VFS Global -- a Kafkaesk nightmare

Passport to travel

I belong to the elite club of JNU professors. We think the world of ourselves. We are waiting for a revolution, just as the Jews wait for their Messiah. Once in a while we are forced to venture out of the self-sufficient campus established on the Aravalli hills. Why? Silly. To apply for visa of course. We often get invited by this and that Western university as guest and visiting scholars. I decided to go to the Gurgaon VFS, with my visa application thinking it will be less crowded. “Your appointment is at 9 am. Please come 15 minutes early.” said the online mail. I’ll be free by 9.30, I thought and innocently I planned the rest of my day. Here is where my nightmare with VFS office begins. Till 10 am there is no staff in this dystopia except the Safai Karamchari. Finally one young woman troops in, unapologetic. After going through my check-list, she asks me to wait for the Bio-metric staff. The wait is futile. After having wasted the whole day, I demand that I be transferred to VFS Delhi. An email is sent to Delhi VFS to get rid of me. This place is worse than a Government Office, I crib. It should first introduce biometrics for its own staff. My husband nudges me gently: “Keep quiet. They can spoil your application.” Delhi is Delhi, I tell him undeterred but a little anxious. Next day, the airport metro takes me to the gates of VFS Global. It was the first time I was travelling by airport metro and I was indeed impressed. Then start the problems. My water bottle and the humble biscuits I always carry in my bag are not allowed inside. Security is so tight that you can barely breathe. The gate-keeper would not let me in without an appointment letter. It takes me nearly an hour of argumentation, pleading and grovelling to get in. The words of the doorkeeper in Kafka’s famous parable Before the Law resound in my head: “I am powerful. And I am only the least of the doorkeepers. From hall to hall there is one doorkeeper after another, each more powerful than the last.” Why do I feel claustrophobic despite air-conditioning? Waiting for my turn, I soak in the surreal surroundings. It is a truly Kafkaesk world. Badly paid employees, all in early twenties, in ill-fitting, low-waist black trousers and velvet shirts, stuttering around like peacocks, enveloped in an aura of authority. Indians have a deep love for uniform. It starts with schools, the malls, the guards, the auto drivers and what not. Nowhere in the world does one see such an intense culture of uniform.

My turn comes fast. The young man at the counter has terrible nails. Must be a hard-core nail biter, I imagine. Well, with a job like this it is inevitable. Cash or card? Card. Access denied. Once, twice, thrice. You have only one card, he asks astonished. What about cash? No, then come again with a fresh appointment. How long will that take? I don’t know. My cup of sorrows is full. They cannot harass me in this manner, I am Prof in JNU my head screams. The echo replies back “darling, you are not at home.” You leave your den and the world pounces on you. All of a sudden the young man looks at his phone and says excitedly “twins”. The neighbour in the next booth congratulates him. Should he not be in the hospital, I ask myself. Probably no leave. He looks at me in the eye, smiles and directs me to an ATM where I could try my luck. Expecting absolutely nothing from machines, humans or the gods, I drag my tired feet to the ATM. Cash tumbles out! I dash back and the rest is history.

I am relieved to be back in the sanctuary called JNU. Recuperating from the ordeal, I try to find something positive in the experience. Maybe the Monaco biscuits will be eaten by some poor, hungry children. I wonder, how will the embassy treat my application? Am I really a Guest Scientist or an intruder? Also I cannot help wondering why we complain about Western arrogance when our own people are so mean to each other?  I sigh, I seek azadi from this absurd world.

Meanwhile I plan my revenge. You are reading it!

Note: This is a Guest Post.

Poster-Art and Political Activism in JNU, Delhi

Posters in JNU

Artistic, eye-catching and thought-provoking political posters are an intrinsic part of the culture of Jawaharlal Nehru University. Whether it is Marxism or Gandhiism, Women’s Rights or Dalit Rights, Imperialism or Casteism, the student community in JNU has always been politically active and views are expressed through huge, colourful posters with interesting slogans. “Study and Struggle” is one of the oldest slogans that still reverberates through the hostels, schools and streets of JNU. It epitomises the spirit of studies that are not divorced from society and its problems. The posters make you think, they create awareness and above all, they reflect an intellectual spirit, which should be the aim of any university.

Picasso in JNU!

For obvious reasons, there have been a lot of posters lately on women’s emancipation. Here is one such poster, pasted on the wall of School of Arts and Aesthetics which draws on the famous painting by Pablo Picasso Le Bordel d’ Avignon (The Brothel of Avignon, 1907). It depicts five nude prostitutes in a group, looking not defeated but confrontational, as if they were ready to take on the society. Picasso’s painting caused a scandal in turn-of-the-century Europe and he had to hide it in his studio for more than a decade. The painting is, as I see it, a metaphor for women with courage. JNU has healthy gender relations compared to rest of India. Girl students can roam around in the campus late at night. This is unthinkable in any other university of India.

Anti-establishment posters in JNU

This poster caricatures State sponsored censorship in Indian Cinema. On the left, the poster lampoons the statement of the Chief of the ICHR in praise of the Caste System in India.

Che in JNU!

Che Guevara, the face of Cuban Revolution, now appropriated by T-Shirt grafittis because of his handsome looks, is a favourite with some left-leaning political parties in JNU.

Poster-art at JNU

The poster above criticizes Caste System with the mythical story of the low-caste Eklavya, who gave his thumb to the high caste Guru in the epic Mahabharat. The poster below it makes fun of the contemporary Central Government in India.

I was not politically aligned to any party in JNU during my student days but the posters always ignited a thought process.

Also read:
Travelling through Alma Mater, JNU

Travelling through Alma Mater, JNU

After several years I got a chance to visit, rather revisit JNU, my alma mater. It is hard for an outsider to think of JNU, a 1000 acre campus, as part of the congested capital city. There are plenty of open spaces, even wild, practically untouched spaces.

The various JNU school buildings in the foreground with Vasant Kunj in the background

The Aravali hill on which JNU is located, is lush green, especially in monsoons. Despite many new university buildings coming up in the past few years, the forest-like impression persists and there is still a lot of undergrowth.

The JNU Library

The green cover and the buildings are integrated together in such a way that they blend into each other.

Purvanchal & Mahanadi hostels in the foreground with Qutub Minar in the background

The aerial shots from the top floor (10th floor) of the university central library show a dense green cover. The Mehrauli area in general and Qutub Minar in particular is clearly visible.

Qutub Minar & Alai Minar seen from JNU

The Alai Minar, the unfinished Qutub Minar like structure which Alauddin Khilji planned to build two times higher than Qutub Minar is also visible.

Adham Khan's tomb in Mehrauli seen from JNU

The Adham Khan’s tomb in the Mehrauli area is also clearly visible from the JNU.

NII, Munirka in the foreground and Lotus Temple in the background as seen from JNU

On a clear day, one can even see the Lotus Temple and Nehru Place which are several km away. If you observe the photo carefully you can see the lotus temple in the far centre. Only when I saw the photo at leisure on the laptop, I realised that the photo captures the temple.

The new manicured look of JNU campus

Fortunately, the nature is allowed to be, although there seem to be attempts here-and-there to give it a manicured lawn look with potted plants and hedges that, in my view, looks out of place with the overall grandeur of undergrowth and huge trees.

The campus is ideal for walking, jogging and cycling. JNU is a paradise for bird-watchers. Peacocks are common. Some JNU residents swear that they have seen owls and snakes. Wolfs and Nilgais (Asian Antelope or Blue Bull) are not exactly uncommon. Caves exploration and rock-climbing is another activity which I indulged in during my student days here.

Parthsarthi Rocks, JNU

And how can I complete this post without mentioning Parthasarathi Rocks (named after the first VC of JNU). It is the highest natural vantage point in JNU and functions as an open auditorium and venue for various late-night parties. One can sit and view the beautiful sunsets from here.