New Year's Resolutions

There are different ideas associated with way of celebrating New Year in different parts of the world. New Year’s resolution is a promise that one makes towards improvement of his own life or towards the betterment of society. Mostly it is observed that the New Year’s resolutions include different ideas whose final aim is to help poor and needy.

Quit smoking




To quit smoking is one of the best among all the New Year resolution ideas. But to quit smoking is not an easy idea one has to quit smoking gradually. If you try to stop smoking instantly it will show some adverse effect on your body and mind. In one way or the other it’s a challenge you have to accept for your own better health. Initially when you stop smoking after a few days you will feel like smoking again. At this moment you have to be firm and resist your temptations. The best way to keep you away from this addiction is visualize the dangerous consequences of smoking. In today’s world there are many quit smoking aids available, avail them to keep your self away from the worst consequences standing ahead. 

Maintaining Fitness

With changing times and increasing stress and strain of every day life one can make a resolution to take more care of his own fitness and fitness of his family in the coming years. The average life in the metro cities is dropping down year after year. This might be due to increase in the use of chemical fertilizers or food ingredients with less nutrition value, increasing pollution and the terrific race to earn more money. The biggest obstacle in maintaining fitness is unavailability of time. Life in the cities has gained such a great pace that people of all ages are busy since morning till late evening. But if you overcome this hurdles and spare a fixed time towards maintaining fitness that can be a great idea. Keep a control on your diet as well

Make a new friend every month


Making a friend every month will be a fantastic resolution as well. It is said that in present day life a person having more contacts keeps more chances of climbing the ladders of success. By making a new friend every month you will be having a big group to rely upon after a few years. If you keep on expanding your social circle you will be the happiest person who is able to share his experiences with so many friends.

Giving more time to your family 


Even you can make a resolution of spending more time with your family. Your family members always expect you to spend more time with them. Apart from the time required to attend your duties and responsibilities you have to spare maximum time with them to keep them happy and bonded. 

There are many more ideas of New Year resolutions but at Magic Holidays we have a unique resolution. We make people happy and help them enjoy there vacations by spending great time at worlds topmost resorts. This idea of holidaying at worldwide renowned resorts that too at affordable rates is sponsored by Panoramic Group, the popular name in hospitality and travel Industry.

Festivals Of India in December 2012

India is a great country showing unity in huge religious diversity. A discrete topography, existence of various cultures still offering freedom to abide by one’s own beliefs and thoughts shows its greatness. This gives rise to an incredible mix called India.Westerners are always curious about its peaceful coexistence with such diversities.The outcome of this great mix can be experienced in the number of festivals celebrated throughout the year. Indian festivals are the reflection of the joyous mood of the people during harvest time or some important religious occasion. May it be a religious occasion or some other means, celebrations are reaching their peak during this time.
We can say that India is live in December with celebrations of some invigorating traditional as well as modern festivals. These festivals are distributed evenly but December shows more concentration of some colorful feasts. Among the major festivals celebrated in December are Cochin carnival in Kerala, Chennai music festival, Shilpagram art and craft fair at Udaipur in Rajashtan, Rann Utsav at Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, Hornbill festival in Nagaland, Feast of Francis Xavier and Christmas which is celebrated throughout the country with a great pomp and fervor.
Cochin Carnival
Cochin Carnival is one of the festivals celebrated with great sprit at fort Cochi for around twenty five days. This year Cochin carnival will be held from December 9 to 31. The highlight a massive procession led by beautifully decorated elephant on the new years day is the central attraction. It is a massive celebration of fairs, folk dances, games and partying. With cozy carnival costumes everyone is involved in merrymaking.
Chennai music and dance festival
Chennai music and dance festival offers a pure taste of South Indian classical music and dance performances. It is held between mid December and mid January at various locations in Chennai. The festival also covers temples and heritage bungalows as its venues. Popular artists across the country present their performances. 
Shilpagram Mela
Shilpagram Mela is the annual craft fair held in the city of Udaipur wholly organized to highlight the art and craft of Rajasthan. It is a perfect display of embroideries, hand woven cloth, art and handicrafts. One can join the precious workshops to grab the art and craft of Rajasthan. 
Rann Utsav in Gujarat
Rann Utsav in Gujarat is the perfect opportunity to witness the glorifying culture, invigorating music, dance and much more. It is an annual tumult lasting for three days. It is a series of folk music and dance performances under moonlight with a beautiful landscape at the background. 
Hornbill festival of Nagaland
Hornbill festival of Nagaland most of the population of Nagaland depend on agriculture and so are their festivals which revolve around this subject. In order to encourage inter-tribal interaction and promote cultural heritage of Nagaland, Hornbill Festival is held every year in the first week of December. Annually this festival is held at Kohima between 1st and 7th of December.
Feast of St. Francis Xavier is a feast held every year on the 3rd of December, the day on which the st. was buried after nine days of prayer, called the Novena. The feast of St. Francis Xavier hosts various ceremonies to honor the Saint's death. 

Christmas

Christmas is the most widely celebrated festival in India in the month of December at various places. 
There are many occasions of celebrations in the month of December. If you think of celebrating these festivals at various places in India, you can avail MagicHolidays sponsored by Panoramic Group and celebrate your vacations from a hoard of resorts worldwide.

Resorts acquired recently by Panoramic Group


In its bid to expand consistently in the fields of hospitality and travel, panoramic group has continued its acquisitions of branded properties at strategic tourist locations. To name a few the group has acquired following resorts namely United-21 Grassland resort at Kaziranga and United-21 resort at Kodaikanal previously popular as summer migration kodaikanal. Prior to these two other acquisitions were, United-21 Jungle resort at Pench, United 21 Paradise at Ooty and United-21 Tiger resort at Kanha. Total credit goes to our dynamic directors and the way they plan expansion of the group.
The prime motto behind these acquisitions is to provide local as well international travelers a perfect base to land at some of the most popular tourist destinations in India. These acquisitions are going to add value to the groups two giant travel portals travelhot.in and travel universally. Addition of more and more properties to the list of our outstanding resorts in India and abroad is continued for providing more options to our customers who are booking vacations through one of these online travel portals.

United-21 Grassland resort at Kaziranga previously known as Grassland Kaziranga is located at a convenient location near Bagori range in Harmoti, which can be easily approached from Guwahati & Jorhat. Tourists visiting this resort will be welcomed with stay amidst natures splendors, served with fine cuisine and an all time assistance to avail bewitching safaris taking you to the inside of the dense forests. United-21 resort at Kodaikanal previously popular as summer migration kodaikanal is a splendor located just three km from the beautiful Kodai Lake. It is located on a mid level of a hillock which offers serene views of the splendid surrounding region from the balconies. It provides classic accommodation and fine dining experience to its visitors. United-21 Jungle resort at Pench and United-21 Tiger habitat at Kanha are both located in the dense jungles of Madhya Pradesh popular among the tourists for its impressive wild life as well as its fascinating wild life tours. Luxury resort at Pench located near Turia gate offers swimming pool in addition to the well adorned facilities of a luxury stay and sumptuous dining arrangements. Tiger resort at Kanha offers every opportunity to come across the rare species, Bengal tiger and many other sparsely found wild animals.

The group’s foresight is seen in acquiring these unique properties at different locations spread across the country and to include them under the banner of United-21 brand of hotels and resorts. With this rate of acquisitions at one stage we will be able to announce the existence of our hotels and resorts at nearly all the prime tourist locations. It will be benefiting our customers as they can rely on the brand name United-21 for a colossal service and support at these destinations. At the same time it will build a reputation about the group of having its own hotels and resorts at major tourist locations. These resorts and hotels will be buzzed up with events and celebrations throughout the year. We will keep on updating you about new acquisitions in future also so that you can plan your vacations at these newly acquired properties of the group. Our groups another important venture in time share is Magic holidays offering holidays at worlds well known resorts and tourist destinations. Visit our travel portals and gather more travel related information which will surely be useful to plan your holidays.

The Toy Train Ride to Matheran

Ride to Matheran | Accommodation in Matheran
Ride to Matheran
Amidst green natural surroundings and a peaceful environment of Matheran, any weary traveller would feel relaxed and extremely rejuvenated. This beautiful hill-station was discovered in mid-nineteenth century by a British Officer called Hugh Mallet. It gets plenty of visitors every year who leave behind their stressful routines and have a great time in its picturesque locations. Matheran has been kept free from pollution by banning the entry of vehicles in the region by authorities. But, a ride in toy train can take tourists on an exciting ride through vast greenery of this hill-station. This historic train service was started in the early twentieth century by entrepreneur Abdul Hussain Peerbhoy. Three years were spent constructing this train line with the help of a famous British engineer called Everard Calthrop. Today, it has become a delight for many tourists visiting Matheran along with their friends or family members. Four small-sized trains are a part of this train service and run every day along its route.

Each of these trains has a capacity of carrying around one hundred passengers. Tourists who wish to have a comfortable journey can book a seat in first class compartment which has elegant and comfortable seats. The toy train of Matheran moves at much slower pace in a zigzag way as the region has steep slope. Going further, travellers can witness a gradual change in landscape from slopes covered with grass to a hilly region full of trees. During its journey, these trains also pass through a short tunnel which is known as 'One Kiss Tunnel'. Snacks or drinks can be purchased from vendors who get into these trains for selling these items. They get on and off these trains, even while its moving, which is an indication of the slow pace at which the trains travel. Stops are made at a couple of stations where refreshments are available. Frequency of these trains is lesser during monsoons when the region gets plenty of rainfall and extreme weather conditions prevail. Booking an accommodation at Panoramic Resort in Karnala through Magic Holidays can provide an opportunity for tourists to experience the magic of this train journey as Matheran is just a few kilometres away from it. 


Matheran Station
Matheran Station

Timings of departure from Neral station and Matheran are comfortable, but frequent changes are made to its timetable. It is always better to check for timings online or at the computerized reservation counter of Railways. Ticket prices are very reasonable, but bookings have to be made in advance as seats get filled up in no time. This is especially true during peak seasons when tourists from nearest cities visit Matheran in great numbers. Booking a stay at Panoramic Resort, Karnala, online on Magic Holidays can be a good way to experience this amazing train journey in Matheran. This hill-station is located very close to this resort and tourists can reach Neral station within a short period of time. In addition to luxurious accommodations, the resort also has plenty of facilities and modern amenities for its guests.

A Tribute to Yash Chopra

Old memories got stirred up with the sad demise of a legendary phenomenon called Yash Chopra. Missing a great stalwart like Yashji is a huge loss to the film Industry. Film industry is a glittering world full of talents, but a few dignitaries like him keep an everlasting impression of their own on it. The veteran filmmaker and “King of romance” passed away in Mumbai on 21 October 2012.

This journey called Yash Raj Chopra started in September 27, 1932 when youngest of eight children Yash was born at Lahore. Initially being a film journalist he tried to make a career in engineering, but his passion for filmmaking attracted him towards the glamorous world of cinema. Instead of going to London for further studies in engineering he tried joining his brother filmmaker B R Chopra as an assistant. He was keeping an ambition of becoming a film director. His brother diverted him to I S Johar for getting the initial lessons of film making. After taking a few lessons from Johar he joined his brother B R Chopra. There he worked for two years as an apprentice. He was offered first opportunity to direct a film called Dhool Ka Phool in 1959 which he fulfilled successfully. Encouraged by the success, Chopra brothers together made many movies like Waqt and Ittefaq. Yash Chopra received his first ‘Film fare award’ for directing the film ‘Waqt’ in 1965.

Another milestone for him was making of film ‘Ittefaq’ which was a low budget film made in just a months period. It was recorded as Bellwood’s first movie without an interval and song. This film rewarded Yash with “Best director film fare award”.

After this initial success shared with his brothers he worked alone and made landmarks by giving films like Deewar, Trishul, Silsila and Chandani. Then getting separated from his brother B R Chopra, Yash established a production house in 1971 called ‘Yash Raj Films’. Year 1973 was a year of great achievement for him when he made Yash Raj Film Studio in Mumbai. Super hit film ‘Daag’ opened the account of many block busters which YRF gave to the film industry. Somewhere in this period Yashji introduced ‘Amitabh Bachchan’ as the angry young man in “Deewar” and then a non stop era of giving super hit films one after the other continued. During the period when film industry was revolving mainly around topics of social problems and love stories, it was this great film maker who gave a new direction. This proved to be a revolution in Hindi cinema which made Amitabh a superstar, with a solid image of angry young man in the movies hitting box office one after the other. 

A few years in the eighties was a setback for YR films but again he came on the success track, this time making a little change in his topics. His film Chandani received National Film Fare award in 1989 which was a great come back for the veteran film maker. In 1991 ‘Lamhe’ was credited the biggest Bollywood hit in overseas market. His recent films reflected his love for Switzerland where he made many of his modern era films. Bagging reputed film awards was an easy task for him. He won eleven Film fare awards for his outstanding films and the topmost reward Padma Bhushan in 2005. Through out his life till his demise he lived a life of a dedicated gentleman in the film industry. We at Panoramic group’s Magic Holidays pay a hearty tribute to this all time young film maker, who left behind lots of beautiful memories and many things for the coming generations to learn from.

Ganesh Utsav 2012 Decoration Competition Conducted by Magic Holidays


In Mumbai Ganesh Utsav is celebrated with lots of zest and enthusiasm. Mumbai gets immersed in the celebration of this religious festival. Lord Ganesh is the favorite deity of all the people irrespective of caste creed or class of the devotees.  The great thing about this festival is that Mumbai is awake during all the ten days of this festival. People of all ages visit the distant places like Lalbag, which is the hub of many Ganesh Utsav celebrations. Devotees are standing in long Que’s for getting blessings of Shri Ganesha.
The Utsav is celebrated by bringing Ganesh idols of different sizes and shapes, but one thing we can say is that they are incredibly beautiful. Nature wise the festival is enjoyed as a family festival as well as by different social groups normally called Ganesh mandals. These mandals decorate the huge Ganesh idols beautifully. A supporting decoration in the form of a scene from historical or religious incidence is presented near the Ganesh idol.  Every area is having many such mandal’s which celebrate the festival with lots of devotion and love for the deity. From the many Ganesh idols in a particular region one idol is honored with the title King of that area e.g “Lalbag cha Raja” is a honor given to a Ganesh idol in the Lalbag region. 



Likewise during current years Ganesh Utsav 2012, “Andhericha Raja” Contest was held and sponsored by “Magic Holidays” who are popular for offering a great travel package of pay once and enjoy holiday at worldwide destination for a period of 25 years. More precisely it was a Home Decoration contest held during Ganesh Mahotsav. The event leaders went to some of the selected societies in Andheri area and took snaps of Ganesha decorations, along with the general details of the family in which the Ganesha idol was established. Afterwards one of the decorations will be finally selected by their panel of judges and the winner will be informed to come and collect his surprise gift. This contest is held to encourage the residents for making more and more attractive decorations every year. At the same time the hosts can have a better interaction with the residents.


From the total photos taken some selected photos of Ganesh idols will be uploaded on Magic holiday’s face book fan page profile. 
You can visit at https://www.facebook.com/MagicHolidays 
to watch out these photos and hit like to vote your opinion. Those photos which are getting maximum likes will be availed free direct voucher of 2N/3D holiday package sponsored by Magic Holidays. The easy clue to win this contest is by trying to get more likes to your Ganesh photo. This can be easily done by sending a short SMS to maximum number of your relatives and known people for visiting Magic holidays face book fan page profile and give a like to photo of your Ganesh idol. The more people you inform chances of getting likes will be increased and ultimately your chances of winning the incredible Magic Holiday’s 2N/3D package will be more.

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Why we celebrate Dasara - Vijaya Dashami?

The grand festival of Hindus, Dasara - Vijaya Dashami is a Hindu festival that symbolically celebrates the triumph of good over evil. As per Ramayana the festival basically celebrates the victory of Hindu deity Rama over demon King Ravana who is portrayed as having ten heads. The main reason of the war between Lord Rama and Demon king Ravana was the kidnapping of Sita by Ravana and keeping her in an isolated place.

Ravana turned down every request by Rama to return back Sita unconditionally. The only alternative remained with Lord Rama was to win back Sita by defeating Ravana in a face to face war. Ravana was finally defeated after a fierce war which lasted for several days. The festival of Dasara was initially called Dash Hara meaning loosing ten heads by Ravana, which later became popular as Dasara. Rama defeated and killed Ravana in his own kingdom of Lanka. Rama returned to his kingdom of Ayodhya on Ashwin Shukla Dashmi and hence it is celebrated as the day of victory or Vijaya Dashmi meaning victorious tenth day of Ashwin.

Presently it is a gazetted holiday in India, which is marked on the 10th day of the bright half called Shukla Paksha in the month of Ashvin, according to the Hindu calendar. Hindu people observe this important festival through special prayers and offerings in the form of food to the gods at their residence or in the temples. This festival is celebrated throughout the country with great enthusiasm. Houses are nicely cleaned and decorated. Special vegetarian festival food is prepared and there is a festive atmosphere every where. In Maharashtra dasara processions are taken at Mumbai, Thane and many other places. The participants wear traditional costumes and chant the prayers of Shri Ram. People celebrate it as the special day offering prayers at home and in the temples. In major Indian cities like Mysore and Shirdi it is celebrated with lots of pomp and fervor. Mysore actually gets dipped for ten days in the Dasara celebrations.

Outdoor fairs called melas are held at many places. The effigy of Ravana with ten heads is burnt in the evening of Dasara. A performance called Ramlila which is the short version of epic Ramayana is played during this period in most parts of Northern India. It describes the best qualities of Rama and throws light on the life of this great hero who is supposed to be the ideal personality. Ramlila providing knowledge and entertainment to the public continues for ten days. On the tenth day a big effigy of Ravana bearing ten heads is erected near the venue of Ramlila performance. The performance is concluded when the character of Rama shots an arrow on the effigy of Ravana and it is burnt by the crackers placed inside.

This festival always reminds us of one fact that evil in this world is temporary and it is always destroyed when the proportion of evil exceeds certain limit. So every one of us should stay on the good path of life and never do injustice to anyone around us. One day or the other the evil powers in the world, whatever strong they might be are overpowered by the good. We at Magic Holidays believe in this truth of life and would like to advice everyone to be on the good path.