Distant Shores

22nd June, 2006

Prologue Like another day, I stuggle to get up, but, when reality hits you in the face, you really move from slumber to attack-mode in no time. A clean shave and quick bath, I was ready, whats the next thing? Of course, breakfast (what did you think?;) at a Sarvana Bhavan in Egmore, wonderful mini-idlis soaked in ghee I tell you. Fine, I'll talk about the food someother time. The drive from the place where we stayed was a fifteen minute one through through sparse traffic, yes, unlike the Bangalore ones. There was aleady a queue, which I was sure to break. I walk-in ask the first person what time is your interview, he replied 11.30am. It was still freaking 9.30am (alright, I was little early for interview at 10.15am). I need not explain how I made my way to the head of the queue in the heat, through humidity, and every trying to stick on to the person in front despite confirmed appointment. And, whats interesting? You have security guard the is trying bring order to the queue by yelling 'Everybody please maintain a single file, time is not an issue'. I only wondered why did I have to book my date six weeks in advance.

(Panasonic DMC-FZ30, No tripod, at 1/25 sec,focal length 31.00mm)

10.30am - Prescreening
It was fifiten minutes past my confirmed appointment and, I was at the tail of the prescreening queue. It is simple process in which you need to have the following documents ready:
a. Passport
b. Applications ( D-156/157/158)
c. HDFC reciepts
d. Appointment / Admission letter
Standing in queues can be quite an irritation at times. This one wasn't any different. On the brighter side, there was fan here blowing away to all glory, but the decibels can never cool you down. I was inline next when an elderly lady who was broke in the queue, said I was standing in this queue before, and I just went to get my HDFC receipts. What? Did I hear it right? You came for the visa interview without the HDFC receipts? I couldnt feel better. I had to let her ahead in the queue. Just when I thought I had it all, there was another physically challenged who joined the queue ahead of mine. Could I even get mad at anybody? Who cared, this was what I had been waiting for a long time.

Please donot change the order of the documents in the folder after the prescreening.

(Panasonic DMC-FZ30, No tripod, at 1/50 sec,focal length 8.80mm)

11.40am - End of prescreening - and burn in the hot, hot sun!
After prescreening you will be asked be seated, or if you are unlucky, (like me) to wait in a queue to enter the visa lobby. The was the worst part of the wait.

12.00pm - Kaboom
It looked like the queue was moving at the rate of one step per fiften minutes or something, and thats when we heard they were facing some computer issues. Darn, these machines, can we every trust them? I was just thinking if say I'm gonna pursue my masters in computer science, they might just deny me the visa. But, the wait was still on.

1.10pm - King Nothing
With the crammy folder, my own set of documents, and wanting to lean against a dirty grill, (but, never did) I felt like King Nothing. I felt like taking a nap, and thats when I heard the voice of God, or so it seemed. 'Anybody here with a 10.15 appointment?'. I was raising my hand like a nursery who knew the answer to 1 + 1. For once, preferential treatment. I did feel like King Nothing.

1.45pm - Some biometrics
King Nothing was on a roll, I could hear the staff yelling anyone from the 10.15 batch who is not done with the finger scan. 10.15 seemed like the magical number for me. I enter the counter and some wait in the queue, he states my full name. I'm glad to acknowledge it. He asked me place my finger on the red light. First the left, and then the right, 'Sir, you are now ready for you interview' he said. Boy, was I?

2.00pm - The Wait - Deathly whispers
Waiting is something you will have to get used to, if you are applying for US visa. The queue was sure long through a long rows of seats, the head of which ateast ten rows ahead. Unlike the fierce heat outside, the air condition here seemed to work fine. I could hear admist some whispers amongst the applicants, some sharing experiences from previous interviews, some generally enjoying a chat, some offering a prayer to their Gods.

2.20pm - Can't help but, listen!
Why would you want to listen to somebody else's interview? To get the *important* questions? Blah!! Give a better reason, its not an exam. But, I could hear the guy in my next counter explaining to the VO about V.L.S.I. design. What the hell? Didnt see that coming. Imagine me trying to explain to Mr. VO about CAPTCHA

2.25pm - Brief Encounter
This is most awaited chapter for most. My first impressions about the visa officer. Pretty lady, smartly dressed. Opps! I'll repeat it verbatim.
Visa Officer(VO): 'Hello, How are you sir?'. Sir?? Where did that come from?
Me: 'I'm fine, Thank you. And you how about you ma'am?'
VO: 'Fine thank you'
VO: 'Which college would you attending?'
Me: 'Carnegie Mellon University'
VO: 'Nice'
VO: 'So which other colleges had you applied for?'
Me: 'Obviously, CMU'
Both of us *giggle*, and then I continue rattling out the names of the colleges that I had applied. Penn State, UMN, PSU.. SUNY Stony Brook .. blah blah..
VO: SUNY Stony Brook? This is a part of the interview but, did you every consider applying to New York Institute of Technology?
Me: No Ma'am
VO: Would you have attended SUNY Stony Brook?
That was tricky one. I didnt have anything to lose. I replied, 'Now, that I have got into CMU, I think I would have gone to SUNY Stony Brook'
VO: Do you think the big guns like H.P. I.B.M recruit from SUNY SB? She is a sly one alright.
Me: Well, I havent looked in the placements in the universities really as planning to get back to Bangalore to work.
Meanwhile, she is looking at my I20.
VO: I see you have a scholarship as well.
Me: Yes
VO: Can I have a look at your degree certificate?
I show it to her and presume that she will asking me for financial documents or something. I'm still looking, when I hear her voice say, 'Congratulations, you will receive you visa in two days' and thrusts my I20 and degree certificate through tiny opening. Thats it. It was all over. The final nail in the coffin. I'm going, yeah.

Epilogue - 2.40pm
Now, if you keep wondering how I keep track of the time, I might just tell you what other work I have than to glare at the watch when you are waiting in the queue. A person like me is quite likely to restless waiting in long standing queues, with people making irritable conversations.
But, I'm glad its over. Came outside the consulate to frying pan again, but who cares now. I have the licence to kill, well not exactly.

Flag Off Parade

What is it about your country that makes you swell with pride? You don’t need a reason to be proud of where you rightfully belong. I was there at possibly the most peaceful Indo-Pakistan border since independence for the flag-off parade that happens every waking day. A routine event for Border Security Force but, a sight to watch for the rest of the country. Thousands flock to witness this display of patriotism for their country on either side of the border. The sainiks on one side and the pathans on the other, synchronously obey a protocol to lower their flag at the end of a working day. Border (bôr’dər): The line or frontier area separating political divisions or geographic regions; a boundary. For most, it what separates what is ours from what is theirs. But, this blog is not about that.

(Panasonic DMC-FZ30, No tripod, at 1/50 sec,focal length 68.10mm)

It must have easily been at 38 degree centigrade that evening, and I could hardly rest my backside for the benefit of people sitting behind me. I could only tell the ones behind me that I was standing because the ones in front of me were standing. It didn’t matter much after sometime, everyone were off their seats to watch this breathe-taking fifteen minute parade. What were as engrossing, were the events that preceded the parade. Immature, as it may sound were a couple of ladies (each took turns) to run to border wave the Indian flag up high and run back to safe ground. It was fun alright, everyone cheering each other. The same sequence of event occurred on the other side of the border. It was left to master of ceremonies to take over from then on. I must say, he didn’t have to do much to get the crowd on a high. All of us were indeed high. He cheered, ’Bolo Bharath maatha ki’, the reply from the gathering was unanimous. More slogans – ‘Vande Matharam’. It wasn’t just about what we saying for me it was more than that. More than a sense of pride, it isn’t about that all of us are proud of what we were. But, in our waking lives what do we do to show it? But, this blog isn’t about that either.

(Left : Panasonic DMC-FZ30, No tripod, at 1/100 sec,focal length 70.6mm)
(Right: Panasonic DMC-FZ30, No tripod, at 1/100 sec,focal length 37.30mm)

‘Paraaaaade, saaaaamne teeeez chaal’ bellowed the leader of the troop. The following set of incidents was one I couldn’t describe even using my best words. Soldiers, one after another marched on to carry out set a salutes, step-forward operations to counter the one from the other side. Each time lifted heel would reach the forehead of opposing six foot giant, I think. Such is the intensity with which the parade is carried out. The troops from either side opened the gate, signals were blown to lower the flags. First, the ropes were held crossing each other on the way down and the flags were lowered at the gates. Then, another pair of flags were lowered from the border walls. The entire set of events were so orchestrated, everyone knew what to do, how and when. Years and years of practice and more years on the job, but they perform the same routine with undying vigour. What keeps them going?

(Left : Panasonic DMC-FZ30, No tripod, at 1/100 sec,focal length 12.0mm)
(Right : Panasonic DMC-FZ30, No tripod, at 1/50 sec,focal length 50.50mm)

Himachal Pradesh

(Panasonic DMC-FZ30, No tripod, at 1/320 sec,focal length 7.40 mm)

The Swiz Meadows or Khajjiar all the same to me. Forty minutes by road, from Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, Khajjiar, is a reserved forest area. Two thousand two hundred and eighty meters above the ground, all you see is hilltops, and undulated beauty. But, amidst this if you see, a vast span of plain land, spread out like a golf course, probably in the middle of no where, with lots of grazing cattle, and central weedy lake a subtle boat floating midway, surrounded all sides by coniferous vegetation, you can call it Khajjiar.

(Panasonic DMC-FZ30, No tripod, at 1/80 sec,focal length 7.40 mm)

The place has an enhanting charm of its own, with the trees spanning over 20 feet tall, and a variety of birds chirping away, all you need to do is to heed to their call. With intention to explore, this nature's offering, I decided to track off from pavement to nearby not so well explored (but certainly used) path. This was just the start, after walked for about three minutes, frankly, I was little worried, not becuase I had lost my path simple because every small either heard on the ground was either of slimy reptile trying get past me, running cover or it was just the wind. But, above the ground it was all together a different.

(Panasonic DMC-FZ30, No tripod, at 1/20 sec,focal length 88.80 mm)

Birds, I wouldnt call them a rariety, but certainly they flew, from tree to tree, making a peculiar yet a melodious sound of their own. You try to look where, but soon enough its gone. They seem to taunt you in a sense to play the catch me if you can kind of a game. I could hardly win. All I would is look from one end to another. Yeah, but you cant lose all the time. There a couple clean shots I got a few birds (no, no, not that shot), I can hardly name any of them now. In due time, I hope to.

Biligiri Rangana Betta

And, so they fly

(Panasonic DMC-FZ30, f2.83 at 1/250sec, no tripod, focal length 22.50mm)

Or more popularly called B R Hills. The road trip was a long time coming.

No matter how many forests you've seen, no matter how many sunsets, each one has different way about itself. Each one tells a different story. Here, I am listening to 'Strawberry Fields' trying to recall everything that happened during the trip. Its nothing to get hung about because living is easy with eyes closed. Strawberry Fields forever.

For those who were with me on the trip, know how bad it was, right from the day we planned it. No reservations in jungle lodges, getting nearly kicked out from the guest house we stayed in, the incessant rain, the cancelled trek and what not. In spite, all of us concurred that we had a great trip. With the walk wonderful weather, the lush green ambience, the water lilies, and the breeze of forth coming rain made it a walk in clouds.

The drive to K Gudi was even more exciting. Enroute we an Indian Gaur muching away its Sunday breakfast. We seemed to be intruding into what was its territory. As it began to move it giantly body, we began to wonder if were making a dash at us or running for cover. Neither. Tacitly, it hid behind the bushes for us to pass. We did pass. As drove past this beast whom so feared so moment, we could see it watching us behind the green of K Gudi forest area. We decided to drive past. Peace prevailed.

The Gaur was among the few other spotted deer, Greater coucals, Bulbuls that we spotted.

(Panasonic DMC-FZ30, f2.83 at 1/13sec, no tripod, focal length 48.50mm)