This is a summary of my experience on researching and successfully making an application for a new passport booklet since I had exhausted the pages of my old passport.

Getting Started

As the need to apply for a new passport came up, I started talking to friends & family back in India to figure out the procedure. The biggest change has been the establishment of new Passport Offices now managed by  TCS. My dad spoke to a few agents and they said the process was now entirely computerized and there was very little the agents were doing. You fill up the form online, get your appointment slot and visit the Passport office.

Application

So I logged in to www.passportindia.gov.in and filled up the application form for my requirement. Next, you need to seek an appointment at one of the centres. I repeatedly tried getting a Tatkaal slot but it kept saying try the next day. Then a friend told me that slots open on Saturday evening and that’s when you should login sharp at 7.30PM and make your slot booking. So on Saturday evening I logged in and kept clicking till the system finally opened up. I got myself a Monday 11.30am slot at the Andheri office. [Click here for a Google Map view of the location]

Paper Work

Now this is the tough part. Actually more of a guessing game. And here is where talking to the travel agents and past applicants becomes useful. I think the thumb rule you should follow is take all legal documents you have to establish your identity, birth, address proof. I took my PAN Card, Voter ID Card, Old Passport, Wife’s Passport, Bank Statements for 1 year, PPF Passbook. I also took Electricity Bills and Society Bills but they were not acceptable since they were on my Father’s name.

Some Key Pointers:

I was told that a Society Letter is very important if you wish to make an address change in your passport. Also you will need other documents like Bank Statements / Pass Book etc with the new address on them. They didn’t accept Vodafone bills as location proof.

If you are going to change your Marital status, please carry the marriage certificate and ideally also the Passport of your spouse if possible. Or at least a photo copy of the passport.

All documents like Bank Statements should be for a full 1 year. It helps.

Now if you are staying with your parents in all probability your electricity and society bills are on the Father’s name in which case you need to have at least Bank Statements on your name and residence address.

Take at least 1 photo copy of all the crucial documents. Yes, even the 12 Bank Statements should be in duplicate. Do it, save yourself trouble at the passport office.

Don’t forget to carry a copy of your Application Document which gets generated online after your success in getting an appointment slot.

At the Passport Office

This place is chaotic. I strongly suggest you go well-rested, keep a stable mind and be patient. Just because they are now “More Computerized” it doesn’t translate into magic. I also recommend you take water, something to eat and something to kill the waiting time. You don’t even get a cup of tea inside. They do have a Photo Copy centre, so you don’t have to struggle for that bit. 

After a security-check you are let loose into a room which have the application counters but you will feel you have entered what used to be the old trading floor in stock markets. Find the Tatkaal and Normal application queue and get in.

At the application counter I submitted my Application Document and my old passport in which I had exhausted all the pages. They asked for an identity proof and I shared a copy of my Voter ID card and the Bank statements. Which they asked me to get a photo copy done for all the 12 month statements. I also submitted a copy of my marriage certificate since this was the first passport change after my wedding. A copy of my wife’s passport also helped. At the counter they asked for originals, compared them to the photo copy and then returned the originals.

After this they generated a case file with all the papers and said this would go inside to the officer for signature. I don’t know who sees it but it came back with some initials in it and I was allocated a token number.

With the token number they let you move to the waiting room, where 2 big screens display the token number and the relevant desk you should go to when it comes up. Be attentive since the change is reflected on the screen so you may miss out on seeing them. Although I did see some of staff come in and keep alerting people on the announced numbers.

After a 30-45 min wait, the number came up and I was directed to a desk. This is where the TCS team is active. They take your application, re-check the documents, ask for the originals. They scan all this, made me re-check the application form – Name, details, spellings etc. to ensure an error-free print in the new passport. At this desk they also photograph you, take your fingerprint scan. You make the payment, a receipt is issued and the file is handed over to you again with a token. I paid Rs.3000 for a re-issue of passport under Tatkaal scheme.

Then you move to yet another waiting area. When the token number came up on the screen I met a government appointed officer to verify and do a double check on all the documents. The officer will ask for all originals, a few questions in case they feel something is inconsistent. If all is good and this officer is satisfied with your documents, you are moved to the Issuance desk.

At the Issuance desk, the officer once again takes yet another look at the same documents and gives the final blessing and determines if you need a Police Station approval or not. Thankfully, I didn’t have any address or name change so there was no approval needed from local police station. At this point all originals were returned to me and one slip was given and I was asked to see the next desk. This lady basically took the slip and issued an application successfully submitted confirmation. I had applied under Tatkaal and I asked how soon will it be delivered. She said typically it comes in 4 days, but let’s work with 7 days at the max.

Having heard that I had a little smile on my face and walked out feeling victorious. At least the submission was successful, now I had to keep my fingers crossed and hope for the magic to be completed.

And the magic happened

Yes, after reading all the negative news and episodes from others there was huge skepticism on the Tatkaal application actually making it in the specified time. But I was lucky. Passport Application made on Monday and I got the New Passport on Thursday.

NOTE: I am not a Passport Application expert, so I won’t be really helpful in answering any queries as such. Best thing is to Google or find people on twitter who may have done the process earlier.

No complaints. I was’t very good with geography in school myself.

So here is a ready reckoner on understanding the geography of where we live and more so about Africa.

AFRICA IS A CONTINENT.

This continent includes COUNTRIES like SOUTH AFRICA, KENYA, TANZANIA and more .. Yes, EGYPT is also in AFRICA and NOT Middle East.

KENYA is a COUNTRY in AFRICA. 

We live in NAIROBI, which is the capital city of KENYA. 

And here is a pictorial representation to imprint it in your memory.

Understanding the African geography

So the next time you plan a holiday to South Africa, think about us. We are on a flight not so far away. Come and say hello!

Explored

We visited the Nairobi National Park. Saw a few animals – Giraffes, Baboons, Bisons / Wild Bulls, lots of deers. Unfortunately could not see any of the wild cats. I guess the lions decided to take a year end break and disappeared into the jungle. See a collection of my photos.

Giraffe at the Nairobi National Park

Went to Village Market, which had some very nice X’mas lights and a big X’mas tree. Played a round of bowling after so long I can’t remember.

Shopped in the Masai Market which happens on Saturdays at CBD [Opp. Hilton Hotel]. Wife says its much bigger and better bargaining possible. I was happy to pick up a few trinkets for my office cabin.

Feasted

After almost 4 months of it’s opening, I finally got the opportunity to go and have a meal at KFC. My tip: Skip the burger and go for the bucket instead.

Enjoyed a X’mas lunch at Osteria Del Chianti. Once more we relished the wood fire oven pizza and the Ice-cream Sundaes.

Tried the famous sugar-cane juice and maru na bhajiya at Diamond Plaza. Mumbai ki yaad aagayi. 

Consumed

My favourite two got together and created magic once more. Farhan Akthar and SRK did an awesome job on Don2. I think they are taking Indian films a step higher when it comes to action, special effects and production quality.

Not a very bag fan of Sherlock Holmes, but enjoyed the bit of mystery which the famous detective cracks in his latest – Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

The holidays gave me ample time to complete Season 5 of Entourage. I am half-way into Season 6 now.

A brisk read and I was able to finish Creative Mischief by Dave Trott. Also started reading Steig Larsson’s The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. My blog post for books of 2011 will be online next week.

Configured

Picked up a few lessons and made some Lightroom Pre-sets for 4×6 prints, flickr exports. Installed the LR/Mogrify 2 plugin for Lightroom. Now adding watermarks and that lovely black border to selected photos becomes really easy.

Ensured I did a data backup for both the laptops. A combination of the Time Machine Capsule, Sugarsync [referral link] and Dropbox manage the important files but I also did manual backup of the iPhoto folders.

I have now activated Google Plus. So join me there as I share more of my content – writing & photographs.

This has been a lovely time and now for the first weekend of 2012, I am going to just put up my feet, sip on some beer and think about 2012: Goals, milestones and action plans.

On the weekend, wife and me were shopping for our new apartment at TACC Store. We were browsing the many colourful and rather confusing furnishing material section of the store. Due to the X’mas discounts, the store was busy and the staff was making a good effort to attend them all. We didn’t have a sales rep yet talking to us, so we kept browsing till we could get somebody to help us.

And then came the WOW! Moment. One of the handy man who was probably responsible to carry the huge materials from one end of the store to the other, STOPPED and asked us = “Is there anybody attending you? Can I ask somebody to help you?” Wow! Now that doesn’t happen very often does it?

When was the last time a cleaner or house-keeping staff at the store STOP and check if you needed assistance.

And so staring July I was back here on a new mission in a new role. It’s been about 3 weeks now and besides reading the dozens of presentation files, brief documents I also spent some time making little notes of things around me.

So here is a quick perspective on life, people and some more around me here in Nairobi.

People

The first impression you get after spending some time with most people here is that they are warm and there is a lot of courtesy. Like you never start a conversation with – Ok listen I need this report. Most often the conversation will start with a few feel good greetings, weather talk and then to business. Like this morning I was at the bank and when I walked up to the teller – she said Hi, how are you? I missed the second part of the greeting and she repeated her question. Warm service for starters I say. Sadly, a common trait is the lack of punctuality and most often you’ve got to give it 10 mins of grace time. But it doesn’t really bother an Indian, does it?

Lifestyle

Life starts real early around here. Most of the staff in my office is well settled in by 8:30AM and on good days we are done by about 5:30 – 6pm. Coffee shops and malls are shut by 9pm so you usually find them crowded during the evenings or then Sat-Sundays. Friday night is a big night – and I am told most youngsters party hard till the wee hours of the morning. Sat / Sun is for the family and lunches are popular.

Till a few months back movies came in late – but they are now released locally on time with international release dates after some big cinema buy over deal. Good for me I say. I watched my first movie here – Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara – And trust me we were not more than 20 people in a 75 seater cinema hall at a 1PM show on a Saturday. Strangely, there is no intermission.

The food courts at the mall are interesting. You just sit in the common area and waiters from all the outlets attack you with their menu and you can mix and pick from all of them. I kind of like that option – No self-service.

Technology

Early adopters. Talks for 4G launch are already being discussed in tech circles and should not be long before it comes in. Government and communication companies are investing good money in laying high-speed under-sea fibre. Oh, interestingly Macs are very popular and I have seen at least a dozen people both in my office and coffee shops use the iPad. Having said that, the IT team has promised me that my now much delayed Macbook should come in soon. Seems the supplier here has issues with stock.

Cost of living

I am not sure if I can comment too well but I noticed vegetables are expensive but most of them are fresh and there is a good variety available. Compared to what you would pay in a city like Mumbai, I think housing is affordable and you get a much more spacious accommodation in decent localities. But I am not very happy with the quality of construction and the interiors of most of the furnished apartments. So you’ve got to be picky and look around a bit. TV / Newspaper and Internet is high expense. Mobile call rates are competitive but not dirt-cheap like in India. Entertainment can get a little expensive since most often you end up eating at food courts in the malls or then good restaurants. I haven’t seen much option for nice, quick cheap meal option – like the many udipis we have back in India or even street-side food is missing. Similarly movie watching is also expensive since more often I think you see it in the mall’s multi-screen cinema hall.

That’s it for now, more experience will hopefully be blogged as we go along this journey.

Please click on the image to see full size.

The recent attraction in her little garden has been this really attractive green mirchi [chilli].

And then there are some beautiful flowers at full blossom in this lovely monsoon season. See the water droplets.

Oh, and I managed to notice some tweeters in the garden too.

Some of the lessons from the evening:

Execution matters

Great, if you’ve got a brilliant idea. But if not executed well even the most unique one will fail. So having a great idea is only the start, a dedicated execution plan is what will get you to the real goal. Reminds me of this – 1% Inspiration. 99% Perspiration.

Keep it flexible

As much as we like business plans to be firm at the same time they need to be flexible enough to change as per market scenarios, consumer expectations.

Focus on the right thing

Often businesses lose direction because they are focused more on the competition rather than keeping a tab on changing consumer preferences.

Be human

Business is all about relationships. So you could be an IITian or a college drop-out but if you don’t have the right interpersonal skills and the humility to deal with people, you probably won’t go too far.

Be passionate

Entrepreneurship is not a moment of time. It’s a path you’ve chosen to walk. If you loose passion mid-way that’s the end of the game. Watch Narayana Murthy talk about Passion.

Accept failure

Entrepreneurship is all about risk taking. If failure is not your cup of tea, start-ups are not for you.

The mantra:

Passion. Perseverance. Patience.

And I thought it also needed the 4th P – Profit.

The Economic Times -  Power of Ideas got Narayana Murthy to share some of this thoughts on entrepreneurship. My favourites are Passion & Innovation. But you can see all the videos here at the powerofideasET – YouTube Channel.

Are you a successful entrepreneur? Would love to hear some of the lessons you learned while setting up your business. Use the comments area to share your story.

#2
Wish you could put more into that SMS? Read why text messages are limited to 160 characters?

#3
Fucking (pronounced “fook-ing”) is an Austrian village located in the western Upper Austria. The village is located 33 kilometres (21 mi) north of Salzburg, four kilometres (2.5 mi) east of the German border.

We had a vote last year on whether to rename the town, but decided to keep it as it is. After all, Fucking has existed for 800 years, probably when a Mr Fuck or the Fuck family moved into the area. The ‘ing’ was added as a word for settlement.

Read More.

#4
Using Gmail? Well, you can only send out 500 messages per day. Read more about Gmail’s Limitations for sending messages.

#5
Do you know what’s a Flugelbinder? See this photo and you’ll be surprised it had to have such a difficult name.

Did you learn something new in the past few weeks? Care to share with all, put it in the comments area.

Mumbai, hold your breath
Private swimming pools with DB homes

Spotted this hoarding at one of the busy traffic junction of South Mumbai. Seriously, can our city really afford to have private swimming pools? Isn’t the recent spate of water cuts a wake up call to all of us and that too a RUDE one. considering south mumbai has so far been the least affected by water cuts. Yet, our building suffered an uplanned/unannounced water cut for more than 48 hours.

At a time when most hotels, gymkhanas and clubs are being asked to reduce water usage in their pools and gymnasiums I don’t know how and where are we going to bring in those million litres of water to fill up these “private swimming pools”.

God can bless us and solve our problems, but I think this one needs to be solved by us. Let’s do our bit to conserve and use this natural resource responsibly.