Why foreigners (“ >A Kafkaesque bureaucracy ,” Nov.25)? How about highlighting the experiences of the common man who is compelled to deal with our bureaucracy for mundane matters of daily existence? It could be something as simple and routine as paying land tax, matters connected with a ration card, getting a name changed, getting past a vehicle checking squad even when you have all the right papers with you, getting or transferring a gas, electricity or phone connection, or, on a rare occasion, lodging a complaint with the police. These are all acts fraught with hurdles and that ensure humiliation unless you have one of those local “diplomats” to help you out. When will we get a government that will revamp our atrociously people-unfriendly system?
S. Jagathsimhan,
Thiruvananthapuram
While fully empathising with the travails of Stephan Richter in obtaining a visa to visit India, I would like to point out that Indians fare no better when trying to travel abroad. Being a frequent traveller, I have experienced the entire gamut of rejections, insults and harassment from various embassies and consulates, so much so that I have often considered not travelling at all! This must also be contrasted with how some nationals can get a visa on arrival when they land in India. Almost every foreign embassy I apply to requires me to produce copious documentation including three years’ income tax returns, a credit card copy and credit limit statement, my bank statement showing transactions and available balance for the past six months, each page signed and stamped by the branch manager, confirmed return ticket .… One embassy even asked me to get a letter from my husband permitting me to travel alone. And almost every embassy charges huge visa fees. Is there no way to simplify these procedures?
Sudha Mahalingam,
Noida
I agree with the writer that the Indian bureaucracy can be obnoxious, but he should know that many Indians suffer similar treatment at the hands of the American bureaucracy when they apply for a visa or when they enter the U.S. Indian professionals are always viewed with suspicion.
My son is married to an American and is a permanent resident of the U.S. While returning from a short holiday in Canada by car with his wife, she was cleared while he was detained for several hours at the border. While he bore it with typical Indian patience, my daughter-in-law was left fuming. My own experience during my only visit to the U.S. was that Indians, especially those on their first visit, are looked down upon with obvious distaste.
Sudhakar Bhat,
Sullia, Karnataka
