Ok.. I am back... If any of u wondered where I was, I was spending 50% of my time haggling with old ladies in counters and remaining 50% waiting in queues or travelling from one place to another... what was I doing? well I was getting a visa!
It was quite fortunate for me that lightning struck twice in my life.. in the form of a symposium called St Gallen in Switzerland.. This time I decided to take some time off and roam across Europe too, which meant that i needed a couple of Visas... no big deal I thought...
But well I was mistaken.. First stop to the travel agent, they reacted as if I was telling them to get crucified!
"First time Visa? that too Europe in world cup time? no thank u sir, I think u can do it urself"
Well I had to rise up, literally to the challenge... These are the normal steps I had to follow to get the visa done...
Step 1:
The form and more importantly the photo: It comes in crazy shapes and sizes and each photo has a specific measurement with a measurement of the face and the body! so countless hours in digital studios changing the shape of my head so that the UK Authorities think its big enough to enter their country!
The form is crazier, it is written in their local tongue: German visa forms with a lot of Herrs and Schiemens and wat not.. and u are supposed to get a zillion signs, documents, declarations, credit cards, invitations and wat not..
Step 2:
The Agency: The Visa counsalates have now started accepting forms only thru agencies to make life simpler. I dont know how it has made life easier. You go at 4 am, wait in a queue till 8 am and u are shooed in a file. I am the only tourist in the group, there are teenage girls who are going as nurses; elderly people going to meet their children, Doctors going for higher education and businessmen going to to import stuff to India. They are all treated with the same callousness...
Step 3:
The Interview and the collection process.: If u thought its all over with the interview, well no... U can be lucky if u get to collect the visa. Visas can be rejected for absolutely no reason. One family's visa was rejected cuz his flight was on 14th night and his insurance was starting on 15th morning!
The entire process of getting 3 visas taught me a lot of things.
1. The concept of global village is pure bull crap. With countries getting more paranoid everyday, the concept of capitalism in its truest sense where countries have no borders can never exist. In fact things are getting worse every day.
2. Mallus can behave when they enter foreign territory and not on home soil. The very same workers and nurses who dont mind raising the flag and shouting slogans in home soil for a slight problem find no problem in waiting for hours and treated like s*** by the foreign officers.
3. Outsourcing is the way forward : countries are getting more and more protective about their labour force and employement chances for their citizens. The latest to be affected are doctors in UK. Outsourcing is the only way by which our country can gain ground with the "developed" nations.
4. I would prefer to be in my country any day: Imagine a couple going to swissland or europe for their honeymoon and having to go thru the same treatment right after their wedding?!! No sir, India is good enough for me...
As of now, after begging, borrowing and stealing I have managed to get the visas.. it remains to be seen if my trip to Europe is as eventful as this or will be a more pleasant one...
Will keep u guys posted!
