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Dr. PB Boss Appointed Honorary Tourism Commissioner for India to the EU, ETTravelWorld
Accor has announced the appointment of Ranju Alex as Chief Executive Officer for South Asia, a role that will see her take charge of the group’s operations and growth strategy across India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
Accor currently operates more than 70 hotels in the region, with a pipeline of over 30 properties under development. Alex’s leadership comes at a time when the company is preparing to consolidate its regional business through a new joint venture with InterGlobe, subject to regulatory approvals.
A seasoned hospitality professional with more than three decades of industry experience, Alex most recently served as Regional Vice President for South Asia at Marriott International, where she oversaw a portfolio of over 170 hotels. She began her career with The Oberoi Group in 1993 before moving into senior leadership positions with Marriott, playing a key role in driving growth and operational excellence across the region. Earlier this year, she was recognised with the Bharat Gaurav award for her contribution to the industry.
Gaurav Bhushan, Chairman of the proposed Accor–InterGlobe joint venture, said: “We are extremely pleased and excited to welcome Ranju to the Accor and InterGlobe family. She brings a wealth of rich experience, skills and relationships into our business and we look forward to building the foremost hospitality platform in the region under her leadership.”
Commenting on her appointment, Ranju Alex said: “I am delighted to join an organisation with the most comprehensive and exciting portfolio of brands in the region. It will be an honour to lead the Group’s vision in this region, and I eagerly look forward to this exciting role.”
With Alex at the helm, Accor aims to accelerate its South Asia growth trajectory, aligning its diverse brand portfolio with the evolving demands of leisure and business travellers across key markets in the subcontinent.
Seven wonders within Fatehpur Sikri, India
This monumental Mughal capital 37 kilometres outside Agra was founded in 1571 but lasted scant decades. The magnificently mournful ruins are one of India’s most underrated sights.
1 Make a grand entrance through Victory Gateway
As you lurch out of Agra, dodging cars and camel carts, your first sight of this ruined city is an immense hilltop gateway, one of the world’s biggest, wobbling like a mirage in the heat. Victory Gateway was built in 1602 from red sandstone and white marble to commemorate Emperor Akbar’s military triumphs, although its Persian inscription warns the world doesn’t last. This by itself qualifies as a mighty monument, and the views are splendid.
2 Pause in admiration inside the mosque
Step through the gateway into the courtyard of the Friday Mosque and you get the first impact of this tremendous ensemble. Everything is built of red sandstone, everything outsized, and yet the decorative detail – window frames, balconies, roof brackets – wonderfully carved. The mosque is one of India’s finest and largest and centres on the tomb of a Sufi, inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Local women come to tie strings on the marble lattice in hope of being granted children.
3 Check out the architecture in the Audience Hall
This gloriously startling building in the royal quarter is where Akbar consulted advisers. The Diwan-i-Khas has wall recesses that served as bookshelves for royal documents and texts. However, your eyes will surely be on the enormous and wildly ornate octagonal pillar of the main hall, which rises from the centre of the room like the handle of an umbrella and props up an elevated walkway that resembles the balcony in an opera house.
4 Look up in the Imperial Treasury
Fatehpur Sikri shows wide Hindu, Islamic and Persian influences but this genius building next to the Audience Hall takes inspiration from Jain temple architecture and decorative sculpture. Stone safes are concealed in the walls, but gaze up: the brackets that hold up the ceiling are embellished with mythical elephant-headed sea monsters, said to guard treasures in the depths of the ocean. In the fields behind, don’t miss the odd-looking spiky tower erected in memory of Akbar’s beloved elephant Hiran.
5 Enjoy the faded frescoes in Mariam’s House
The harem complex has several fine pavilions, some showing Turkish influences and others covered with depictions of swans and horses. The carvings and fretwork are so fine in places you could mistake sandstone for wood. If you’re pressed for time, head straight to Mariam’s House, perhaps the best example. As a bonus, it has bright and sometimes surreal gold-tinted frescoes – look out for the diaphanous woman riding a gigantic parrot.
6 Wander through the other imperial quarters
This is the most impressive part of Fatehpur Sikri, erupting in columns, latticed screens and elaborately decorated architectural elements, and graced with ornamental pools and clipped gardens. Persian verses loop across the emperor’s bedroom or House of Dreams, although judging from his innumerable concubines Akbar spent scant time on sleep. The pool below the elevated kiosk cooled the bedchamber. This is just one of numerous buildings that might take an hour or two to admire.
7 Close your guidebook and get lost
Fatehpur Sikri was planned in the smallest detail: servants’ quarters, lavatory blocks, fountain drainage, masonry rings to hold silk canopies for courtyard shading. Take time to inspect the detail and soak up the melancholy magnificence away from the main visitor axis. Birds wheel overhead and squirrels sun themselves on walls. In the late afternoon the sandstone turns crimson, then orange and subtle pink before the light fades on this abandoned city of lost dreams.
The writer travelled as a guest of Incredible India incredibleindia.gov.in and Malaysia Airlines malaysiaairlines.com
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Heavy rain alert in Delhi–Gurugram: IMD issues an orange alert; travel and safety advisory |
In a recent update, Delhi and its surrounding NCR cities, including Gurugram, Noida, and Faridabad, have received intense rainfall. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Delhi while a warning of very heavy rainfall and thunderstorms has been issued for Gurugram.Keeping the current situation in view, the District Disaster Management Authority has issued a travel advisory for Gurugram for 2nd September 2025. It reads:On September 1, 2025, Gurugram recorded over 100 mm of rainfall between 3 PM and 7 PM. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an Orange Alert, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall on September 2, 2025.In light of this warning:Corporate offices and private institutions in Gurugram district are advised to ask employees to work from home.
All schools in the district are directed to conduct online classes on September 2, 2025.On the other hand, Delhi too is experiencing non-stop rains which have caused waterlogging and long traffic across roads. Authorities are closely monitoring the Yamuna River too, which is expected to rise close to the danger mark of 206 metres on Tuesday. Low-lying areas are particularly vulnerable to flooding.India Meteorological Department forecastIn the present scenario, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Delhi for heavy rainfall. Similar alerts have been issued for NCR regions including Noida, Faridabad, and Gurugram. A yellow warning has been issued for Ghaziabad.Not only this, IMD has cautioned that northern India may experience heavy rainfall at least until September 5 especially for Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab which are under red and orange alerts.Travel disrupted, airlines issue advisoryAirlines such as IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet, and Akasa too have issued warnings and advised people of possible delays and cancellations due to poor visibility. Passengers are advised to check flight status before leaving the house.Advisory
It is advised to avoid flood-prone zones, underpasses, and Yamuna ghats.Use public transport.For those in Gurugram, work from home is strongly recommended on September 2 as safety of people is more important.Keep a check on official IMD and local weather updates before planning anything.
Northeast India, with its lush forests, rugged mountains, and pristine rivers, is a biodiversity hotspot offering unparalleled opportunities to encounter some of the world’s rarest wildlife. The region’s national parks and sanctuaries protect unique ecosystems and endangered species like the one-horned rhinoceros, red panda, clouded leopard and more. From Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve in Assam to Keibul Lamjao National Park in Manipur, find out what makes these national parks so unique, and what rare creatures these parks have in store for visitors.
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