Charles Laffiteau in India
Last time I shared with you my overall impressions of wonder and amazement regarding the nation of India. This week I’ll attempt to flesh out this perspective by sharing with you some of the more memorable things I experienced during my trip – one that I came perilously close to missing out on.
I originally planned to get my Indian visa while back in the States attending the Democratic and Republican national conventions. But then the Indian consulate in Houston where I was supposed to obtain my visa was closed unexpectedly due to the damage it sustained during Hurricane Ike. This meant I would have to wait until my return to Ireland to get the visa, with only one short week remaining until my flight departed for New Delhi. But that was still enough time… or so I thought.
The day after I returned to Dublin I went straight to the Indian Embassy, only to be told I had missed the morning window for submitting visa applications and needed to return the following morning. So the following day I trudged in again, only to learn that the visa required three business days to process. Since my flight was departing six days later (four if discounting the weekend) I figured I was cutting it very close, but I would still get my visa just in the nick of time.
Unfortunately I hadn’t accounted for the Indian Embassy being closed the next day because of Gandhi Jayanti, India’s national holiday to celebrate the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. Because of this, I was told I wouldn’t get my visa 4pm on the day of my 6am flight.
That gnawing concern over my visa was now morphing into out-and-out panic. There was no way I could afford the cost of changing my flight at such short notice. I knew that unless I found a way to get my visa a day earlier, I was not only going miss out on my trip to India, also forfeit more than €1,000 that I’d spent on my tickets. While I am not a particularly religious person, the thought of losing all that money and completely missing my trip was very strong motivation for me to do some serious praying.
But then something amazing happened. Maybe it was just luck or fate rather than any sort of divine intervention, but when I returned to the Indian Embassy the day before my flight, things mysteriously began to turn my way. First, one of the employees in the visa office said she recognised me as a columnist for Metro Éireann and asked me to wait outside.
After what seemed like an eternity, she finally returned and ushered me upstairs and into the office of the Indian minister and deputy head of the Irish mission, Mr Mahesh Chandra Naithani, who just so happened to have a copy of Metro Éireann sitting on his desk. We exchanged pleasantries and then proceeded to discuss my upcoming excursion to India.
As soon as he asked about my departure date, I explained my dilemma and my need for a visa that same day. Thankfully Mr Naithani immediately called in a Mr Chand, who then facilitated the processing of my visa while we continued our discussion about various issues involving India.
I must say I will be grateful for everyone who helped me at the embassy that day for taking pity on me. Without their intervention and assistance, I wouldn’t even have a story to tell you here, much less the many wonderful memories of my trip that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
My journey to India commenced the following morning with a journey to London Heathrow where I connected with a flight to the Persian Gulf. But I also remember wishing I could have been sitting in first or business class instead of economy – not for the amenities, but so I could get a bit of sleep in their fully reclining seats before my 4am arrival into New Delhi the following morning. I fly economy on all of my international travels to save money, and I don’t mind except that this isn’t the most comfortable way to fly for long periods.
Also, whenever I travel across multiple time zones I always try to get on the clock of my destination as quickly as possible, and have no trouble doing so when I fly from west to east. But when I am flying a long distance from east to west, which usually also means flying overnight, I suffer from jet lag unless I’m able to get at least a few hours sleep en route. And it’s not easy to sleep in those rather cramped seats in economy class.
But once again, call it luck or fate, but when I checked in at Doha for my overnight flight to New Delhi, I was informed that I had been upgraded to business class. Then when I got on the plane, I was pleased to discover that my seat was actually in first class! Needless to say I arrived in New Delhi refreshed and more than ready to begin my Indian adventure…
Charles Laffiteau is a lifelong US Republican from Dallas, Texas who is currently pursuing a PhD research programme in Environmental Studies at Dublin City University
