BENGALURU : If there’s one thing people have missed most during this lockdown, it is travel. But now, thanks to city-based travel blogger Nivi Selvaraj, people can now indulge in some virtual travelling with her set of newly-released postcards, called Talking Postcards. The eight cards, which feature digital prints of scenic views, all hand painted by her, include six Indian locales and two international ones. “I’m hoping it inspires people to travel more once the situation is in control,” says the 30-year-old artist, who has a following of over 12,000 on Instagram.
Each card represents a travel memory close to Selvaraj’s heart. The Bengaluru resident has even collaborated with FlippAR, a city-based firm that helps people engage with cities through stories, using AR-tech, to bring her cherished memories to life. If one were to scan the postcard with the FlippAR app, a video overlay would then give the viewer a glimpse into the making of these memories. “All the cards have a 3-5 minute story attached to them, complete with stills, videos and my voice narrating my experiences from that trip,” explains Selvaraj.
For example, the postcard on Andamans talks about a lesser-known activity one can experience on the island - a night kayaking trip where one can view bioluminescence. “But the AR-enabled story doesn’t give you details you can already find on the internet. It has more personal elements,” she adds.
Similarly, the postcards on Kashmir talk about a trek, the Kerala one narrates Selvaraj’s experience witnessing the Theyyam art form and Sri Lanka talks about her love for trains and why rail travel is a great idea when in the island country. “Most of these are offbeat ideas,” says Selvaraj, who after two-and-a-half months of working on the cards, launched them on Sept. 27, which was also World Tourism Day. The set of eight postcards (`600) are available on Amazon.
What’s inside
Andaman: Night kayaking experience
Jaisalmer: Open camping in the desert
Spiti: A letter to the winter mountain desert
Kashmir: Great Lakes trek
Shillong: Lake house in the middle of nowhere
Kerala: The Theyyam festival
Bhutan: Lunching with monks of Tiger Nest
Sri Lanka: A scenic train ride