In a first of a 12-part series, we list out all the places you should visit and all the festivities you should be part of through the New Year!
So what do we have lined up for 2015?
Let's start with:
January
1. The harvest festival
Lohri (pictured above), Makar Sankranti, Pongal -- the harvest festival is known by different names in different parts of the country and is celebrated differently too. But the spirit remains the same. As an agrarian society, the harvest festival holds a special place in our culture.
This year, Pongal and Lohri fall on January 14 and Makar Sankranti falls on January 15.
On January 14 and 15, Gujarat will also host the spectacular International Kite Festival when the skies are dotted by kites of all shapes, sizes and colours.
What is it like when an entire Indian state takes couple of days off to literally fly kites?
Read Nisha Jha's account of the kite festival in Ahmedabad here!
Photograph: Lakshman Anand/Creative Commons
2. Jaipur Literature Festival
Rub shoulders with your favourite authors -- from Amish Tripathi and Ashwin Sanghi to VS Naipaul and Paul Theroux at the latest edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival.
To be held between January 21 and 25, the tenth edition of the Festival will see several high profile authors including Nobel Laureate Sir VS Naipaul, 2013 Man Booker Prize winner Eleanor Catton, novelist Hanif Kureishi, and the American travel writer Paul Theroux among others.
Photograph: Abhishek Mande Bhot/Rediff.com
3. Republic Day
Take the overnight bus from Jaipur to New Delhi to attend India's spectacular 65th Republic Day celebrations.
Witness India show off its military strength and cultural diversity to Barack Obama who will become the first American President to attend the Republic Day parade.
The security will be tighter than ever with over 25,000 security personnel guarding the heads of two of the largest democracies in the world.
So if you really want to attend the celebrations, we'd suggest you rush to the India Tourism Development Corporation (IDTC) travel counters at Ashok and Janpath Hotels or the Delhi Tourism Development Corporation (DTDC) counters at Coffee Home, Dilli Haat, and Shri Gandhi Ashram.
Tickets will also be available at the Parliament House Reception Office, the Government of India Tourist Office and the departmental counters at the North Block and South Block roundabout, near gate number one of Pragati Maidan, the main gate of Jantar Mantar, gate number one of Shastri Bhawan, the India Gate and the Red Fort.
The Republic Day celebrations officially come to an end on January 29 with a Beating of the Retreat Ceremony, the tickets for which will also be available at the same outlets.
Reserved seats will cost you Rs 150 and Rs 300 and the unreserved ones can be purchased for Rs 10 and Rs 50.
There are no reserved seats for the Beating Retreat Ceremony and these can be purchased for Rs 20 Rs 50.
Photograph: Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images
4. Hampi Utsav
The laidback town of Hampi comes to life each year as the three-day Hampi Utsav hopes to recreate the grandeur of the Vijayanagar Empire of which it was the last capital.
With the 14th century ruins in the backdrop, artistes from around the country will present their art before a spellbound audience between January 9 and 11.
Fireworks, puppet shows, classical music concerts, folk dance programmes and theatre productions -- if you are keenly interested in culture, this is the place to go to!
Photograph: Diego Wyllie/Creative Commons
Here's your chance to recommend travel destinations to your fellow readers!
Post photographs of places you think everyone should visit in 2015 on Rediff ZaraBol -- #Travel-2015 -- and tell us why we should be visiting it.
The best responses will be published right here on Rediff.com!
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