Indian Samurai इंडियन सामुराई

In December 2013, I was interviewed by Sara for her site Aux cinq coins du monde,  which gathers experiences and interviews of French people living in the four corners of the world, on five continents. And we did it again in January 2015, the ' interview one year after '!

The interview in PDF. 

 

A year ago, you shared with us your impressions about your life in India (interview 2013). Do you still live there? (tell us if you have changed of city, country, if you are returned (e) in your country of origin, etc). 

Yes I did not move! Same city, same job, same flat! I have now started my 9th year in India ;)

If in 2014 there was no major change in my professional life (despite a lot of turmoil and learning!), I can't say the same about my private life: I got married in June with my favorite Indian and our little boy was born in December. 

What are you doing today? 

Over the years, I have had various positions within the same company. Today I manage the sales team in the South of the India, to the sheer delight of the Indian dogs and cats (we are in pet food!)… 

Today, what do you like in your life abroad, and what do you least like? Did you get used to the things you didn’t like one year ago? 

Despite a routine similar to what I could have in France, each day in India is spicy: every day something incongruous is sure to happen; I love it!

What bothers me the most is noise pollution, or even just pollution, and the lack of activities in Mumbai. And this situation is unfortunately not ready to change... 

Have you found other things that you like in this country? And that you don’t like? 

I discovered a rather efficient medical system and a network of women who share the same type of experience than me (married to Indians and living in Mumbai) – a good support when you start a family 7 000 kilometers away from home!

And I didn’t ‘discover’ anything unpleasant... 

Does one more year give you the feeling of being more integrated? 

Starting a family is a big step! Having a French-Indian family, I do not know if it has anything to do with my integration, but it definitely makes me more open to ‘other’ customs and get me anchored in this country... 

What is your general assessment of this past year? 

2014, a year vintage like I won’t have many! 

While I’m busy playing doll, a lot is happening in India! Budget must have required all the imagination of the authorities (and they needed some to increase the Defense envelope at the expenses of Health and Education). So now they must be jobless since their latest game is about banning things.    

Starting with the movie Fifty Shades of Grey. In case showing a sexy movie to a big number of frustrated people would trigger some ideas – like if the said frustrated people had to go to the theater to see asses and tits ;) The party of the Prime Minister did not ban sexual education (in Maharashtra in 2007) to have bum slaps on big screens! 

Then with the BBC documentary India’s Daughter about the Delhi gang-rape (and evisceration) of December 2012 - scary:

And with a grand finish, beef (and all the beef-family animals) have been banned in Maharashtra (including in Mumbai). This law, which not only punishes slaughter of cows but also possession and consumption, is obviously pro-Hindu, and too bad for the poor (beef meat being the cheapest), the Christians and the Muslims, the farmers and breeders and the poor old or dying animals.

More about the Sacred Cow in this post and this post.

 

But maybe the Government is doing all that on purpose, to attract attention on India (bad press better than no press)?? In this case, they got it right: sex, rape and cow worshiping, Westerners have developed a passion for these topics… 

1.     First step: a visa

 You need to get a 'new visa' done at the FRRO for which you need:

·         Form filled online here http://indianfrro.gov.in/frro/ and printed out

·         Letter issued by the consulate

·         1 copy of marriage certificate

·         1 copy of baby and parents’ passports

·         1 copy of foreign parent's visa / PIO / OCI

·         1 copy of baby's Indian birth certificate

·         1 copy of residence proof

·         1 copy of the 2 forms in pages 3 & 4 of this document (it is not mentioned anywhere but I gave it and they filed it so I guess it is meant to be included - nice to notice that it has to be signed by

·         both parents, so don't forget in case only one parent makes it to the FRRO)

·         2 photos 3.5 x 4.5 cm with white background

·         Cash to pay the visa fee (4 800 rupees for 6 months for a French national)

NB: The visa will be valid from the date of passport issue and then it will take 3 months to get the OCI. You may want to take this into consideration to apply for a 6 month or 1 year visa!

It is said that you will pay a fine if you don’t process the visa within 2 weeks of receiving the passport. This didn’t happen to me, though I was almost 2 months late.

When to go: You need to go to the FRRO on the day you get an appointment (which you get once you have filled the form and uploaded the documents online).

Baby has to be there as his pic will be clicked.

Timing: Submissions are from 9:30 to 12 AM. The same day (either right away if the officer is there or at 3 PM) you will get the visa and registration!

 

2.     2^nd step: the OCI (Overseas Citizen of India)

After that you need to apply for OCI (there is no more PIO) at the FRRO. This is lifelong and doesn’t require registration. As the spouse of an Indian national you can also apply, after completing 2 years of marriage.

For which you need to bring:

·         2 print outs of the form filled online here http://www.mha.nic.in/ (you can do it before getting the baby’s visa) – the baby has to ‘sign’ it, by putting his thumb print in the cell below the picture (left thumb for a boy, right thumb for a girl)

·         2 copies of baby's birth certificate (the Indian one if born in India or the foreign one with official English translation if born outside)

·         2 copies of marriage certificate self-attested

·         2 copies of baby's passport, visa and registration

·         2 copies of parents' passports self-attested

·         2 copies of foreign parent's visa / PIO / OCI self-attested

·         2 copies of residence proof self-attested

·         2 photos 5.1x5.1 cm with light blue background

·         Demand draft of 15 000 rs payable at ‘Pay and accounts (Secretariat) Ministry of Home Affairs, New Delhi’

When to go: You go to the FRRO, straight to the PIO / OCI section, without appointment.

Baby doesn't need to be here provided he has signed the form!

Timing: Submissions are from 9:30 AM to 1 PM.

After that there will be police verification at your place within 2 weeks. And then the OCI process will take around 3 months.

You keep the passport with you so you can travel with the visa given prior to the OCI application! 

 

If you go early for the visa and the officer is there to sign it, you can immediately apply for OCI and avoid a second trip! If not, you may try and apply in the afternoon - they are open though it says they don't take submissions!