Posts Tagged ‘Tourism’

Apply for Know India Programme

February 10th, 2012
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This is a HIGHLY SUBSIDISED program to get to know India! Hard to believe, but yes its true :-)

 

The Know India Programme (KIP) was earlier known as the Internship Programme for Diaspora Youth (IPDY). The KIP is organized in order to associate the younger generation of the widely spread out Indian Diaspora closely with India. Nineteen such KIPs have been organised till now by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA), Government of India (GOI), with a view to promote awareness on India, its socio-cultural diversity, its all round development, its emergence as an economic powerhouse, India being a centre of higher education and the ongoing developments in various fields including infrastructure, Information technology etc. The participants from countries having larger population of People of Indian Origin (PIO) are selected based on recommendations made by Indian Missions / Posts abroad. They are provided with full hospitality and are reimbursed 90% of the cheapest economy class airfare from their respective country to India and back. Each KIP is organized in partnership with the State Governments, and each KIP is of 3-weeks duration and has not more than 40 participants.

More Details:

The 20th, 21st, and 22nd KIPs will be held in partnership with the state governments of Goa, Uttaranchal, and Karnataka respectively.

The Know India Programme (KIP) is organized in order to associate the younger generation of the Indian Diaspora closely with India. Nineteen such KIPs have been organised till now. The KIP provides a unique forum for students and young professionals of Indian origin to share their views, expectations and experience to bond closely with contemporary India. Each KIP is of three weeks duration and not exceeding 40 participants. The programmes have been greatly appreciated by the past KIP participants.

2.             The 20th KIP is expected to commence in April 2012, in partnership with the State Government of Goa.

3.             The 21st KIP is expected to commence in August 2012, in partnership with the State Government of Uttaranchal.

4.             The 22nd KIP is expected to commence in December 2012, in partnership with the State Government of Karnataka.

5.             The KIP is open to youth of Indian origin [excluding Non-Resident Indians (NRIs)] in the age group of 18-26 years as on the first day of the month in which the programme is expected to commence.

6.             The contents of each KIP may include the following:

i.)      Presentations on the country, political process, developments in various sectors.

ii.)     Interaction with faculty and students at a prestigious University / College / Institute.

iii.)    Presentation on the industrial development and visits to some Industries / factories.

iv.)    Visit to a village to better understand the typical village life.

v.)     Exposure to Indian media.

vi.)    Interaction with NGOs and organisations dealing with women affairs.

vii.)   Visit to places of Historical Importance / Monuments.

viii.)  Taking part in Cultural Programmes.

ix.)    Call on High Dignitaries, which may include President of India, Chief Election Commissioner of India, Comptroller and Auditor General of India, Ministers-in-charge of Overseas Indian Affairs, Youth Affairs and Sports, and other dignitaries.

7.             The candidates should either be holding a Graduate Degree or studying for graduation. They should be able to converse in English (they should have studied English as a subject at the High School level or should have English as a medium of instruction for under-graduate course).

8.             The applicant should not have participated in any previous KIP or Internship Programme for Diaspora Youth (IPDY). Students and those who have not visited India before are encouraged to apply.

9.             The applicant should also enclose a medical fitness certificate from a General Physician along with their application, stating that the participant is medically fit to take part in this 3-week KIP in India.

10.          If selected for the programme, the participants would take an overseas medical insurance to cover the duration of the visit, failing which they would not be issued visa to participate in the programme.

11.          The participants are provided the following hospitality / facilities in India:

i.)      Local hospitality e.g. boarding / lodging in State Guest Houses or budget hotels.

ii.)     Internal travel as per the Programme.

iii.)    Per diem allowance of Rs.100/- for out-of-pocket expenses.

iv.)    They may be granted Gratis Visa by Indian Mission / Posts abroad.

v.)     90% of the total cost of the air ticket for the cheapest economy class travel from the participant’s respective country to India and back is reimbursable to them by Indian Missions / Posts abroad after their successful participation in the KIP.

12.          Selected applicants are required to abide by the regulations of the KIP as conveyed to them by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) or an agency nominated by it for the conduct of the KIP. The participants are required to offer their full cooperation in the smooth conduct of the KIP, and they are not expected to leave the KIP mid-way.

13.          Nominations have to be forwarded through Indian Missions abroad and have to be endorsed by HOMs before being considered for selection. A copy of the nomination / registration forms and details of the KIP is available online at www.indianhighcommission.com.my/kip.php

14.          The duly filled-in applications should be submitted either by hand / by post to:

High Commission of India,
Education Section,
No. 2, Jalan Taman Duta, Off Jalan Duta,
50480 Kuala Lumpur.

15.          The last date for receipt of nominations for the 20th, 21st and 22nd KIPs should be sent by 05 March 2012, 25 June 2012, and 29 October 2102 respectively.

 

Forms:

Application Form (PDF or Ms Word)

Guideline: Guideline KIP

references:

http://www.indianhighcommission.com.my/kip.php

http://indianhighcommission.com.my/pressview.php?Id=119

Note: thanks to Novinthen for info.

Bangkok Pattaya Trip Day 3

September 2nd, 2011
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Photo Slideshow:


Had breakfast at the hotel at 6.30am, followed by a boat trip to Coral Island which is about 15 minutes from Pattaya beach.

Along the way, we stopped at one of the floating piers for those interested to do parasailing. Then went up for a round.

Video of parasailing:

Reached the island by 9am, and it was very hot. I didn’t feel like entering the sea as the weather was too hot, and the crowd was a lot. Just lazed and enjoyed watching the crowd.

Left the island at 11am, after Then did some shopping (yeah, they have a long row of stalls selling clothes, trinkets, food etc. along the whole beach).

We headed back to hotel to freshen up and then took lunch at the place below:

This was followed by visit to a gem factory and a honey factory. Then bought some honey here. The sales guy was a Malay speaking Indonesian-Thai guy.

Next destination was the Pattaya Floating Market (artificial) which was also packed with visitors.

Its a interconnected pathway on water (small lake) which houses many stalls. This place is quite big, and if you plan to spend time to buy stuff, then should allocate 2 to 3 hours here. There’s many stalls selling trinkets, handicraft, food, and so on.  Unfortunately, I started to feel sick at this point, so didn’t venture out much.

Our next destination was dinner, at Alangkarn at 5.30pm.

The reason for the early dinner is because of the Alangkarn Extravaganza Show at 6pm. This is a sound/light based stage show which highlights the legends and history of Thailand. It ran for about 1.5 hours and really worth it. This is the first time I’ve seen 6 elephants on stage at the same time, and two elephants involved in a mock fight! After the show ended, we were given opportunity to take pictures with the performers (for a fee of course).

Unfortunately, the audience are not allowed to take photos or videos during the show, so I didn’t bring in the DSLR. Took sneak shots using Samsung normal digicam, hence the poor quality.

Final itinerary for the day was a traditional Thai massage. It was a two hour massage at Massage Pavillion. No photos here, sorry :-)

Read about Day 2 here.

 

Bangkok Pattaya Trip Day 2 Part 3

September 2nd, 2011
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Continuing from part 2, we reached our hotel at Pattaya at about 7pm, after dinner. Rested for a while before heading out for the cabaret show called Alcazar. It was a 1.5 hour dance show featuring transvestites.

From Bangkok Pattaya Trip Day 2 Part 3

The hall was packed, I guess easily with about 2000 people. Quite an entertaining performance by the singers and dancers. There was even a dance to Siti Nurhaliza song (Cindai). Also featured was a dance for Hindi movie song. Below are photo slideshow and video clips taken at the show (13 parts):

Photos:

Video Part 1 (26 sec):

Part 2 (16 sec):

Part 3 (58 sec):

Part 4 (2 min 26 sec) – the one with Siti Nurhaliza song:

Part 5 (8 min 3 sec):

Part 6 (3 min 5 sec):

Part 7 (6 min 51 sec):

Part 8 (5 min 22 sec):

Part 9 (2 min 30 sec):

Part 10 (1 min 43 sec):

Part 11 (10 sec) – one performer, two dress:

From Bangkok Pattaya Trip Day 2 Part 3

Part 12 (1 min 21 sec):

Part 13 (27 sec) – continue from earlier segment:

As you may know, Pattaya is famous for the night life, and its not so suitable for families, especially at night. Pattaya was a quiet town up to 1960s, when the US soldiers came down to camp. From then, entertainment spots sprouted, and after 50 years, Pattaya is as it is now, more seedy than serene. In a way, the area become developed, but I think at a high cost.

Day 3 coming up next.

Sunset at Port Dickson

September 1st, 2011
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Some pics taken at Admiral Cove Port Dickson:

Floria Putrajaya 2011 Day 1

July 10th, 2011
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From Floria Putrajaya 2011 Day 1

Went to Putrajaya yesterday morning to visit the Floria flower festival. It was the 1st day of the festival. We reached the venue at 9am but the opening ceremony was not started yet. The weather was cloudy, and it rained early in the morning. Heard that PM Najib was to dropped by as he was there for some koperasi event. The launching was supposed to be by FT Minister, but I saw on TV PM launching it. We saw Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen turun padang as well.

From Floria Putrajaya 2011 Day 1
From Floria Putrajaya 2011 Day 1

First impression we got was that last year’s festival was better in terms of the flower attraction. Maybe since its the first day or because we have seen the same stuff last year. Noticed that the small amount of the roses were not fresh or starting to wilt. I think the weather in coming days will make it worse. There were platforms to walk this time, so can avoid the mud after rain.

From Floria Putrajaya 2011 Day 1
From Floria Putrajaya 2011 Day 1

We were interviewed by RTM but it didn’t appear on TV.

We spent about 3 hours visiting the flower booths and the stalls. The aircond pavillion was closed (supposed to open at 2pm only).  Will visit again to cover the pavillion and also the night floral parade.

The food stalls were similar to those last year.

This time around, we saw more activities lined up for families and children.

Crowd was about 100 cars by 9am, but by the time we left at 12pm, I estimate about 400 cars were in the parking bays.

Took about 80+ photos only this time.