Attending a conference abroad is so painful because of all the paper work one has to do to get a visa and to obtain some grant money. But, it does not end with the conference itself, as one has to then come back and submit all the bills, which is another set of paperwork. And, this I realize now is more troublesome of the two. I went to a conference in Jan 2013 and submitted the bills in Feb 2013. It is now June and I am yet to get the grant money that was promised to me by DST. First, they don't have the basic coutesy to send an acknowledgment email to the the claimant who has sent all the original documents by post. And, this is a major drawback and you get all worried coz a large sum is at stake. Second, when you try calling them at the phone number that they have provided in your grant letter, they never pick it up! Half the time you get a busy tone, which I am sure is because they have set the reciever down coz they do not want to be "disturbed" for exactl...
You will find nothing of value here. This is just a collection of discrete random thoughts and incidents.