Ruby Grimshaw wrestles with Indian red tape

In February 2012 I am taking part in a sponsored Indian Horse Riding Challenge for Brooke Hospital For Animals. I can’t call it ‘a ride of a lifetime’ as this will be my fifth sponsored ride. I had thought that the challenge referred to riding horses for up to five hours a day for six days through hot dusty villages, camping (yuck) at night and ‘sleeping under a blanket of stars’.(This is not, I have now learnt, as comfortable let alone romantic as it sounds.)

However, I have found that the real challenge actually lies in obtaining a visa for India. The rules changed in 2009 and I have received twelve sheets of guide lines on how to apply for a simple tourist visa. My heart sank when I read that an application must be done on line and printed off. You cannot amend this printed form, so any mistakes mean another application. The details required include the country and birth place of parents and spouses, previous occupations, all other countries visited, national insurance number and all passport details including any identifying features. If you have visited India before they need the application number, date of entry and eye colour of the immigration officer – not really but I decided that I would forget I had been to India.

“This is not as romantic as it sounds”

It was best to have all this information around you before starting as – and this filled me with trepidation – if you took too long it would time out and one would need to complete the whole thing again. And, as if all this wasn’t enough, normal passport photos weren’t acceptable – they had to be 50mm by 50mm, obtainable at certain photographic shops.

On my first attempt I got to page three before the whole thing cancelled out. On my second attempt I reached the last page and was just beginning to relax a little, when my reference name and address in India was refused. Nothing I could do would persuade the dratted thing to accept it and I had to give up again. Yesterday I had completed everything completely and had barely shouted “Hurrah!” and pressed print, when the screen went blank and I was back at page one again. I have been told that my application will be up on a website somewhere, but before I try and retrieve it I am going to do half an hour’s meditation.

It makes one wonder if India really wants visitors. I can imagine the average tourist thinking that they might just as well go to Tenerife as usual.