Gateway to India: Mumbai

This is indeed India! The land of dreams and romance, of fabulous wealth and fabulous poverty, of splendour and rags, of palaces and hovels, of famine and pestilence, of genii and giants and Aladdin lamps, of tigers and elephants, the cobra in the jungle, the country of a hundred nations and a hundred tongues, of a thousand religions and two million gods, cradle of the human race, birthplace of human speech, mother of history, grandmother of legend, great-grandmother of traditions, whose yesterdays bear date with the smoldering antiquities of the rest of the nations - the one sole country under the sun that is endowed with an imperishable interest for alien prince and alien peasant, for lettered and ignorant, wise and fool, rich and poor, bond and free, the one land that all men desire to see, and having seen once, by even a glimpse would not give that glimpse for the shows of all the rest of the globe combined.

MUMBAI: Love it or hate it, you can't ignore it. Mumbai is a temptress. Ravaged by time, history and circumstance, she has risen above it all with an easy grace. She is a city of dreams, despair, drama and dazzle, with heartbreaking poverty set within staggering grandeur. A city that sparkles with promise and glints with tears of desolation.

Mumbai is India's capital of finance. It is also India's capital of glamour. A Victorian townscape more reminiscent of a prosperous 19th-century English industrial city than anything you'd expect to find on the edge of the Arabian Sea, Mumbai bustles and buzzes.

It is the headquarters of the Indian film industry, known to Indians as Bollywood. It is a city of starlets, slum-dwellers, dancing girls, crusading activists and poets, all of whom drift into the city to make it big. It is also the ideal hub from which to explore the famous Ajanta and Ellora caves, Elephanta Island and the charming hill resorts of the Western Ghats.

Complex and interesting, being in Mumbai with its vibrant streetlife, India's best nightlife and thousands of open-air and enclosed bazaars is like being smack-bang in the middle of a Bollywood masala potboiler movie. Addictively filled with drama, absurdity, pathos, wonder and lots of fun.

A Feast for the senses

Dotted with swaying coconut trees, the seaside city of Trivandrum is the capital of Kerala. Like most places in the state, it is also known by its provincial name: Thiruvananthapuram.

Trivandrum is literally a sight for sore eyes. Since the city was originally built on seven hills, it offers sweeping panoramic views of the surrounding ocean and countryside. Eons ago, the city was the capital of the erstwhile Travancore state under the reign of Raja Marthanda Varma. And even though much time has passed, Trivandrum still retains the magical ambience of yore.

The wooded highlands of the Western Ghats along the eastern and north-eastern borders of the state make for enchanting picnic spots, with verdant greenery and rushing waterfalls. Historic monuments, serene backwaters, a rich cultural heritage and a long shoreline, with internationally renowned beaches - like the three cresents of Kovallam - make Kerala a treasured tourist destination.

The city of Trivandrum is at its vibrant best during the festival season, with celebrations held at the famed Padmanabhaswamy temple, a stunning landmark of the city, built in the Dravidian style with a magnificent seven-tier gopuram (tower). There are also the snake boat races and the elephant procession to look forward to. These revels are generally held in March-April or September-October.