Two months back a colleague and myself were to attend our company’s Asia region meet in a particular South East Asian country. Our travel plans went awry when the country’s embassy rejected our visa application. The reason: Border tensions with Pakistan and the possibility of a nuclear conflict.
It was not so much the missing of the conference, but what hurt instead was the visa officer’s statement, “ We are not going to issue any visas to you Indians. We are not letting you come in our country till your border situation improves.”
Reminds one of those old firang notice boards “Dogs & Indians not allowed”
Now did they really think at that time that Indians are waiting to flee their country and seek refuge in any godforsaken country. To think of it, that country itself has a long history of its own ethnic issues and problems.
Why do we as self-respecting citizens India have to put up with such deprecatory policies and comments from any Tom, Dick or Harry country? Just because our nuisance of a neighbour has thrust this war like situation on us, and its ruling General through his well oiled PR machinery has managed to colour the world view.
Would the visa officer have dared say such a thing to an American, or a European? Am I not justified in feeling helplessly angry? We had to give embarrassed explanations for our absence in the conference to our participating colleagues from other countries. My counterparts from Sri Lanka & Bangladesh attended it too.
So has the country reversed its visa policy by now? We didn’t bother to find out, we attended the meet via videoconference instead.
P.S. I hope I got the right category to place these comments in.