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Dear friends, “India is a furnace of transformation.” – Andrew Harvey I would like to invite you on an extraordinary adventure to South India. My first time there with Andrew Harvey, his words came to life. Ever since, I have wanted to share this experience with a group of like-minded travelers. It’s finally happening! My friend Charles and I have put together an amazing itinerary. Charles was our local guide during my first trip to India, and I couldn’t think of a better person to guide us through his homeland. His kindness and knowledge are unparalleled, and I can’t wait for you to meet him. My intention is for you to see and experience the most memorable parts of my past trips, plus new adventures we will discover together. I have crafted our journey to take us along the flow of the chakras from the roots to the crown of our being. We will immerse ourselves into this magical land, as we travel from the golden temples and deities of Tamil Nadu to the lush jungles and backwaters of Kerala. India awakens all our senses. We will stay in gorgeous locations and taste exquisite food and spices. We will learn, do yoga, meditate, walk on dirt and the softest carpets, dance, laugh and cry. To really embrace India, it is vital to let go and drop our brain into our heart – literally. We have to let go of logic. Because things will often not make sense. India is not understood with the intellect, but with the deepest part of our heart. Allow yourself to be surprised, inspired, challenged, overwhelmed and transformed. India is generous, she will give herself to you completely. Its people will welcome you with open hearts and smiles. On this trip, we will give back to her in the form of a donation to a school for physically and mentally challenged children. I have witnessed first-hand the love, care and devotion of this school, and I can’t think of a better way to show Mother India gratitude than to care for her children. I wrote the poem below after my first week in India. I’m sharing it with you to convey the transformational power of this beautiful land. Are you ready to fall in love with India? FALLING IN LOVE WITH INDIA India has brought me to my knees, Literally. I have sat in dirt, knelt down on floors grimy with age and decay. It has assaulted my senses. And I stopped trying to recognize the heady scents and spicy tastes, My eyes stopped trying to make sense of the jumble of colors and textures and started surrendering to the whole demanding picture of dirt and beauty. When you fall in love, you let go of reason. India has dropped me into the entrails of the earth, As I lost myself in the cavernous depths of its temples, impregnated with centuries of dark and pungent heartbeat of drums and chants, Almost hoping to get lost – for real – in their embrace. India has pushed me to the edge of my comfort, complacency and redundancy. It has transformed my timid transformation into a maddeningly explosive irrational dance. I have fallen in love with India Because it has shown me that I could go deeper, bigger without fear As it guided me into the entrails of the earth, it guided me into the entrails of my soul. (South India, February 2019) Jane Richter Canada

Being from Canada, a huge and cold country, I chose to spend my winters in India for a few years because I'm retired now! How to explain my attraction for this country so different from mine? How do I describe how I feel when my feet touch the Indian soil? How to say all the states of mind that I have in contact with the people of this unique country in the world? I will talk about my personal experience and try to show how much I love India despite the misery, dirt, corruption and overcrowding. What touches my heart are these beautiful children I meet everywhere with their bright dark eyes and their nice smiles. These children are the future of this great country. They are smart, they are eager to learn, and I am sure they will change a lot of things in this country and I may not be old enough to see what India will be like 25 years from now... I like to see these Indian women with multicolored saris, jasmine flowers in their beautiful black hair. Looks like princesses who walk everywhere and often I'm surprised to see one of these women come out of a ruined house as if she lived in a castle! Rural India touches me more deeply because it is where you can see real India. In each village there is a temple dedicated to Hindu deities who exist at heart of everyday life. Hindus perform rituals and prayers with a faith so present that it upsets me every time... In the villages I feel a great solidarity between people who help and support each other. There is less visible misery in the countryside even though life is hard and work is difficult. People live in harmony with the animals that are part of the family. India is for me a refuge where I come to relax and where I come to challenge myself in relation to my North American values. I listen and see how people live here and I'm learning a lot about being in the moment and living more simply. Jane Richter UK

So many of the well-travelled people I have spoken to say that of all the places they have visited, India remains the most exciting, colorful and magical place that they have experienced. One person told me, "I swear that they have colours in India that just don't exist anywhere else!" And it seems true – the vibrancy of the vivid colors worn by the women in particular, dressed in their bright saris, spectacularly set off by the gold jewelery that they wear – the color of which isn't found in Europe, nor the styles and designs. This is all thrown into contrast by their beautiful black hair, shining with fragrant coconut oil, and adorned with garlands of flowers, usually pungent jasmine, which, together with the radiance of people's genuine glowing smiles, really warms and captures the heart. The wonderful cooking smells and fantastic taste of the aromatic food, the madness of the traffic, the beauty of the nature and the sheer exotic nature of everything, alongside the sheer spirituality, mysticism and religious significance which permeates everyday life here guarantees that this is a place like no other – and ensures that India will continue to grow as a captivating European tourist destination for tourists who are in search of something that is in abundance here, but hard to find back home inside their own culture. Odette Beaulé

Raji Menon – India’s Magic My new Slogan for INDIA is: “If you lost sense in Life, you look-out for reasons to be happy… TRAVEL TO INDIA!” BUT WHY?? There are 1000 reasons… and here I would love to share with you just a few most important of them: INDIA is the most colourful country in terms of people, cultures, landscape, architecture, food and clothes - that opens your horizons and energizes your senses. INDIA is one of the best examples of the greatest solidarity between people with diversity being their prime identity. No matter which nationality, religion, social status, or colour of skin you are, you will always be treated with love, tolerance, acceptance, without prejudices and respect. From my own experience of living 3-year in India, I never had a feeling as if I was living in a foreign country. There was always someone, who showed their concerns towards us, as how I was?, whether I had food?, whether I needed something and often questioned “how I like India”. That says everything about the incredible nation-India, which gives pride of being Indian because they are always at the drop of a hat to offer a lot to other people. A land so incredible that no words can describe. The land of yoga, mystics and colourful festivals. From the Himalayas to the Taj Mahal and down to Kanyakumari - its an incredible journey - so much of unity in diversity. We invite you to come and experience this exotic land that is India. Raji Menon Cochin, India

Chindi Varadarajulu – Personal Narrative As a little sapling, I grew out of the Singapore soil, nourished by the love and support of my family and friends. It is in Vancouver, Canada, that I grew great big branches in my attempt to touch the sky. While all that took me a good 30 years, I had my roots growing deep and strong in India. My grandparents were from India. With such a close temporal connection, we didn’t really lose touch with her beautiful culture. Festivals and the celebrations around them were always special times at home. After I moved to Canada, it didn’t take me long to open Chutney Villa, a South Indian restaurant where I taught many people the pleasure of peeling a nice chunk of dosa with their hand, dunking it in hot dhal and popping it into the mouth. The appreciation I received for the food I know so well encouraged me to plan a culinary tour to India and my love affair with this charming country continues to date. You hear about the towering Himalayas, breathtaking palaces, the backwaters of Kerala and all of her other natural splendor. What you don’t hear about too often is little details about how they welcome their guests, the warmth of the people, the inclusive nature of the culture, the respect they show to each other and amazing levels of tolerance and acceptance they have. The food scene here is unbelievable. The spice capital of the world seldom disappoints us. I have been charmed by this country enough to have moved in here. I always told people to go to India with a clear mind, with no expectations. You will be surprised by the number of wonderful colours it will paint your mind with. Chindi Varadarajulu India

Karen Anderson – India Reflection Why? India People often ask why I love to travel to India? About 50 percent of those asking can’t imagine the attraction. Negative media and little actual contact with Indian people and culture have formed their perceptions. For the other 50 percent of people, the constant theme is, “India is on my life’s bucket list.” I definitely fall into the latter camp. As a child, I grew up in a very small town in Canada with little exposure to multiculturalism. I was completely enchanted by the first Indian person I ever met... [NOTE: If you want, paste the remaining full Karen text here and I will format it perfectly without cutting.]

Chettinad Through My Eyes: A Culinary Journey with Travel XS I’ve spent over two decades working at the intersection of content strategy, marketing communications, brand management, and cultural intelligence... Food has always been my bridge... Join me, and let’s explore how food can be the most delicious way to understand heritage, people, and place. — Aswin Rajagopalan