Do you fulfil the eligibility criteria?

Eligibility.jpg

20th June 2028
Finally he had saved enough.  He was eager to see the surprised look on her face when Amazon would finally deliver it to her on her birthday. After all those years they had finally finished the eligibility checklist to go to their dream destination. They had dreamt for it for years. After having travelled to more than 25 countries, this destination from their own country was waiting to be ticked off the list. They badly wanted to go there like all other die hard travellers. After a long wait, they had managed to fulfil the conditions required to visit this dreamland.

Ting Tong ! The doorbell rang. She casually opened the door and was amazed to see a big wrapped box from amazon. She hastily signed the receipt and ran inside with the box, her heart pumping with joy ! It was finally there in front of her : Canon EOS 12D Mark VI (~ read it as the most updated Canon camera then) It was the only thing missing in their bags which were already packed. She knew something like this would be coming in the smallest little corner of her heart. She removed the old camera and neatly arranged the new one.

Neh-Nadakh ! The northern gem in their own country had its own terms and conditions set up by the army who was in care of this paradise on earth. Global warming had eaten up half of the beautiful destinations around the globe. A few remained, which were nestled deep inside the protections of the mountains and far away from the cities. Neh- Nadakh was one of them. The Army had put strict restrictions on entry of tourists in those areas. She had applied for the entry 3 years ago. Last month was the happiest when they got the approval.

He had decorated a travel wall in their house for all their travel memoirs. The one document that was hanging there since 3 years was the eligibility sheet for Neh-Nadakh. He had studied it in detail and had taken care that they both missed nothing. He had his vacation approved from his office automatically as he showed his entry document to Neh-Nadakh. It was a prestigious document to possess.

Before stepping out of the house, he took one last look at the document. Yes they deserved it.
They were first amongst their friends to get the entry to Neh Nadakh and had already guided many of them who wished to have it badly. The terms and conditions were indeed difficult to fulfil.

—–Eligibility Criteria to Visit Neh-Nadakh —-
  • The applicant should have proven to be a non-smoker for the past three years since the date of application
  • The applicant must not have been caught for littering or ever throwing anything out of any car onto the road. 
  • People consuming tobacco and/or pan masala are strictly not allowed to apply.
  • All the CCTV footage will be screened for the past five years of all areas that the applicant claims to have visited 
  • All the social media accounts of the applicant will be assessed for the genuine love of travel and to visit places close to nature. 
  • Points will be calculated on the basis of places visited earlier. Please check Annexure A for points specific to destinations.
  • A minimum of travel experience of 4 years is required to apply.
  • Hikers and cyclists will gain extra points and have an advantage over other travellers as they fulfil the clause of non-polluting mode of transport. 
  • Applicants speaking over the normal 60 dB level will be denied entry and might be asked to leave after 3 warnings as it goes against the clause of peace and serenity in Neh-Nadakh.
  • Applicants authorise the army and its official third part representative to conduct background check to assess the certificate of character of the applicant. 
  • If the applicant is found to bring any non-permitted plastic in Neh-Nadakh, he will be expelled and banned from entering the premises for life. 
  • Applicant has to submit fitness certificate from registered medical practitioner from May 2027 to visit Neh-Nadakh as the oxygen levels have been steadily dipping over the recent years.  
  • Alcohol is illegal in Neh-Nadakh and those who cannot survive without it are advised not to apply for entry. 
  • After the eligibility criteria are fulfilled, applicants will be selected for an online interview over video calls. Selected applicants will be notified on email and are requested to select a convenient slot for the interview through the secure link provided on email. 
  • The application charges for the entry to Neh-Nadakh will be INR 9750/- per applicant and will be non-refundable. 
  • Tangong Lake is a special zone protected by World Environment Society and can be seen from a distance of 50 mts away form the lake. Strict action will be taken against any person crossing the line.
  • Applicants are encouraged to travel in smaller groups to maintain the sanctity of the destination. 
  • Photography skills will be an additional parameter in the selection process. Please provide the links of your photo gallery in the space provided in the application form.
  • Applicant must give true and valid information while filling the application form. If any information is found to be untrue, he/she can be banned from visiting Neh-Nadakh for life. 
They both had no worries as to most of the points. He was extremely addicted to cleanliness and had a rule to carry a garbage bag wherever they went. The car had a small dustbin too. And she was a good photographer. They were a little bit of hikers and had decided to hike as much possible, combined with a small bicycle trail and the rest journey with bikes. All this had helped them gain those bonus points. The travel history was brilliant with awesome destinations gaining good points again.” Even the US visa was easier “, she had exclaimed on the day they had finally received their entry document.
‘I can’t wait to see the blue of Tangong’ she said to him. He smiled as she dozed of waiting for the flight to take off.
She woke up and found herself in her bedroom. “Where am I ? What happened ?” She screamed !
He came running bringing the newspaper in his hand.
“You won’t believe what just happened” They both spoke at the same time.
Before she could narrate her dream, her eyes perfectly fell on right little corner of  the front page of the newspaper.

“Neh-Nadakh permanently closed for tourists. Tangong dries up”

Neh – (From Agencies)
Despite warnings, tourists have been continuing to litter and throw junk and plastic all over the area. Global warming has been an additional contributor to the saddening state of the area around the crown of our country. Roads have been rammed with motorbikes and SUV’s competing to reach the passes throughout the summer season for the past couple of years. The locals have given up and hate the over booming tourism which they claim, have disturbed the sanctity of Neh-Nadakh. They have closed the shops, hotels and restaurants and demand total control over quality of tourists flooding the region. The Government has entrusted the responsibility of the region fully to the army and has restricted any tourist movement until further orders.
She was speechless. They were planning to go to Neh-Nadakh this summer. They were so eager and had postponed the trip unreasonably. She practically had tears in her eyes.
If only her dream could come true ! In dismay, she cut out the paper article and pinned it on their travel wall at the same place where the eligibility document had been in her dream !
P.S :
  • All the characters and places mentioned in this article are fictitious and their resemblance to any place existing or extinct is a mere coincidence.
  • If you feel this resembles to any of your dream destination and wish that this story be a piece of fiction as it rightly is, PLEASE be a responsible traveller. Do not throw garbage and do respect the nature. Mankind is no-one before it.

3 thoughts on “Do you fulfil the eligibility criteria?

Leave a Reply