HCP Mocktail Specialist Award 2025 Nomination Details

Hospitality Career Profile (HCP) is thrilled to announce the HCP Mocktail Specialist Award Every year, recognizing India’s finest mocktail experts. This award aims to celebrate the creativity, skill, and innovation of professionals in the hospitality industry. Who Can Participate? To qualify for the award, candidates must meet the following criteria: Must be an Indian citizen. Must be currently working in a hotel, restaurant, bar, or club. How to Nominate Yourself? ✅ Step 1: Visit the nomination page – [https://www.hospitalitycareerprofile.com/hcp-mocktail-specialist-award-2025-nomination-details/ ] ✅ Step 2: Fill in the nominee’s details and key achievements. ✅ Step 3: Submit the nomination and help them get recognized! ???? Nominate Here: [ https://www.hospitalitycareerprofile.com/hcp-mocktail-specialist-award-2025-nomination-details/ ] Nominations are open for a limited time! Why Should You Participate? Winning or being nominated for the HCP Mocktail Specialist Award 2025 comes with several benefits, including: ✅ Industry Recognition – Gain credibility and acknowledgment for your expertise.  ✅ Boost in Career – Open doors to new career opportunities in the hospitality sector. ✅ Best Media Visibility – Get featured across top industry media platforms. ✅ Award & Certificate – Receive an official award and certification of excellence. ✅ Social Media Badge – Showcase your achievement with a special digital badge. ✅ Networking Opportunities – Connect with top industry professionals and brands. ✅ Potential Job Offers – Many recruiters and brands look for talented individuals through such awards. ✅ Feature in Hospitality Career Profile – Your work and profile may be showcased in India’s leading hospitality news magazine. ✅ Boost Your Brand – If you own a business or work in a bar/restaurant, this award can bring more attention to your establishment. ✅ Showcase Your Talent Globally – This recognition helps you stand out in India and beyond. ✅ Special Mentions & Promotions – Winners and finalists may receive additional mentions in various industry events and media. Award Timeline Nomination Opens: March 1, 2025 Nomination Closes: April 30, 2025 Voting Opens: May 1, 2025 Voting Closes: May 30, 2025 After voting closes, the top 20 candidates will be selected for the final round, where they will face a panel of expert judges. Official Mocktail Publication & Extra Points The official mocktails created by participants will be published on Hospitality Career Profile’s website. Each mocktail article will receive reviews and ratings from industry professionals. Additional points will be awarded based on: ✅ Article Reviews – Reviews and engagement on the mocktail article published on our website. ✅ Social Media Reviews – Likes, shares, and engagement from social media platforms. Get Ready to Shine! This is your chance to make a mark in the hospitality industry. If you’re passionate about mocktail crafting, don’t miss this opportunity! For more details and nomination submissions, visit Hospitality Career Profile.

Juhi Koranga - A Kumaoni Woman Promoting Indigenous Mountain Tourism.

Juhi Koranga - A Kumaoni Woman Promoting Indigenous Mountain Tourism. In the days of yore, the Kumaon region, Almora and its surroundings used to be a quiet, sleepy Himalayan outpost, blessed with magnificent Himalayan vistas and a trading hub. The eerie silence of the Himalayas and the pristine mountain environ has for a long time been luring writers, poets and artists to rejuvenate themselves. It goes without saying that creative people find the Kumaon Himalayas (Almora and beyond) particularly conducive for creative pursuits and have found fulfilment here. Off late, the stupendous cultural diversity, aka Indigenous culture of the Kumaon region has touched the chord of today’s discerning traveller. Needless to say, a journey through the rugged Kumaoni mountain landscape is a stellar experience, an assault on your senses through culture, cuisine, history, heritage and dance. In a world reeling under global warming and climate crisis, the Indian state of Uttarakhand comes as a breath of fresh air. With the snow capped high Himalayan peaks like Nanda Devi(7816m), Chaukhamba(7138m), Panchchuli(6904), Trishul(7120m).....standing like sentinels, the peace loving people of Uttarakhand along with the state government’s nodal Tourism department have taken a vow to protect the state’s fragile Himalayan ecosystem through a series of eco-friendly measures like encouraging home stay options in lieu of the commercially profitable multi-storied apartment hotels, promoting immersive holidays with the stress on taking tourism to the villages and hamlets; the idea is to make tourism ecologically sensitive and thereby offer high value experiences. In the Post Covid world, visitors worldwide have unequivocally shown preference towards visiting Carbon Neutral destinations, where nature is pristine, the culture unscathed by modernity and distinctive cultural traits are well preserved. No wonder, the Kumaon Himalayas (Almora & surroundings) is the melting pot of tribal/indigenous people – Tharus, Bhutiyas, Jaunsaris, Buksas and Rajis, whose fascinating lifestyle, belief systems, cuisine, jewellery design and folklore have all endeared themselves within the minds of today’s discerning travellers. Embarking on a Tribal Tour of Kumaon Himalayas could be life changing and transformative. Out here, travel is slow. The essence is on immersion and engagement with the local folks. The roads are intimidating, yet, the natural vistas, flora and fauna are just fabulous. Sometimes, you keep hiking for hours together with not a soul to be seen! Each tribe is unique with their own set of belief systems in place. For Instance, the Tharus are matrilineal and women are the torchbearers of society. The colourful Jaunsaris on the other hand are one of the world’s last remaining Polyandric societies. The Bhotiyas are distinctive with their Tibeto-Mongoloid features and are expert weavers. My good friend Juhi Koranga who hails from the bewitching hill station of Almora has been guiding visitors from affluent Western countries like USA,UK, Canada, Australia and Germany through her company – Kumaon Safar and Oh God! most of her guests are repeat visitors to Kumaon, which speaks volumes about the regions astonishing beauty and surreal charm. Visitors from abroad who come in search of peace and solitude are provided high quality accommodation in rugged Kumaoni Wooden cottages on self-service basis. Julia Koranga’s itineraries are quintessentially curated for Slow Travel/Conscious Travel. She takes extra care in choosing the cottages. All the windows and balconies offer 360 degree uninterrupted views of the stunning snow covered Himalayan peaks. In the cozy confines of these Kumaoni Mountain Huts, the good old times resonate gracefully. As the red molten ball dips across the Himalayan vistas, it is time to huddle together besides the crackling fireplace, strumming your Guitar, and indulge in your favourite tipple. The all pervading peace inside and the snowfalls outside is nature’s invitation to you, reminding you yet again those immortal words of Roger Ebert – “The very fact of snow is such an amazement”. Juhi Koranga’s untiring efforts to showcase not just the Kumaoni Himalayas, but, also the stupendous tribal diversity of the region is beginning to have a positive rub-off effect on the village folks, particularly Sitlakhet and Balsa Gaon. These picturesque villages receive a regular stream of visitors from abroad, which has metamorphosed into a precious bond of friendship. The stellar element of this unique friendship bond is that there is no superfluous demands imposed on the village communities. Discerning visitors appreciate the fact that the Kumaon Himalayas is earmarked for “Slow Tourism/Immersive Tourism” and they want the villages to retain their original, centuries old charm. Although, transportation and roads remain below par, yet there are no complaints; the cultural immersion into the Kumaoni folklore, legends and traditions are far more important. Indeed, what a joy it is to see local folks engaged in serving HNW guests from abroad, some of whom are millionaires in their own rights, partaking the local food prepared so lovingly by the womenfolk, while the men are busy guiding visitors on trek, hiking to remote hamlets and offering them every possible help enroute. With fulfilment writ large on her face, apart from overseeing the Indegenous Tourism operations from her cozy mountain home in Almora and the wellbeing of the her team, Juhi is focussed in ensuring a “No Nonsense” approach when it comes to the question of preserving Kumaon’s fragile Himalayan eco-system and Indigenous diversity. According to Juhi – “In spite of the onslaught of modernity Kumaoni people have fiercely kept its biodiversity protected, vehemently forsaking attempts of commercialization of the tourism phenomenon. I come from a Fauji family and my step grandfather Late Dewan Singh Koranga and later on Shri Nandan Singh Koranga, the later in particular served with great distinction in one of Indian Army’s oldest and most decorated infantry unit – the Kumaon Regiment.” On a typical jungle safari to Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, Juhi can be seen in an hyper excited mode – crafting the itinerary, route to be followed during the Safari, Kumaoni villages to visit, checking the condition of the 4x4 Wheel drive vehicles, arranging the logistics like tents, food etc... In short, Juhi’s pre-Safari preparedness is worth emulating as she leaves nothing to chance, knowing fully well that one mistake on those treacherous wilderness trails in Binsar could be disastrous! The Kumaon region might not be on the bucket list of travelers, yet, it is unputdownable and off the beaten track. No other Himalayan zone in India offers the kind of Himalayan spectacle – an uninterrupted sight of a 300 Kms. stretch with powdery peaks like Nanda Devi, Nanda Kot, Kedarnath, Panchachuli...... all lined up as if a beauty pageant was on! The Kumaoni culture and adventure experience is very well summed up by Juhi herself – “My late step grandfather Shri Dewan Singh Ji was fortunate to enough to spend a lot of time with Jim Corbett at a time when the entire Kumaon Himalayas was infested and terrified with dangerous Maneaters (Tigers and Leopards). We grew up listening to stories about Corbett’s courage in confronting the Big Cats. However, for us Kumaonis, we do not consider Tigers and Leopards as predators; rather, we believe that their presence is an indication that our ecosystem is healthy. Perhaps, this attitude originated from the great Hunter-turned – Conservationist Jim Corbett himself, who first instilled in us the need to be sympathetic to the Big Cats”. 10 Stellar Reasons to Visit Uttarakhand: Uttarakhand is India’s spiritual capital and blessed with countless pilgrimage sites like Dev Haridwar, Rishikesh, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri. Rishikesh is considered to be the Yoga Capital of the world. The highest peak of India - Nanda Devi (7816m) is in Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand is home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Valley of Flowers and Nanda Devi National Park. “Lake District of India”, Nainital is India’s very own Lake District. There are two famous mountaineering institute which is in Uttarakhand - The Nehru Institute of Mountaineering situated in Uttarkashi and Pandit Nain Singh Surveyor Mountaineering training institute situated an altitude of 2200 m in Munsiyari, Uttarakhand. The state is home to two of the most sacred rivers in Hinduism – the Ganges and the Yamuna. The origin of the Ganges is the holy mountain Gangotri, while the origin of the Yamuna is the holy lake Yamunotri. The two rivers originate from different parts of the state. Jim Corbett National Park of Nainital district is the oldest national park in India which was established in 1936 for the protection of the Royal Bengal Tiger. The park is situated at the foothills of the Himalayas in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand. The first Agriculture University of India “Govind Ballabh Pant University” which paved the way for the Green Revolution of India was established in 1960 in Pantnagar. Geo-strategically very important as Uttarakhand shares its international border with China in northeast and Nepal in southeast. Length of international border shares with China is 463 Km and that along Nepal is 303 Km. Total international border length of Uttarakhand is 766 Km. For Further information on Immersive Indegenous trips to Kumaon Himalayas Almora/Ranikhet/Champawat, please feel free to get in touch with – Juhi Koranga, Kumaoni Safar, Village – Dhamas, Sitlakhet Road, Dhamas. Uttarakhand – 263601 Mob - +91-7505001510 Written By: Subhasish Chakraborty Travel Journalist

Escape to Luxury and Nature This Festive Season with Mookanana Resorts

As the festive season and long weekends approach, Mookanana Resorts invites you to experience a perfect blend of nature, luxury, and relaxation at two stunning destinations—Mookanana Jungle Resort and Spa, Sakleshpur and Elements by PnT Hotels. Mookanana Jungle Resort & Spa, Sakleshpur Nestled in the heart of Karnataka's breathtaking Western Ghats, this serene retreat spans 100 acres of lush coffee plantations, offering the ultimate escape for families, couples, and nature enthusiasts. Starting Price: ₹8,400 per night (for 2 adults) Highlights: Uniquely designed, elegant accommodations World-class spa and wellness treatments Nature trails, plantation tours, and tranquil surroundings Exclusive dining with a mix of local and international cuisine Elements by PnT Hotels For those seeking a tropical getaway with a festive flair, Elements by PnT Hotels offers a luxurious escape amid the picturesque Western Ghats. Highlights: Lakeside relaxation with upscale accommodations Access to pristine Mookana Mane waterfalls Infinity pool and exquisite Tulu & Mangalorean dining Vibrant New Year celebrations in a laid-back atmosphere Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat in the Western Ghats or a lively tropical experience, Mookanana Resorts ensures unforgettable holiday memories this festive season. Book your stay now and elevate your weekend or festive getaway with unparalleled comfort and natural beauty at Mookanana Resorts! For more details, visit mookanana.com and follow @mookananaresort on Instagram.Article contributed by Rakesh T Shankar, Bangalore, India.