The Inflight Magazine of SpiceJetIssue 203 · September 2026

Bookmark

Top 5 Events in October

September 2026 · Issue 203

A domed yellow church above the rooftops of Munich
Spice Route, September 2026

Oktoberfest

4 October

Oktoberfest, the world’s most famous beer festival and a major tourism event, wraps up its annual celebrations in Munich during the first week of October. A showcase of Bavarian hospitality, Oktoberfest brings together local customs, music, regional cuisine, cultural performances, and colourful parades. Visitors can experience traditional attire, lively brass bands, historic fairground attractions, and an energetic festival atmosphere across the city’s iconic Theresienwiese grounds.

Bathukamma Festival

10-18 October

Bathukamma is Telangana’s vibrant festival celebrating nature, womanhood, and the region’s cultural heritage, and bringing neighbourhoods together. Women create colourful flower arrangements using seasonal blooms and gather in traditional attire to sing, dance, and participate in community celebrations.

Dussehra

20 October

Vijayadashami, also known as Dussehra, marks the triumph of good over evil and concludes the Navratri celebrations. Across northern India, large-scale Ram-Leela performances culminate in the ceremonial burning of effigies of Ravana, Meghnad and Kumbhakarna, symbolising Lord Rama’s victory.

Jodhpur RIFF

22-26 October

The Jodhpur RIFF to be held this October at the iconic Mehrangarh Fort brings together musicians, artists and performers from six continents. Over 250 performers from around the globe will spell their magic under the open star-lit skies. A fascinating collaboration this year brings together Polish singer Karolina Cicha - devoted to resurrecting the vanishing Tatar music - and Anita Dangi of Rajasthan’s classical Rajwaadi Maand style.

Tawang Festival

27–31 October

The Tawang Festival 2026 will bring the cultural heritage, traditions, and natural beauty of Arunachal Pradesh to the forefront through a five-day celebration in the scenic Himalayan town of Tawang. Set against a backdrop of high-altitude mountains and monasteries, the festival will feature traditional dances, local music, indigenous sports, and regional culinary experiences.

Advertisement from the printed edition of Spice Route
Advertisement from the printed edition of Spice Route
Advertisement from the printed edition of Spice Route
Advertisement from the printed edition of Spice Route
Advertisement from the printed edition of Spice Route
Advertisement from the printed edition of Spice Route

CLOUD COMPLIMENTS

SUPER

SpiceJet

EXPERIENCES

To the Management of SpiceJet, I am writing to express my deepest gratitude for the extraordinary assistance provided by one of your staff members, Mr. Srinivas Kasoju, during a stressful ordeal my son and I faced at the Hyderabad airport in the early morning hours of August 17th. My son, Aaditya Penmetsa, and I had just collected our boarding passes at the Cathay Pacific counter in Row H. We then stopped at Door 8 to rearrange our carry-on bags before heading to the international exit point at Row P. While standing in line for exit immigration, my son realized that he no longer had his passport or boarding pass. We were both immediately overcome with panic - he was going to join his college - so it was imperative that we get on that flight on the 17th! We retraced our steps frantically, asking every official we could find, including at the informa-¬tion booth, whether anyone had seen the missing passport. When we retraced our steps back to Door 8 It was there that Mr. Srinivas, seeing the panic on our faces, stepped in without hesitation to help us. He went far above and beyond what anyone could have expected of him: He personally approached security personnel, sweeping staff, immigration officials, and other airline’s staff to search for the passport. He physically went with my son and I to retrace our steps — even running alongside him — to search the areas we had passed through - asking everyone who was within the vicinity. When security informed us that the passport had been located and directed us to Row P, he accom-¬panied us there to make sure everything was han-¬dled correctly. When we learned the passport had been handed over to Cathay Pacific, he personally guided us to the right Cathay Pacific officials to help us retrieve it — with only about 10 minutes left before boarding. He then walked us all the way back to immigra-¬tion and spoke directly with the officer on duty to help expedite our exit and security clearance so we would not miss our flight. And we made it in time - and have arrived in time for Aaditya’s college as well. Throughout this ordeal, Mr. Srinivas’s calm reassurance, quick thinking, and genuine com-¬mitment to helping us made all the difference. Because of him, my son and I were able to board our flight in the nick of time, and what could have been a devastating experience instead became a story of remarkable kindness and professionalism. Perhaps most remarkably, when we tried to offer him monetary compensation for his time and effort, he firmly declined. He told us he was simply happy to have helped us make our flight. He made a BIG impact on us - that there is still humanity in this world - a sense that there are people who just want to do the right thing - by helping a fellow human being. I’m glad that he is on your staff - since it aligns with your core val-¬ues of taking care of your customers ( and I was not even a SpiceJet customer this time around). Aaditya and I want to sincerely thank Srinivas garu, from the bottom of our hearts, for his help during this ordeal. I would respectfully request that SpiceJet publicly recognize Mr. Srinivas’s exceptional commitment to service — a value your airline has long been known for. I would also be grateful if you could let me know how I might contribute toward his recognition, whether through an award, com-¬mendation, or monetary gift, since he would not accept anything from us directly. Thank you again, Srinivas garu, and thank you, SpiceJet, for having staff who so genuinely em-¬body your values of care and service. This is what relief looks like (Aaditya and I), with Mr. Srinivas Kasoju an amazing and kind human being - and an embodiment of SpiceJet’s values.

Thank you again Srinivas garu.

CLOUD COMPLIMENTS
Advertisement from the printed edition of Spice Route
  • Terraced tea gardens and a winding road below cloud-covered hills

    Getaway

    Rain-Kissed Getaways

    Before the monsoon departs, follow the rains to these five under-the-radar places. And let the scenery and the calm wash over you.

  • Turmeric powder, turmeric root, fresh ginger and citrus on a dark surface

    Wellness

    Kitchen Foods That Heal

    Healing, practically, means three things: lowering the background inflammation you are carrying, feeding the gut lining that does most of your immune work, and restoring the minerals stress and sweat drain out of you. Regular food items and spices in your kitchen do that quietly, cheaply, and without a subscription.

  • Steamed modaks on a brass plate before a Ganesha idol, with red flowers

    Potpourri

    On the Modak Trail

    From Maharashtra’s evergreen ukadiche modak to Tamil Nadu’s kozhukattai, the modak – a festive mainstay during Ganesh Chaturthi – is a marriage of memory and culinary tradition.

  • Chef Ranveer Brar holding a plated dessert

    Face to Face

    The Flavour Maverick

    A chef, restaurateur, author, television personality and actor, Ranveer Brar has spent nearly three decades exploring what food reveals about people and places. In this conversation, he reflects on kebabchis who shaped his culinary experiences, the langars, and the many worlds his work has taken him to. Also the curiosity that continues to drive him to take on new journeys.

  • Illustration: a rhino silhouette beneath an acacia tree against a setting sun

    Facts and Figures

    World Rhino Day

    Observed on 22 September every year, World Rhino Day celebrates these magnificent herbivores, among the largest land animals alive. However, despite conservation and breeding success stories, four of the species are in danger of going extinct. At present, almost 28,000 of these odd-toed ungulates remain.

  • A monastery on a rocky hilltop below snow-capped mountains in Ladakh

    Snapshots

    Many Shades of Ladakh

    One of the highest regions in the world, Ladakh is perched at an altitude of above 3500m. It unfolds as a breathtaking spectacle with majestic snow-capped mountains, vast barren deserts, deep valleys, turquoise lakes and picturesque vistas.