New Delhi, Jan. 9 -- As India enters its annual harvest-festival phase, Thomas Cook India and SOTC Travel note that this period offers travellers a natural opportunity to plan short, culturally immersive journeys. Rooted in gratitude, seasonality and community, these celebrations are experienced not in stadiums or auditoriums, but in homes, village squares, rooftops and riverbanks-making mid-January an especially meaningful time to explore India at a slower, more local pace.

1. Tamil Nadu - Where Mornings Begin with Pongal

In Tamil Nadu, the harvest season opens with quiet, early-morning rituals-kolams at the doorstep, rice boiling in earthen pots and temple bells echoing through neighbourhoods. Travellers visiting destinations such as ...