Then I did get a chance to visit the fourth Metro – Chennai. Hyderabad does not have a US consulate, and I had to go to Chennai for the visa interview. And this visit turned out to be a dream come true from more than one perspective. It was an official visit, fully sponsored by my company. My visa interview was scheduled at 2.15 PM on April 10, 2007, and I left Hyderabad for Chennai on April 9, 2007. The flight was good; Jet Airways has the credit of making its passengers feel good always. I landed at Chennai at around 6.45 PM. My cab driver stood at the arrival entrance with my name written on a placard. This was the first ecstasy; I had seen so many big, fat, and rich people being received by such cab drivers – and this kind of spelt their prosperity. Experiencing the same thing personally was an incredible thing indeed!!

The difference between Hyderabad and Chennai was instantly apparent. The road traffic was comparatively much much more decent and demure. One of the traffic signboards actually caught my cognitive attention – Avoid aggressive driving! Indeed, aggressive driving; that is the exact phrase to describe it. If you ever happened to travel on the roads of Hyderabad, you would understand what I intend to say!! My accommodation had been arranged at the Residency; a premium four-star luxury hotel in Chennai. By the time I arrived and checked in, it was already 8.45 PM. I had a quick shower, a light meal, and then smoked a couple of cigarettes. By 10.30 PM, I was asleep (something that doesn’t normally happen, since I normally go to bed by 12.00 AM only). The Residency is famous for its lavish complimentary breakfast buffet. I did have the privilege to feast on it; however, the impounding tension of my visa interview was surmounting and I ate just for the sake of eating. I will probably visit the Residency once again for the sake of this breakfast.

The tension was building up. I smoked a few cigarettes after breakfast and decided to rest a while; it should be fine if I left the hotel at 1.00 PM for the interview. The US consulate was a 10 minutes drive from the hotel. I cautiously avoided a lunch, and decided to have something from the complimentary fruit basket at the Residency. The cab was waiting and we were at the US consulate by 1.15 PM. A queue of all kinds of people was moving slowly towards the entry gate of the consulate. There were actually two queues, and I joined the one at the main gate entrance. The weather was warm and humid. While standing in the queue for almost 40 minutes, I experienced many different kinds of people. An elderly lady was in the queue just before me. She was probably expecting to visit her son and his family in the US. Then there was another elderly gentleman with a seemingly decent personality. Ironically, I found him to be the most unconfident and nervous person in the queue. Interviews normally give a creeping feeling to anyone, and when it comes to something like a visa interview, it sure has a greater impact. I had no reasons to be nervous; I was here for a business visa, which had the highest probability of getting approved. Above all, I trusted Almighty Allah and believed that I would get through if it was in my benefit.

The queue kept on moving and I saw people throwing away some of the restricted belongings such as water bottles. The consulate has a tight security and not many things are allowed inside the building. I was aware of this and had locked my mobile phone in the locker of my room before coming here. Suddenly a small chaos broke out; and I found out a few moments later that the lady in front of me did not have a photograph that was required to be pasted on one of the application forms. She was swiftly guided by the security personnel to a nearly photo studio where she could get an instant photograph. The elderly gentleman behind me was more nervous than ever. He had asked me if this queue was meant for all the applicants, and then had asked the same question to, I believe, five other people in the queue. He was pretty nervous to pass on his nervousness to a lot of ignorant applicants. Ironically, his nervousness kind of boosted my own confidence there!

I finally entered the main building where we went through a thorough security check and were then guided to a hall with numerous counters. This was the area for document verification. A volunteer guided me to one of the counters and I silently stood and waited for my turn. When I was close enough to the counter, I could see the plush and swanky young Indian lady besides the counter behind the glass window. She must have been in her late twenties or early thirties, but her persona spelt the air of superiority complex. I suddenly didn’t like myself standing in that queue. When my turn came, I handed over my passport and the required documents for verification. The lady did her job efficiently, but went over my passport quiet a few times. I could feel what she intended, since I was a Muslim and Muslims are not much welcome in the United States. The verification process was finally over and she handed my passport and documents back to me. I then entered the other building where the interviews were being conducted.

There were numerous counters in this building as well, and we first had to undergo finger printing. I queued up to get my finger printing done, while closely observing the process. The person at the counter asked the applicants for their documents. Then he asked them to first place the left index finger, then the right index finger in the slot meant for capturing the finger prints. He then took some notes on his computer, returned the documents and asked them to join a line at the other counters for the interview. When my turn came, he took my finger prints but did not return my passport and documents. Instead, he asked me to wait at the back of the building for some time. I knew this was again another instance of cross verification probably for a Muslim. It was the second time I felt my visa would not be approved.

I finally got my passport and documents back and was escorted to join a line leading to one of the counters where the interviews were happening. I peeked and tried to look at the person behind the counter; people had suggested me to avoid female officers as they are kind of indecisive. I could finally see the person behind the counter, and he appeared fair and decent enough as compared to his counterparts. Then my turn came and I went to the counter. I tried to feel my pulse but could not! However, I was quick enough to return back to normal.

Everything went on swiftly as the officer flew questions to me and I kept answering them to the best of my ability. I could feel that the difference between success and failure was really narrow and thin here. “Tell me about Progress, what does it do?” … “Why do you want to visit the US?” … “Please give me the invitation letter from your company.” I handed him the invitation letter from the company headquarters at Bedford. He had a quick glance at it and felt convinced. He then looked at the application form. “Oh! You worked for TATA earlier. What was your profile there?” That was perhaps the most crucial question, since TATA has a great brand image in the US, and for the first time ever, I felt my short stint of three months at TATA Interactive Systems paying off in some way. “Show me the appointment letter from TATA.” I fumbled here a bit, and asked, “Do you want the appointment letter or the experience letter?” “Both,” came the instant reply. Then I instantly realized I had committed a blunder, I did not have the appointment letter, I only had the experience letter. Let me face it, I said to myself. I confidently handed him over the experience letter, while framing the answer to the next obvious question about the appointment letter. He seemed a bit lost in his computer, had a quick glance at the experience letter from TIS, and then handed it back. My heart beat was at its highest now, and I waited if he would also return my passport – signifying that my visa application has been rejected. “OK, your visa is approved; you will get your passport within a few days.” The next thing I saw myself doing was thanking him profusely with the broadest grin on my face, and collecting my documents folder. I scrambled with the folder; once, twice, then again. Finally, I somehow managed to collect the folder and dashed out of the counter!

Stephen was my cab driver, and he had promised to take me round the city after my visa interview. I had not said anything at the time, thinking if I would be in the mood to see the city (depending on the results of the interview). Now, I was much relaxed, and I told Stephen to take me back to the Residency. I would make a few calls; take a shower, and then checkout. My return flight was at 9.30 PM, so I had enough time. I could then visit the city with Stephen and then go to the airport. We visited the much talked about Marina Beach. It was an ecstatic moment for me as well as Stephen, when I offered him a cigarette packet and took his photo in my mobile. On the way, Stephen also took me to numerous historical places, such as the museum, the secretariat, and the Ripon Building (which serves as the Chennai Corporation). We also happened to cross the old, historic building where Lord Curzon had stayed for some time. Stephen showed me a high flag post with the tricolor proudly hoisted on it. He said this is the highest post in India that hoists the tricolor. On our way to the airport, we crossed the San Thome Basilica, which is named after Saint Thomas. It is believed that Saint Thomas had come to Chennai in 52 AD and was killed at St. Thomas Mount just outside the city in 78 AD. We finally stopped at a small roadside tea stall and had tea. It was now almost 8.40 PM, and we rushed to the airport. I thanked Stephen and walked towards the entrance. Before long, I had my boarding pass and was waiting for the departure announcement of my flight… Back to Hyderabad… Home Sweet Home??!!