Everyday barriers - the sequel

I’ve been in India for two months now, but I thought I would share a story about the challenges in getting started in my work with Drishtee. It reminded me a lot of the exercise in “Everyday Barriers” that the fellows went through during our training in New York.

My business visa, which was issued in the U.S., notes that I am employed with Acumen Fund Advisory Services, Ind. Pvt, Ltd. in Hyderabad. It states ‘Registration Required Within 14 Days of Arrival in India’ although it does not say with what office or where. The Tuesday after I arrived in India, I went to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (with several documents) in New Delhi, but, unfortunately, it was closed by 3:00 and I got there too late.

On Wednesday, I went back to FRRO, and after waiting in line and submitting the documents, I was told that since I was in a different state (Uttar Pradesh), that I needed to go to the Main Noida Police Station (Noida is where Drishtee is headquartered and where I live) to get registered. They would not give me the address or the exact name of the place – I asked many times and was told by the staff at FRRO that everyone in Noida knew where the place was. As you can imagine, when I got to Noida, no one had ever heard of this office.  I finally found the address and went there, meeting with a Mr. Singh, who informed me that my visa was not valid for Noida and that I needed to go to Hyderabad if I wanted to stay in India. After much discussion, he suggested going to the Foreigners Visa Office in Delhi. If they would provide a document approving a visa change, he would register me in Noida. I rushed back to Delhi on Wednesday, but you need to get a pass to enter the Foreigners Visa Office in Delhi. No passes are given out after 12 noon, so nothing else could be done that day.

On Thursday, I went back to the Foreigners Visa Office in Delhi. First, I had to wait in line to get to the office that issues passes to enter the Foreigners Visa Office. After 1 1/2 hours, I got a pass to enter the Foreigners Visa Office, where I submitted some documents and waited another hour before having an interview. I was told that I had to go back to Hyderabad to register and could not work or live in Noida. After explaining clearly that my company was based in Hyderabad and I was in Noida, he agreed to review my case and told me to come back at 5:00. I came back at 5:00 to the office where I originally waited in the morning to get a pass to enter the foreigners visa office.  At 7:00 I was told to come back the next day.

Fortunately, Drishtee took over my visa registration and got it sorted out several days later. The good news is that I learned a lot about the Indian bureaucracy, and Drishtee actually found a government statute that clearly defines who is responsible for what. The bad news is that I was out of the office for 2 1/2 days waiting in line, spending money on transport, and unable to contribute to the team. I can only imagine the frustration and difficulty that navigating the system must present to those who cannot afford to lose several days’ wages. It makes me more committed to my work with Drishtee, as its goal is to increase the ability of rural villagers to access needed services.

After this rough beginning, though, things are starting to come together, I have learned a lot about rural India and what the needs of the villagers are, and with constant questioning regarding how and why things are done, have worked with the management team to revise Drishtee’s distribution approach. In early February, we will begin a pilot of this new idea and I will spend the first two weeks in a rural village to finally get a first-hand taste of the impact Drishtee is having. I look forward to sharing my experiences there.