Preparing to travel to India

Let me tell you a little tale about getting a visa to go to Hyderabad, India for a United Nations agency's conference (the ITU's World Telecommunication Development Conference).

Of course the Indian visa application form is about the worst I've ever endured. But I soldiered on, telling them how I acquired Canadian citizenship, and trying to list every country I've been to in the last 10 years. *THEN* I took the completed form to the newly-outsourced visa issuing office for India, where I followed ITU instructions and asked for a conference visa.

The following conversation took place.

Them: "Conference visas are almost impossible to get. You won't have time now." (this was last Monday) "The Indian government has to write a letter to us [the outsourcees] verifying that they approve of the conference, and that takes time, and besides the Indian High Commission is closed all this week."

Me: what can I do?

Them: Well, get a business visa.

Me: OK.

Them: But you need a letter from a business headquartered in India inviting you to come.

Me: Ah! But I am going to a conference, and I don't know any businesses in India, so I can't get a letter.

Them: Too bad.

Me: Well what can I do?

Them: I will be back in a minute. (walks out of the office, and returns 5 min later)

Them: why don't you ask for a tourist visa?

Me: Because the UN Agency told me to apply for a conference visa so I could go to a conference.

Them: but that will take too long. We had another man in here last week wanting a conference visa, but he didn't get it in time, so he had to cancel his trip. If he had asked for a tourist visa, we could have given it to him the next day.

Me: but I don't want to do anything illegal.

Them: They don't care.

Me: OK. Can I have a tourist visa please?

Them: But it says here you want a conference visa, right on the form!

Me: Ah! May I have that form back please.

Them: Why?

Me: I want to adjust it.

Them: OK (hands over the form)

Me: (taking a pen and heavily crossing out "conference visa" writing in "tourist visa") I would like to apply for a tourist visa.

Them: OK. It will be ready tomorrow.

Seriously.