Old World Travel in the New Age

Hello Travellers All!

We are pleased to share the abbreviated news bulletin on upcoming trips and miscellaneous ramblings and rumblings.

The Indian Sub Continent has entered the Dusshera Festive season which will culminate in Diwali-the Festival of Lights next month 13^th Nov.’ 12. The Pushkar Fair toward year end, and the Kumbh Mela, that incrediblehuman extravaganza will take place early in the New Year.

See the Festival Calendar on the TigerPaws website for these markers.

In the event any of the trips highlighted below "grab" you, do write in and we will make every endeavor to accomodate you on the same trip, or plan one of a similiar type.

Read on:

                                                                                News Bulletin Fall 2012

                        Foreign ramblings and, Upcoming TigerPaw Adventures Journeys during period Oct 2012 -June 2013

October 2012 –April 2013: Spashram RiverMountain Eco Camp is open; visitors from France, England, New Delhi.

To book, visit www.spashram.info and www.rivermountain.in

    

November 2012: FIT Travellers 24 days India: $ 6,000 per person January 2013 Kodai Individual Travellers Tour

Dates: 15 Jan 13 to 01^st Feb. 13

Status: Private Tour Internal India Cost Per pers. $ 5,640 Twin

March 2013: The Bhagoriya Festival & Gujrat with Vale of Kashmir Extension

Status: Limited Edition Trip: Open Group: Taking on Sign Ups : Single Female Traveller Friendly. Dates: 07 March 2013 to 27 March 2013. Max: 10 Pers. Internal India Cost Per pers. $ 4,250 Twin Share. Kashmir portion 7 NIGHTS- 8DYS  $ 1,580 PER  pers. Email us for information on  dates and information: bookings

                           March 2013

Maha Kumbh Festival - Allahabad 27th Jan.13 to 25th Feb.2013.

Allahabad is besides the venue of the immense Kumbh Mela, for which separate details are available, and for which you may enquire for last minute space availability, also the site of the British Fort, and the Sangam where the holy Ganges meets the mythological Saraswati river which comes to surface only during this lunar holy period. Here, the British developed river navigation for cotton, after losing their source of cotton after the American Civil war. Boat excursions along quiet sections of the Ganges are possible here.

                                                 

Above right image from TigerPaws expedition commemorating Eric Newby’s epic Journey 1963 Slowly Down The Ganges

Pushkar

TigerPaws client Eliane Thwaite’s images taken at Pushkar (also featured in IJ Singhs Book “ No Boda Boda”

Polo

Even while many of the trips are already “closed”, the prices and group strengths are reflected to give you a perspective on trip types, durations, and costs as also our own comittments. You may enquire as to the program of all the above and a special personalised booking for the same trip routing on different dates.

FOREIGN RAMBLINGS:

Between 28^th August and 27^th Sep 2012, Founder CEO IJ Singh, travelled to Ireland, England, Canada, USA and Germany to deliver a series of slide based

lectures featuring his travel book “No Boda Boda” and some of the unique journeys therein. These were extremely well received and has resulted in further

lectures, talks and trips during the 2012 and 2013-2014 periods.

The first of these lectures was titled “In the Footsteps of Your Guru-Portraits of the Faith”, and focussed on the ecological importance of Hemkund (14,500 ft

ASL (4,750 m) where the 10^th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, is believed to have meditated in a previous avatar.

The impact of visitation there and need to bring in ecological awareness via sikh youth from the UK, via the Anglo Sikh Heritage Trail, was the focus of this

evening with the Sikh Gurudwara of Hunslow.

Images below show IJ Singh founder ,CEO of TigerPaws and author of the book “ No Boda Boda” which features this journey, being presented a book by the Secretary of the Hunlow Gurudwara, and Mr Harbinder Singh of the Anglo Sikh Heritage Trail(on left of author, in glasses), on “ 150 years of The Sikhs of Britain”

The other presentations were an overall encapsulation of IJ Singh’s book featuring a wide section of chapters and journeys in different continents and eco systems as well as chapter extracts from some of the humorous travel anecdotes that the book features. These were extremely well received and has resulted in a tremendous response especially for India bound journeys including from the UK (Northern Ireland and England).

IJ Discovers an olde Indiah connection in Kensington Church-The Battle of Gwalior Fort! The Royal Household Cavalry marches past. Friend and host, Nigel Haden Paton at Kensington Park., Shelly’s Walk and other English Eccentricities. The Poet’s works were taught to IJ in school by the Irish Christian Brothers!

                                                           Human interaction-including with the local coppers! Alongwith history is what TigerPaws brings to its trips                

Above: Signs Irish! And a historic stone dtd-1659 AD. A butterfly park, man made classics  and below: the scenic beauty of Donegal Bay. The butterfly park visit was a technical study tour, related to the establishment of a similar park at Spashram RiverMountain, which owner IJ Singh is steering on behalf of TigerPaws with field scientists and foresters. This is meant to provide an onsite attraction to residents, protect biodiversity and act as a tool for rural field education and awareness.

Above: TigerPaw's Canadian affiliate  positions technical collaborations.Here with the Yurtco Team whose mountain and desert yurts will soon be seen at Spashram sites in India 

Images below:

At the Berlin Polo Club Top L: Executive Chef Dirk (r ), Image 2 from L, IJ plays barman. Image 3 Dr Inge Schwenger hostess and Director of the Club., Img  4, 6, friends and past clients of the Club the Maracke’s and the Mandells. And bottom, IJ in action!

OTHER NEWS

In other news considered most important to us at TigerPaws, the UN Conference on BioDiversity Preservation saw Indian Prime Minister ManMohan Singh pleading $ 50 Mill for this critical sector. Along with healthcare, foreign investment and other critical areas, the Prime Minister has taken this huge and positive step which is close to the heart of the TigerPaws philosophy, biodiversity preservation. The Spashram RiverMountain Project reflects the importance we give to this sector. For more information on the underlying principles of this philosophy or how you can help write to us via any of the links below.

The latest on Tiger spotting is that the ban on benign tourists’ activity in National Parks  has been lifted. However, a long standing code of conduct of TigerPaws becomes even more essential now: please discourage your jeep drivers from “racing and being pushy” over others to reach the site for a tiger sighting. This little step will go a long way, in evolving gentler human behaviour allowing the tiger to have its personal space.

Until our next quarterly newsletter, travel safe!

The Last Word-Let The Tiger Speak

                                            Left image taken at Bandhavgarh by TigerPaws client Bernd Maracke.                          The wrong way

  

There has been an ongoing debate in India at multiple levels, on whether tourism visitation in core areas of national parks especially Tiger Reserves should be permitted or not.

The Hindustan Times ran a debate over two days where two leading activists spoke for and against the motion. Valmik Thapar spoke for ( http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspxnd …Ajay Dubey spoke against )(http://www.hindustantimes.com/ViewsSectionPage/ColumnsOthers/Let-s-stick-to-the-law-for-once/Article1-950108.aspx)

See the respective articles by clicking on the individual names above.

Where does your company Tiger Paw Adventures stand in this debate. The position may surprise many for we concur with …

For many years TigerPaws did not even promote wildlife safaris because of the manner in which the rest of the industry and the Forest Department rode roughshod on the the fundamentals of wildlife watching and eco sensitivity which was to minimise impact, and evolve a code of conduct on the manner in which jeep drivers raced around to get to a sighting spot, and tourists urged their drivers to deliver a sighting. Overtime as we cultivated a highly discerning clientele we were able to elicit their cooperation in discouraging their drivers to “follow the horde” and “push ahead” for a sighting.

TigerPaws has a very diverse panapoly of eco and adventure as well as cultural tours. It also operates in countries such as South Africa, Kenya, Botswana, Canada , Brazil and others where there is a far more enlightened view and practise of wildlife tourism. We firmly believe that a lack of practical field nature study in schools has created a lack of awareness in appreciation for smaller species and resulted in the tunnel vision of a tourist ony being satisfied when he or she sights a tiger and no less.

TigerPaw Adventures was also the only company which discouraged low cost tourism in Arunachal Pradesh during the assessment team’s visit in the early 80’s. The case for low numbers as stated by..in the second article is one which finds complete resonance with us. We are confident that the responsible tourists that TigerPaws clients are, understand this and that they will come for a total wildlife India experience where sighting a tiger is the icing on the cake rather than the end all and be all of their visit to a national park.

HOWEVER WHAT IS MOST INTERESTING IS THAT BOTH INDIVIDUALS CITIED THAT THE AFRICAN EXAMPLE WAS THE BEST TO FOLLOW , THE DIFFERENCE IN THE TWO POSITIONS BEING THAT WHILE THAPAR WAS  FOR TOURISM IN CORE AREAS , DUBEY CHALLENGED THE VERY PRESENCE OF TOURISM IN NATIONAL PARKS, LIKE COLIN BELL, THE AFRICAN EXPERT HE QUOTED, SAYING THAT IF AT ALL THIS WERE TO BE PERMITTED, THE AFRICAN EXAMPLE WAS THE MOST VISIONARY.

Our position therefor rests as quoted in the preceding paragraph and we trust that its logic will be obvious.

"We hope our paths cross soon and look forward to hearing from you."

Cordially,

From TEAM TIGERPAWS

Executive Directors: IJ  Singh, and Maj Gen Surjit Singh

Tours : Rohit Ninoriya & Deepak Kumar

In The Field: Mountain Men: Anand Singh Negi, Surinder Singh and Hari Singh

Equestrian Staff: Bijay Singh , Boma Ram, Ganesh Ram, and Equines : Raj Kumar, Light Foot, Hanuman.

Support Staff: Accounts: Shaukat Anwar  : Vikram Kumar

SEE OUR WEBSITES or CONTACT US VIA:

www.tigerpawadventures.com, www.spashram.info www.rivermoutain.in, www.poloholidays.com and www.horsebackholidays.com www.nobodaboda.com  

Also see on FACEBOOK “ No Boda Boda”   ,  “TigerPaw Adventures”   , “ Spashram”  , “ Poloholidays”  www.Safarious.com/EklektikEdventurz 

www.Safarious.com/ReTreatYourSELF

Inder Jit Singh on FB . Blog www.travelleratlarge.blogspot.com Twitter: ij_himself  Skype: Panthera 72

INDIA Mob   91-8860128999|91-9810128999, Land (Studio-Dir.No Voice)-  91-11-46568080

INDIA: D 383 Defence Colony, New Delhi 110024

Tel/Fax 91-11-41011617.  Admin: Travel:   91-11-65655355   

         CANADA: 8034-112 B St., Delta, BC, V4C5A7
      IJ Singh Founder TigerPaw Adventures (I) Pltd  1982 INDIA,1995 CANADA

Author of the 2012 Travel Book “ No Boda Boda”
Founder IJ's Exotic Int'l Horseback & Polo Holidays- Canada 1997
             Fellow Asia Foundation San Fransisco Environmental Education (First Five-INDIA)1994;  Awardee India- BioDiversity Conservation Award 1995    Wash DC USA: Sole International Speaker Polo America 2000, 2001 Polo Holidays,LAS VEGAS,USA;

TIGERPAW ADVENTURES: 

         PLANNERS AND LOGISTICANS FOR BRITISH FORCES GERMANY 2nd Royal Tank Regiment EXERCISE BHILGANGA DIAMOND I,II,1994-1995
        Royal Signals HIMALAYAN SKI MOUNTAINEERING, & ROYAL AIR FORCE, KINLOSS,SCOTLAND, EXPEDITION  MT KEDAR DOME;1995
           TRAINING AGENCY FOR INDIAN ARMY'S 2nd MOUNTAIN ARTILLERY BRIGADE (& OTHERS/NAVY). FIRST DESCENT RIVER LOHIT, International Tri Junction (INDIA,CHINA,MYANMAAR-ARUNACHAL PRADESH);1992-1994

       FIRST PRIVATE  OUTDOOR MANAGEMENT TEAM & LEADERSHIP PROGRAM COORDINATOR, FOR AMERICAN EXPRESSINDIA 1994,1995;
            MOTIVATIONAL WEEKEND PROGRAM COORDINATOR -HONGKONG & SHANGHAI BANK 2002;
            SELECTED BY VICE PRESIDENT HARVARD UNIVERSITY,FOR REMOTE AREA JOURNEYS OF DISCOVERY 1999;

           ALSO:  OTHER  "FIRSTS IN ADVENTURE".