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March, 2005
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• Four killed in Manali landslide

Colourful elephants dazzle Jaipur

     Jaipur: Dozens of elephants in colourful velvet robes, jewellery and anklets marched with pride and aplomb as hundreds of awe-struck foreigners and locals cheered the majestic animals in Jaipur. The city is holding a month-long festival to promote tourism. Lumbering their way through the huge stadium in the heart of the city, the elephants raised their trunks while their equally bedecked mahouts waved silk flags to salute the visitors. Some elephants, along with the mahouts, have walked for hundreds of kilometres from nearby towns and villages to take part in the procession, which coincides with the Hindu spring festival of Holi. Much to everybody's delight, the fun-loving pachyderms joined in with the fest ivies throwing colour and water on unsuspecting passers bys. "In this city Jaipur, colours, elephants, its amazing," said Sebastian, a Greek tourist. "Everything, the colours, the music, ladies dancing it was beautiful but the best was the elephants, they were magnificent, I have never seen so beautiful elephants," added Sue, an English tourist. The day's biggest attraction, however, was a pretty one-sided tug of war between a much-amused elephant and over 50 men and women.
-Mar 27, 2005

Four killed in Manali landslide (Go to Top)

A volunteer covers the dead bodies of four persons killed in a landslide in Manali on Tuesday. Unseasonal rains were behind landslide which cut off many areas in Himachal Pradesh.

     Manali: As many as four people were killed in Manali early today as unseasonal rains triggered landslides cutting off nearly half a dozen villages. Popular hill resorts of Kullu and Manali and its adjoining areas have been lashed by heavy thundershowers and light hail since early this week with the upper reaches getting fresh blanket of snow. On the outskirts of Manali dozens of homes, located on hill slopes, were literally washed downstream under rubble of mud and rocks catching the locals unaware in the wee hours. "We got the information that around 1.00-1.30 in the night, some boulders have fallen over a house. As soon as we got the information we rushed back home to help in the rescue," said Ramshewar Sharma, SDM. Cold wave conditions have revived in higher hills of the state with snowstorms, icy winds triggering rains and cool airs across the country's heartland puzzling meteorologists, who say the phenomenon is rare in the subcontinent where March usually beckons the onset of summer.
-Mar 22, 2005

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