6th of July 2005
8:15 am interview and i thought getting there at 7:30 should be enough...... so after a late night (trust me, i tried to sleep early) and an early morning... followed by some acidity puking in the morning (sorry, things are graphic).... i reach there by 7:20..... i pat myself for a nicely executed schedule, but still see a long enough line...... well too bad, but hopefully no "next time" ;o)
after watching some frustrated souls shuffling in and out of the line, i realised that the metal detector can even smell the change in my jean's pocket... so i embarrasingly remove the entire lot.... into the waiting area after the pink token exchange and i am thinking are there really 128 people before me today (my token #129).... and then around 8:40 the counters are manned. a group is chatting away to glory saying, "US counsel follows IST,.... giggles".......and then a bold voice calls some numbers, including mine, to counter # 4... i am 3rd in line..... would have preferred 2nd.... this guy beat me to it... tssk. I saw the first two whisk past me with gleaming faces, while i tried to avoid talking to this guy behind me. I enter.... this window cabin has a door. I dump my folder on the window ledge, accidentally drop the other bag, umbrella and the wooden lug, but ignore them and close the door behind me. A lean spectacled "supandi" of a guy stands tall in front of me.....
me: Hell...... (couldnt complete hello)
VO: (interrupting me) give me your forms and token number
me: sure ( i pass my forms through and tell him my token #)
VO: no, give me the token
me: oh! GIVE you the token!!! here... ( what a goofball i am)
VO: alright, now show me your financial documents
me: here is the asset statement (i give him the asset statement)
VO: so where are you going?
me: Texas A & M University... TAMU
VO: so what will you do after construction management?
me: (surprised that this question came right after univ name) well when i return i intend to take advantage of the construction boom in bombay
VO: so who is paying for you?
me: well apart from the scholarship, its me and my mother.
VO: so how are you going to pay?
me: well, like i said that i already have scholarship of so much, and for the rest i have X thousand dollars in my bank deposits for the first year and for the secnd year i have Y thousand dollars between the postal deposits and stocks & bonds....... plus i have a bank loan of so much, but then thats for back up.
VO: How much is the loan for?
me: so many lakhs (by now i confused him with figures in Rs. after showing him my assets in $)
VO: how much?.... XX thouuu.....
me: (leaning forward) XX lakh RUPEES
VO: hmmm..... what does your mother do?
me: apart from so and so, she also so and so.... (hehe that so and so sounds funny)
VO: how much does she earn?
me: well from here alone she earns so much ... (not a flamboyant figure,,,,, hehe)... and then from here....
VO: (looks worried)... (goes through my papers in a hurry again).... (lists some figure on the corner of a rough paper)......umm... ok then..... excuse me...
Damn it, he leaves me there and goes back to chat with this other guy i had seen b4 on window# 5..... Trust me guys 40 odd seconds standing there alone in a closed cabin with the guy who decides my career, looking confused worried and trying to absorb what the seemingly senior guy is trying to tell him.... its not a short time.... i hear bits and pieces, but nothing comprehensive.... it took a few eons ... maine yahaan dekha wahaan dekha.... laaaambi khamoshi..... i shrugged at the guy behind me.... and then after a quick "yea gotcha, thanks"... supandi walks back to me..
VO: well, how much loan did you say?
me: XX lakh rupees..... (in tactical manoeuvre mode now) but then also my sister earns so much.... and then...
VO: how much does she earn?
me: about so much
me: also the loan amount i probably wont use the full extent.... and then i can earn so much to so much when i get back, and can easily pay back in so many years..... i already have such offers.....
VO: (not listening, rummaging through my application, asset statement.... squiggles something on my application after much thought, and says) well, ok...... as per our laws... (big pause)
me: ( my mind shifts back to VFS trying to remember what were the dates for reapplication after denied visas... and then his words break my chain of thought)... (it sounds like this in totality...----->)
VO: well, ok...... as per our laws... (big pause).... YOUR VISA IS APPROVED.... you will get your passport in two days.
me: thank you very much...... and wish you a belated happy independence day (was the 6th of July)... (but that was too much)
VO: yeaahh..... (like "get out before i change my mind")
i rush out smiling after picking up my stuff......
hey, for the guys who survived the reading.... sorry for the length :P
atul
