Exploring the Northeast: my travel blog

IT'S A WHOLE NEW WORLD OUT THERE!

Manipur: Floating islands, navigating a "phumdi", a tribute to the fallen, mythical dragons, a live concert... click here.

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Assam: Rhinos, rustic chic, the world's biggest river island, traditional dances, tribal culture, a dinner cruise on the mighty Brahmaputra... click here.

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Meghalaya: Living Root Bridge, Asia's cleanest village, the wettest place on earth, Mawsmai Cave... click here.

• ALSO READ: Blast from the past: Travels in Malaysia.

How grit can make you successful in your career

How important is the grit factor? Grit, defined as passion and perseverance for long-term goals, isn't something you are born with. It can be learned. Here's how:

LISTEN TO THESE TWO FASCINATING PODCASTS

1. Hidden Brain, hosted by Shankar Vedantam (here you can listen to this particular episode, download the podcast, and read the transcript)

2. Freakonomics Radio, hosted by Stephen J. Dubner — click on this link: How to Get More Grit in Your Life.

• By the way, NPR is a wonderful source of some gripping podcasts, as is Longform. Here are some of my favourites:

The mother of all podcasts: Serial

Do you have dark thoughts?

You can learn so much from listening to these fascinating podcasts

Why you should listen to this spellbinding podcast interview with the mother of one of the Columbine shooters

Listen in as Rukmini Callimachi, the remarkable journalist who is tracking ISIS, talks about possibly the most difficult of media assignments

ALSO:

The best Indian podcasts and Who are these people who get bombed while doing their work but keep going back?