In June 2004, I had applied for my passport hoping that I'll like many others from my engineering batch,too shall crack the GRE exam and pursue my future in the United States of America...Alas, what I didn't know was that getting my passport in hand would be a adventure in itself.Let me explain...
I had registered 14th September'04 (Tuesday) as my GRE test taking date.However till 7th September'04, I received no news of my passport and also went to the passport office to inquire for the same.After all the traveling and meeting different people in the end I decided to postpone my exam to the 28th of the same month.
My passport finally reached my house on 15th Sept'04;a day later than my first GRE date.Since I wasn't home to receive the passport myself the postman left a chit and I had to go to the local post office the next morning to take my passport on my way to college.
This is where the actual bad luck starts.I went to the post office early in the morning (8.00 am) of the 15th-Sept'04 and took my brand new passport from the post office and went to college as usual in my car.
Around 11 am I went to Vile Parle and left my bag with the passport in it inside the car to run some chore.By the time I returned i.e within 5 mins, the bag in the backseat of my car was nowhere to be seen...Can you believe it!!! The day I get hands on my passport the very same day I lose it...
Since I lost my passport I had to cancel my GRE exam taking date.Well the story doesn't end here.
In mid October'04 I get a call from my local post office informing that they have a parcel for me with my passport in it.Now I was surprised.It was already a month or so since I had lost the passport but luckily for me my passport was in the envelope in which it was posted to me by the RPO. So I guess the guy who stole my bag did the nicest bit of thing by posting the envelope back. So finally I got hold my passport for good.
Fast forward to mid 2006 and I am caught in a rainy day at office with the same passport in my bag. God knows why I chose to take the passport from my office locker to my house in Pune on the same day when it was raining the heaviest.Well as one could imagine, my bag got wet and my passport also got a bit wet and damaged at the edges.However I didn't thing too much about it because all the vital pages were unaffected.
Back to the present and in 2009. Since I am planning to travel to Manilla for my MBA in May first week, I made another trip to the old passport office to get my PCC (police clearance certificate) done.The procedure was simple and the work was done in a matter of a few hours.
However, I needed to make one final trip to the RPO, to get my ECNR done too.I went for the same on 2nd April'09 and to my utter shock was told that my passport was damaged and it would be difficult to get an ECNR stamp on the passport because a few of the pages were smudged due to water.
One can just imagine the shock which was there on my face at that precise moment when the madam at the counter blankly told me to apply for a new passport in tatkal and do the entire procedure for PCC & ECNR again.The same lady who a forthnight ago had taken my application for PCC and passed it in a eye blink.Well I composed myself and tried to reason with the maam at the counter and then on her insistence wrote a letter addressed to the chief of RPO Mumbai, who would be the one to sign on my ECNR in the passport, explaining him/here my circumstances.
I was told to come back on Monday, a good three days later at 4.30 pm and collect my passport from the new passport office in Worli.
To get my mind off the tension, I left for Pune the same day and returned only on Sunday morning.
Monday evening I was there at the passport office sharp at 4.30 pm, with my heart in my mouth and the thought of having to go through the entire passport application process again creating havoc to my piece of mind.
Thankfully, when my chance came and I showed the guy my receipt, instead of telling me that my ECNR was not done, I was pleasantly surprised when he asked me to sign on the form and check my passport for the ECNR stamp.It was done. They didn't raise any objectionand my passport was good to go.
Finally, now I guess there wouldn't be any hindrance for me to get my first visa stamped on my passport. After 5 years of waiting, I can look forward to my first trip outside India.
Thank you god and fingered crossed for my visa application...:)
