walks to the Dubai Creek which is 20 minutes from my home. One day while sitting there and enjoying the lovely view we never realized it was 1am. It was a weekday and the place was empty except for a few men sitting around here and there in twos and threes chatting amongst themselves.

I looked around and told my husband fearfully, “Do you think it’s safe to hang around here so late?”

He said, “Don’t worry, Dubai is totally safe for women. The longer you live here the better you will know.”

That’s when I spotted an abaya and sheyla-clad lady walking rigorously in her sneakers – all alone.  Coming from India, where a woman’s safety is a perpetual concern, this was quite an impossible scenario for me. Six years down the line I have not yet experienced a lone walk at Dubai Creek at 1 am but I have comfortably walked alone at 12am to the 24X7 supermarket in my neighbourhood to fetch something, I have driven back home from the outskirts of the city at 2am after an office party taking a detour to drop a female friend on the way. I have hailed a cab post-midnight and reached home safe and sound lost in conversation with a friendly cabbie, and I have walked back home from a friend’s place all alone pretty late in the night.

Men and women hang out at a cafe in Dubai. Many cafes are open till 4am or through the night.

In the neighbourhood where I live, it is not uncommon to see women coming back home from work really late, mixed or even all men’s groups sitting around and chatting in the cafés late in the night. Nobody will give you a second look, nobody will try to follow you, make passes at you, hassle you with lewd comments.

In India we are always looking over our shoulders, something we hardly have to do here. So when something happens in Dubai it always comes as a shock.

Does this mean crime against women does not exist in Dubai?

Not at all. With 120 nationalities living together in a metropolis it is inevitable crime will exist and one gets to read about sexual crimes against women in the newspapers often. Dubai is also fighting human trafficking and domestic violence is also one of the issues here. But one has to admit that the rate of crime is much lower in Dubai compared to other cities.

Teenage girls move around the city comfortably

Women are as comfortable in western clothes as they are in traditional ethnic wear

Moving around the city late in the night is not an issue at all

Then how is Dubai safe?

For me it is safe because every time I step out of my home I don’t have be constantly on my guard. I come from Kolkata where I am used to being groped, commented and stared at all the time. That way Dubai comes as a breath of fresh air for me. I can be myself, wear whatever clothes I want, not worry about attracting too much attention in my short skirt, go for after-dinner-walks at 11pm with my son and travel comfortably in public transport. And also, the same Indians who misbehave back home are civil here.

Police has a major role to play

The police here provides an amazing safety net for women by efficiently patrolling the city 24×7. Be sure to spot a Dubai Police patrol wherever you go. If a woman dials 999 for help they will be there in two minutes. And most importantly the Dubai police force command respect and fear among the people for their commitment. Unlike in India, where bribes can settle matters with the police, that is unthinkable here.

Another thing that keeps women in Dubai safe is the inevitability of punishment. There is no escaping that. A British woman was raped and kidnapped by three men last July. They were eventually caught and in eight months the verdict was out and they are now in jail. Justice is delivered quickly and efficiently.

Read her story here:

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/general/call-me-a-survivor-says-gang-raped-woman-in-dubai-1.1155077

Recently an intoxicated Pakistani bus driver tried to rape an American lady tourist in an empty bus only to be beaten up by her. She escaped from the bus and reported the incident to the police. The man has been arrested and the court proceedings have already started. I will not be surprised if the case is settled quickly. Read about it here:

http://gulfnews.com/about-gulf-news/al-nisr-portfolio/xpress/female-sailor-escapes-rape-during-dubai-visit-1.1175039

In this regard I would like to share an incident that put my friend in a tricky situation. This happened a few years back when she had just moved to Dubai alone. She and another friend were returning home late from a party when some men in a four-wheel started tailing them. They drove around town trying to shake them off but to no avail. Then after much deliberation they called the police. The officer on patrol duty immediately came to their rescue, did not ask them why they were out so late, escorted them home and needless to say, nabbed the men immediately.

Dubai Police patrolling the city

My friends with teenage daughters growing up here say that they are less worried about them when they go out for their tuitions or to meet friends than they would have been had they been in India.

That day a friend asked, “What is it you will miss about Dubai when you move back to Kolkata?”

My instant reply was, “I will miss venturing out of my home, even at unearthly hours, without a care in the world.”

When I move back to Kolkata I guess I will have to sharpen my claws all over again.

(Photographs: Amrita Mukherjee)