Monday, December 28, 2015

Three interesting Indian festivals to attend


The sheer number of festivals celebrated across the country reflect India's cultural and religious diversity. Out of the hundreds of festivals celebrated in India every year, there are a few that stand out for various reasons.

First-time and seasoned travelers who wish to experience India in new ways should consider attending one of the following festivals.

Image source: hindutva.info

1. Nag Panchmi

Snakes play an important role in Hindu mythology, which is why devout Hindus all over India and in some areas of Nepal dedicate one day to their worship. On Nag Panchmi, people cannot dig in the earth as doing so might harm the snakes that live there. Images of snakes are washed with milk or water then worshipped by reciting a certain mantra. In some places, live snakes are worshipped. Offerings of milk, crystallized sugar, rice pudding, and lotus flowers are made.

Nag Panchmi falls on the fifth day of the waxing or waning of the moon, in the month of Shravan (July or August.)

2. Kila Raipur Sports Festival

Often referred to as the "rural Olympics," this festival features many impressive feats of athleticism. These include wrestling and strongman contests, as well as more unusual activities such as lifting a plow with one's mouth, getting run over by a tractor, and forming complicated stunts on motorcycles.

The festival has been held annually in Kila Raipur near Punjab since 1938, and the entire celebration lasts for three days.


Image source: keralapix.com

3. Pulikali during Onam

Onam is a harvest festival and the national festival of Kerala. In Thrissur and Palghat, pulikali is an important part of Onam celebrations.

On the fourth day of Onam, men painted and dressed as tigers perform pulikali, the tiger dance. To prepare for pulikali, they shave their body hair and get painted to look like tigers. They also wear masks, fake teeth, and belts with bells. When the paint dries, the performers converge on Thrissur and dance in the streets, shaking their bellies to music played on local instruments, with spectators joining in on the fun and dancing with them.

Festivals in India are celebrations of life, history, and culture. To learn more about them, subscribe to this CKGS blog.

Monday, December 7, 2015

Support services: Tasks you should be outsourcing


In the early days, lower operational and labor costs were among the primary motivations to outsource. However, today, organizations from different industries outsource so that they can continually focus on their core businesses and functions, while hiring outside resources to perform activities traditionally handled by internal staff and resources.

Outsourcing has many benefits. It can reduce and control operating costs, improve company focus, and provide access to world class capabilities. Organizations looking for support services should be outsourcing these tasks to maximize their operations:


Image source: blog.import.io

In the early days, lower operational and labor costs were among the primary motivations to outsource. However, today, organizations from different industries outsource so that they can continually focus on their core businesses and functions, while hiring outside resources to perform activities traditionally handled by internal staff and resources.

Outsourcing has many benefits. It can reduce and control operating costs, improve company focus, and provide access to world class capabilities. Organizations looking for support services should be outsourcing these tasks to maximize their operations:

Administrative tasks. Application processes, documentations, data entry and other non-judgmental tasks can usually be handled by a specialist business process outsource agency. Although these tasks could be crucial to proper operations of an organization, they are not usually the core activities.

Customer service. Customer support workers or “agents” from BPO companies are ideal assistance as companies rarely have time to deal with every customer question and concern.

IT operations. Due to its cost, most entities hire an IT company to handle the maintenance and repair functions of their organizations.

Marketing. From website design to product development, a marketing firm can effectively provide an outside perspective that an internal marketing staff cannot. They can also be efficient, both in terms of budget and time, as they allow you to focus more on the main objectives of your team.


Image source: .instantshift.com

The best way to hire high-quality business process outsource agency is by assessing them based on their expertise and experience.

Cox & Kings Global Services provides administrative support for diplomatic missions worldwide. Subscribe to this Google+ page for more insights on outsourcing.