Legal at last!

Well who would have thunk it! Not I certainly, when Rod came home from the FRRO at 12.30. He'd seen the man at Counter 4, who had looked over all our papers. Counter 4 guy noticed our visas had expired and queried this with the Incharge. Rod doesn't know much Hindi, but he recognised the word "penalise". The Incharge waved him away. She knew it was their incompetance, not ours..

Rod been told to come back at 2pm with an "undertaking letter" from his employer, nothing to do with funerals, but a letter "undertaking" they would pay to have us repatriated to the UK if we were naughty. Thankfully one of the company directors lives in the next suburb, so Rod made it back to the FRRO on time. Unfortunately, power was out at the FRRO. Luckily they have a battery operated emergency light like we do. Ours doesn't give off much light, but at least it stops us bumping into chairs. Theirs is the same size as ours, and their office is about the same size as our whole house. It wasn't giving off enough light for the counter staff to check the badly photocopied forms they are so willing to accept, so Rod just waited. Power was restored at 2.45. The undertaking letter was okayed, and the stamp pad came out to finalise our registration. Then Counter 4 guy gave Rod 3 visa forms and told him to fill them out. Rod did. He asked for our passports. Rod handed them over. He stamped them. We didn't think we'd get this far without a trip up to the Home Affairs Office (the place where they take all day to give you the brown envelope covered in seals that you're not allowed to open). Then he told Rod to go to the Cash payments desk and pay for our visas. Rod calls me, because he doesn't have enough cash on him (16,000 rupees, or about £200) to pay for the visas, and there's no ATM at the FRRO. So I get cash at the market, throw the kids in the car and rush there.

First day of school. Morning, obviously, we're still clean and tidy!

The security guard at the FRRO won't let us in, because I cannot show him my passport. I try to explain my passport is already in the building. I call Rod, and he comes to the guard, who decides the kids and I can enter. We pay at the Cash desk and get sent to the Incharge. At 5pm the Incharge signs our visa stamps and we are legal! Until June next year! We don't have to visit the FRRO again, unless we move house. And trust me, we're not going to move house, because we're not going to the FRRO again!

Today is Rakhi, a lovely Hindu celebration. Brothers pledge to look after their sisters for ever. Sisters tie a decorated string or rakhi on their brother's wrist as a remembrance. They in turn are given a small gift, like chocolates.

Big Brothers - Keir and Raju