Permit Rules for North East - 2011

There are 7 North-Eastern states - which is a hidden treasure of India. Unfortunately Indian Govt always treat them as a step son. They are:

Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura, Sikkim.

Assam & Meghalaya you do not need any permit.

Nagaland had done away with permit in 2011:

http://www.tourismnagaland.com/Queries/EntryForma.html But, I read somewhere, it was done on experimental basis, I am not sure if they will impose it again in 2012. (This rule is applicable only for foreigners)

Sikkim: you would need permit - this can be obtained from Sikkim House in Kolkata near Maidan Metro/Under ground train station

http://www.sikkimtourism.travel/Webforms/General/Essential%20Information/Entry.aspx.

Mizoram you would need to obtain permit - if you are traveling in group of at least 4 person you can obtain it from Kolkata, if you are alone you must obtain it from Ministry of Home Affairs in Delhi:

http://mizotourism.nic.in/entryformal.htm

Arunachal Pradesh: Yes you do need a permit.

http://www.arunachaltourism.com/entry.php

Manipur is a disturbed place at the moment.

In my opinion it is better to get the permit from Delhi.

(Contributed by CS Arghya Bhattacharya from Kolkata)

To know more see my frind's blog : http://thetravellust.com/category/1-by-countries/india-countries-i-have-been/northeast-of-india/nagaland-northeast-india-countries-i-have-been-countries-i-have-been/

Odessa file in Odisha!

Place list

I am giving the link of the flow chart(with notes and pics) of our journey here. People has complained about the difficulty in reading by continuous dragging. So one can also the click

the link below for easier readability :

http://www.tripline.net/trip/Grand_Orissa_Tour_and_Olive_Ridley_Turtle_conservation_Programme-5146113252021004917EAF04C031CF14?n=9#upload

Latest Email Hoaxes - Current Internet Scams

Every week we get many email forwards : giving advice of various things,health related precautions, foods which are bad for health,'if you forward this mail to 100 people, somebody will get xx dollar' etc.

I have found 99% of them are myth and hoaxes. So one should verify it in the website mentioned below before fowarding:

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/

Hoax-Slayer is dedicated to debunking email hoaxes, thwarting Internet scammers, combating spam, and educating web users about email and Internet security issues.

Hoax-Slayer allows Internet users to check the veracity of common email hoaxes and aims to counteract criminal activity by publishing information about common types of Internet scams.

Hoax-Slayer also includes anti-spam tips, computer and email security information, articles about true email forwards, and much more. New articles are added to the Hoax-Slayer website every week.

To give one example :

Forward Message to Help Severely Burned Child Hoax

Summary:

Email, complete with photographs of a badly burned child, claims that 11 cents will be donated to the child's family every time the message is sent to others (Full commentary below.)

Status:

False

Example:(Submitted, May 2006)

I never forward chain mails , but this one i cannot say keep it ot myself.

It is difficult to look at the picks.....its ok if you can't.....but pls forward

I AM FORWARDING COS IT'S FOR A GOOD CAUSE.

if u scare easily or if your squeamish don't see the pictures, just Forward to all the Persons in your address book and you would be helping out this little Girl To Get Better and start living a normal life!!!! You may not want to look at the pictures but please pass this Around To Help them. Our prayers will surely make a diff. For all what is worth. I do not know how they will get money, but At least our prayers will.

This photo attached is of a little child that has been severely burnt (literally from head to toe). His/her parents cannot afford to get the bandages and ointments necessary for the treatment so every time this email goes out they will be given 11 cents towards assisting these parents. I don't know the full story because everything was Portuguese, but that doesn't matter the only thing is this email must keep going around as much as possible. Thank you!

Note:
This message comes with 8 photographs of a severely burned child. Due to their particularly disturbing nature, these pictures have not been included.

Commentary:
This foolish hoax email claims that recipients can help the family of a severely burned child pay medical expenses simply by forwarding the message. The email arrives with several photographs showing a child with what appears to be horrific burn injuries. According to the message, 11 cents will be donated to the family every time the message is passed on.

The message has no information about the identity of the child depicted in the photographs. Nor does it explain how the child was burned or where the injuries occurred. The message claims that the "full story" was written in Portuguese. However, at this point, I have been unable to verify this claim or discover the true identity of the child.

Regardless of who or where the child is, forwarding this message will do nothing at all to help her or her family. Like many similar hoax messages, it makes the completely ridiculous claim that money will be donated every time the message is sent to others.

In fact, this example is even more absurd than others of its ilk. Others at least make an effort to convince recipients that the claim is legitimate by naming a company or organization that will donate the money. This one, however, would have us believe that every time the message is sent, 11 cents will be donated apparently out of thin air.

Even in the hugely improbable event that some unnamed entity had agreed to participate in such an exercise, there is simply no reliable way of tracking an individual email message that may well be forwarded many thousands of times. That is, it would be impossible to work out how much money the silent benefactor would be obligated to donate.

To reiterate, although it may possibly be true that the family of this unknown child is in need of financial assistance in order to cover medical bills, forwarding this email message will do absolutely nothing to help them. Any message that claims that donations are somehow dependent on how many times the message is sent to others is almost certainly a hoax.

Hoaxes that base their nonsensical claims on stories of sick or injured children are especially reprehensible. Please do not give continued life to such hoaxes by forwarding them to others.

A similar hoax message capitalizes on the true case of little Polish girl Ola Kuczma (Alexandra) who was badly burned in a house fire in 2005.

Fun at work: Making people happy all over the world is my dream job

ET Bureau Dec 30, 2011, 07.10am IST

Alexander Kjerulf has been making a living out of happiness as a speaker, consultant and author. Living in Copenhagen, Kjerulf presents, consults and conducts workshops on happiness at work and conferences with clients including DaimlerChrysler, Tata, IBM, PricewaterhouseCoopers andLego. He has authored Happy Hour is 9 to 5 – How to Love Your Job, Love Your Life and Kick Butt at Work. He is also avidly followed on his blog, Positive Sharing. In an interview with Manoj Nair, Kjerulf speaks about his job, happiness and the relationship between the two. Edited excerpts:

Who or what is a Chief Happiness Officer (CHO)?

The CHO title is modeled on all the other CXO titles. The CTO is in charge of technology, the CFO is responsible for the financials, the COO is head of operations. And when you realise that employee happiness is the most important success factor for any business today, it becomes essential to have a chief happiness officer, someone who is the main driver in making and keeping the workplace happy.

Do you think companies should begin appointing CHOs or hire happiness consultants?

Yes, any company needs a CHO. And many can benefit from outside help to become happier. That's certainly what our clients tell us.

How did you make the leap from a geek to a happiness freak?

After I'd been in the IT business for about 10 years I sold my IT consulting company in 2002. After that, I took a break to ask myself, "What is my vision? What am I really passionate about?" And I realised that it was no longer IT, it was this idea of spreading happiness at work.

You have come to India and worked with managements here. What advice would you give to employers to turn the workplace into a honeycomb of bliss?

Well, bliss may be a strong word. But there are two things I've noticed about Indian workplaces that I think you need to change before they can become really happy. One is that there seems to be a very authoritarian culture — the boss' word is law and the structure is very hierarchical. Also, in some places, at least, low-level employees are treated quite rudely or badly. This is bad for employee happiness. It is important to treat every employee, regardless of status or position, with respect.

Also, I've noticed that Indian workplaces look to the US for clues on management. Well, let me tell you something: The American management style doesn't even work that well in America. And considering how rich Indian culture is, I would much rather see Indian workplaces look there for inspiration than to the US.

Finally, I think the huge advantage you have in India is that there is already in Indian culture and society a desire to be happy, at least in private life. I would love to see more Indians take that desire into the workplace.

What is your idea of fun at the workplace? Is it no work at all? Or you pretend to enjoy what you do?

I love what Noel Coward said once: "Work is much more fun than fun." Happiness at work really comes from two things: results and relationships. Results is when you're good at what you do. You make a difference and you can be proud of your work. Relationships is when you like and respect the people you work with and they like you. If you have that, you will be happy at work.

Do you really 'need' to have happiness in your workplace to be effective?

Yes! Studies show that employee happiness is the main factor that drives business success. Happy workplaces are more innovative, have happier customers, sell more products, have lower absenteeism and employee turnover and make more money.

What is the critical thing one can do to make a difference to happiness at the workplace and those of co-workers?

It's to focus on the right things. Happiness at work is not about salary, bonuses, workplace fitness or titles. As long as we focus only on those, we can never create a happy workplace. It's about results and relationships.

Happiness at work always remains a theoretical concept. How can one turn that theory into praxis?

That is a great question — and it's really about focusing on results and relationships. It means creating a workplace where every single employee goes home from work knowing that they've done great, important work together with great people. On a very practical level, here are some simple things any workplace can do.

1. Praise people . Praising other people's good work is one of the simplest and most effective ways to make them happy. Don't make a big production out of it, just make it a habit to appreciate a job well done whenever and wherever you see it.

2. Say, "Good morning". In too many workplaces, people have gotten into the habit of not saying good morning to their coworkers. Make sure to greet each person in your department in a happy, cheerful way. A tip: Make eye contact, use the person's name and sound happy!

3. Perform a random act of workplace kindness. Do something nice and surprising for a co-worker. Bring him a cup of coffee. Leave some candy on her desk anonymously. Flowers work too and so does a hand-written note saying what you appreciate about that person.

4. As a manager, every workday , make sure to take five minutes with one of your employees. Find out how that person is doing. Ask if they have any problems you can help with. Find out how they're doing at home. This is a simple way for managers to create a better relationship with employees.

5. Get to know a co-worker . Go talk to one of your co-workers and learn three new facts about that person. Like their favorite movie, best vacation ever, where they grew up... anything really.

All of this may sound trivial — and believe me, it is. That's why it works. Happiness at work is not rocket science – anyone can do it and simple methods like these work the best.

Why did you call your interesting blog Positive Sharing... What has that got to do with happiness at work? What exactly is positive sharing?

I called the blog that as a response to all the negative content on the internet. It seems that people in general are much more likely to write about or share things that annoy them, anger them or sadden them. Which is fine, but there is just so much of it on the internet.

So, I only write about the positive – for instance, if I read a business book I like I'll review it on my blog. If I don't like the book I just don't write about it. And yes, there are things that anger, annoy and sadden me but I honestly don't feel like sharing that with the millions of people who read my blog. I'd much rather share the positive.

Did coming from Denmark, one of the happiest countries, have anything to do with giving yourself that title?

Absolutely — employee happiness is a basic foundation of Danish working culture and most Danish workers are on average the happiest in the world. This gives me a great foundation for our work.

Do you follow all the advice that you give to others?

Of course I do. At least most of the time.