Asia

Creating 19 prosthetic limbs for 13 children in under a week might seem like a daunting task, but Robert Schulman has never shied away from a challenge. The certified prosthetist and founder of US-based nonprofit Limb Kind Foundation arrived in Davao City, Philippines in September with a team of 11 and a big goal. And he definitely delivered.

With its dazzling skyline, Kuala Lumpur, or KL as most people call it, always leaves a lasting impression on visitors. A jungle of skyscrapers spreads throughout this Malaysian capital. They culminate in a spectacle of city lights encircling the world-famous Petronas Twin Towers, which stand like the sky-touching, larger-than-life cornstalks clad in silvery luminescence. But the real gems of KL lie in the discoveries of those who venture beyond the skyline.

Sunil maneuvered the jeep onto a bumpy dirt track through the fields of wheat and millet that grew sparsely here in the Thar Desert. He stopped the car and switched off the engine. Suddenly, they came. A group of four gazelles, followed by a large herd of blackbuck antelope, the afternoon sun glancing off their elegant backs. I was hesitant to take out my long telephoto lens, lest the herd would scatter. Sunil smiled. “Don’t worry. They will not think that you are aiming a gun at them. They roam fearlessly here because this is the land of the Bishnois.”

Sumatra’s Leuser Ecosystem is a magnificent place. One of the largest intact forests left in Southeast Asia, the Leuser covers 2.6 million hectares and is the only place in the world where four important key species co-exist in the wild—the orangutan, tiger, elephant, and rhino. 

Sri Lanka has emerged as the "it" destination, catering to visitors of all kind. The island nation, with its warm, welcoming people, abundant wildlife, hidden beaches, and quaint mountain hamlets, packs a hefty punch for its small size.

India is a country that truly comes alive when explored by road. Forget the usual train rides and tour buses; there's something uniquely exhilarating about driving through this diverse and colorful land. Road trips here are about more than just the destination—they're about the journey, the people you meet, and the unexpected moments along the way.

The last of the sun’s rays fade behind the Aravalli mountain range leaving a heavenly afterglow. A somber melody with rhythmic rhapsodies reverberates down the vast expanse of the plains of Ranthambore and fades away beyond the mountains. It is fascinating to watch how skillfully Tularam plays the Ravanhatha, one of the world’s oldest stringed instruments. The red-turbaned 50-something man swiftly moves his fingers on the holes of the protracted wind. He also uses a curved bow to play the folk instrument and the plaintive melody seems to synchronize perfectly with the twilight hues.

The earth belongs to not only some humans, but all humans and other species that co-exist together. So it’s important to ensure everyone is on board in a conservation initiative.

A fog-drenched, grey morning greets us as we set out for our early morning short hike to the viewpoint, the highest point of Chatakpur. On a clear day, it offers a panoramic view of the entire village with majestic Kanchenjunga, the third highest Himalayan peak of the world at the backdrop.

The small village of Cemoro Lawang is perched on the fringes of an undulating stretch of fine volcanic sand. This is Laut Pasir which, in Javanese, means Sea of Sand. My hotel, Bromo Permai, has a charming lobby that overlooks this unsettlingly unearthly territory.

In his sleek and self-illustrated volume ‘Jakhan Choto Chilam’ (When I Was a Child), the great Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray vividly portrays kaleidoscopic cameos of Calcutta (now Kolkata) of the interwar years, a city where he grew up.

Since 2008, when the main city George Town was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, tourists flocked to Penang to savour the food, see the sites, and indulge in ‘heritage tourism’. Every day, you can see walking tours searching for the Insta-famous street art peppered across the Heritage Zone. However, heritage tourism is a double-edged sword; what they think is cultural heritage is, in fact, a brilliant tourism campaign promoting the historic image of Penang at the cost of the locals who live it.