11:11 Weekend | From Kashmir through the seasons to Amarnath Yatra, pet travel and mindful eating

Kashmir through the seasons: When should you plan your trip?From tulip-filled springs and bustling summer getaways to quieter autumn landscapes and snow-covered winters, Kashmir offers a different experience each season—here’s how to pick the right time based on what you want from your trip.Amarnath Yatra 2026 registration begins April 15: What pilgrims need to know

Advance registration for the Amarnath Yatra opens April 15 across 554 bank branches, with Aadhaar-based eKYC, compulsory health certificates, age limits and route-specific permits forming part of the process—here’s a quick guide to what’s changed and how to plan ahead.Pet-first travel rises: Indian travellers reshape trips as services catch upIndian travellers are increasingly planning holidays around their pets, driving demand for flexible road trips, pet-friendly stays and curated itineraries, even as airlines, cab services and hotels expand offerings to make travelling with animals easier and more mainstream.Vietnam travel advisory: What Indian travellers need to watch out forPlanning a trip to Vietnam? India’s embassy has flagged key risks travellers often overlook — from visa-free entry to Phu Quoc being strictly limited to the island to complications if you need to move to the mainland during emergencies. Add to that the process around lost passports, which can delay your exit by several days, and this is one advisory you’ll want to read before you book.It’s mango season — but do you know which states actually grow the fruit you’re eating?



Butter chicken goes global — now inside a tacoIndia’s most recognisable dish is getting a new global avatar. Taco Bell is bringing its ‘Butter Chicken Taco’ to the US after it won a global consumer vote, signalling how Indian flavours are moving from diaspora favourites to mainstream menus. Questions remain, however, on whether fast food can truly capture the original’s depth.Robots, not drugs? A new approach to treating Alzheimer’sA US-based startup is exploring a radically different way to treat Alzheimer’s — not with medication, but with ultra-precise robotic surgery. With FDA clearance now in place for human trials, the approach focuses on restoring the brain’s waste-clearing pathways using microsurgery at a scale smaller than a millimetre, marking an early but significant shift in how neurodegenerative diseases could be tackled. From dieting to structure: Why how you eat is replacing what you cutAs restrictive diets lose favour, a more sustainable approach is gaining ground — one that focuses on regular meals, balanced plates and consistency, with experts pointing to structured eating as key to stable energy, fewer cravings and better long-term health.Samay Raina and the new rules of funny: How India’s comedy ecosystem is evolvingFrom viral stand-up specials to memes, reels and creator-led formats, Indian comedy is shifting away from traditional platforms, rewarding adaptability and constant reinvention—turning humour into a fast-moving, digital-first ecosystem where those who evolve thrive, and those who don’t risk fading out.Kunal Jaisingh on rejection, risk and writing his first bookFrom feeling left out as an “overprotected” child to taking the leap from a stable corporate job into acting, Kunal Jaisingh traces the personal experiences that shaped his journey—and his book Unlock Your Potential. In this conversation, he reflects on rejection as a constant, discipline over motivation, and why writing the book felt like a long-held instinct finally finding its moment.Beyond jugaad: Why Indian startups are struggling to scaleIndia’s knack for frugal innovation has long been its strength, but as startups go global, “jugaad” alone may not be enough. Drawing on insights from Cambridge’s Jaideep Prabhu, this piece explores why quick fixes don’t always translate at scale — and how India can evolve from constraint-driven hacks to systems that build reliability, trust and long-term value.