Visa woes

I always envied my friend who has an American passport. she can come and go to any country as she pleases, without the excess baggage of terrorist links, being black or Islamic or poor. She doesn’t need to scurry for a visa and all the associated pains aka photos (to the last specified inch and mm) application forms and the anxiety concerning the ‘ t’ with a slanting slash or a straight slash and if I have heeded the specs of the French authorities regarding the delicate dot and not a strong, dominating dot in which case my application will be rejected etc) . So I really envy her.
The first time I felt like I was in her shoes was when we planned a vacation to Sri Lanka. I realised I didn’t have to apply for a visa when I was doing some generic research on the hotspots on the island. I exchanged Rupees for Sri Lankan, clicked the bags shut, checked our passports and got on the plane to beautiful island. My heart still heaving with anxiety, fear of whether I had gotten the information about visa right. And voila the customs officer ushered us right into paradise for free and with a smile. I felt like a rich woman and wanted!
I will never ever travel to the Yoo Es of Ae for the simple reason that I am not wanted as is evident from the behavioural indications of the visa interviewer and the fees accompanying the application. We charge the Americans $73 as against the $140 they charge us for a 6 month multiple entry visa. But I am digressing. It came as a surprise tinged with sadness when I read in the papers yesterday that I will now need to have a visa in hand before making my travel plans to Lanka and also pay for it. Though the fees will be nominal as has been assured by Controller General of Immigration Chulnanda Perera. But these are mere tokens to pacify India and rightly so. I consider it a privilege and an indication of my status outside my country when I don’t need a visa (permission to visit and stay in the country). It means I am considered a safe, well-behaved, well-adjusted and a civil person with an awareness of the laws of the country I am visiting. The fact that we need a visa for most of the countries in the world (the ones that count anyway) …well…I don’t need to say anything really. That’s my mark sheet.
Visa fees is the easiest way for a country to start earning off its assets even before the tourist steps inside. These are easy pickings. India has failed on both fronts- making India a tourist destination and diplomacy. Visa fees are the easiest and cheapest method to make a point and also fund some initiatives in the country like the Yoo Es did when it charged us extra for H1B visas to finance more beef along its borders with Mexico. But you can also use the medium of visa to make our neighbours feel special. Sri Lanka is no longer a threat as far as terrorism is concerned. Let’s give them a visa on arrival and recompense for this loss to the treasury by charging the Americans, Europeans as much as they charge us as visa fees (or double for the Americans and ten per cent more for Europeans). Visa is like the receptionist in an organisation. She or he is the face of that brand and the first point of contact before contact. Given that we are a lazy folk when it comes to international relations Visa is like a god-send. Use it guys!