India the Wonderland !

India is  described as a “Wonderland”, it really deserves this description, and I have been looking  forward for many years to visit this amazing country. Until  the opportunity came a few weeks ago when the Indian Embassy in my country  invited me with a group of journalists from Asian countries to visit India.

The Indian embassies in most of the  Asian countries  selected  many  qualified journalists in order to acquaint them with  the progress that India  witnessed in the  recent years in various  economic, health, political, cultural and agricultural sectors. And I, as a Syrian journalist, have  had the honor  to participate  with this  delegation to visit this wonderful  country. 

The Indian government represented by Mr.Tejinder Anand, Media Liaison Officer, organized a varied program to acquaint  us  with a firsthand  experience of contemporary socio-economic realities in India and highlight the growing engagement between India and West Asia.

The  first tour  of the delegation was launched from New Delhi. Of course, the beginning will be more beautiful with visiting the touristic sites in the city, New Delhi. In the first day, the delegation began a visit to the most important archaeological sites in India such as Indian Gate, Jama Masjid, Qutub Minar, Red Fort, Agra Fort and Taj Mahal.

India Gate is situated in the heart of New Delhi, it was designed by Sir Don Bradman. Originally known as All India War Memorial, it is a prominent landmark in Delhi and commemorates the 90,000 soldiers of the British Indian Army who lost their lives while fighting the British Indian Empire.

It is impossible for any visitor to visit India and see, but this grandeur and magnificence in this palace, which is characteristic of the Seven Wonders.

We also visited Taj Mahal, a mausoleum is one of the most recognizable structures in the world. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It is widely considered as one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and stands as a symbol of eternal love. Taj Mahal is the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Persian, Islamic and Indian architectural styles.

After New Delhi, the delegation moved to Hyderabad, well know as the  hub of India’s information technology sector.

Firstly, in Hyderabad we visited Ramoji Film City, which is considered a wonderland that has been exciting millions of visitors to realize their dream holidays and recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world’s largest film city.

Apart from comprehensive movie-making opportunities that it is best known for, Ramoji Film City is also an extremely popular destination for tourists seeking recreation. Approximately 1.5 million tourists come to Ramoji Film City annually.

The next place of the delegation’s tour was to Golconda Fort,  which is considered as one of the famous forts in India. This fort is famous for its acoustics, palaces, ingenious water supply system and the famous Fateh Rahben gun, one of the cannons used  in the last siege of Golconda by Aurangzeb, to whom the fort ultimately fell.

The glorious past of Golconda Fort  is narrated effectively with matchless Sound and Light effects. We have seen the unique Sound and Light Show, it is really very interesting and fantastic show, because it takes the audiences right back in time, when Golconda was full of life, glory and grandeur.

I am indeed caught in a dilemma whether I feel homesick to India in Damascus or to India deep inside my spirit as well as memory.

M.Wassouf