Talking Talking

The Would Be Intern (TWBI) is very happy. If this is not all, even the mom, dad, brothers, sisters, friends and neighbors of TWBI are very happy. And why not? The very fact that TWBI is TWBI makes them immensely gay.

It so happened that after months of preparations (read: writing and e-mailing hundreds of cover letters along with her resume to hundreds of organizations and institutions in India and Abroad), TWBI has finally bagged a prestigious internship with Freie Universität, Berlin in the Department of Neuro Biology. TWBI is a student in Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology in New Delhi (a very prestigious institute to be in, mind you!). This fact, now you know, made anyone even remotely connected with TWBI immensely happy.

Now came the part where formalities kicked in. She didn’t have any passport, and applied for one in April itself. but got one made pretty soon. (She had a slight adventure to get that, though. There was a month’s delay in getting a ready passport in her hands! Blame the Indian Government System )

She required a No Objection Certificate from her college authorities, and she acquired it after some fight. (Oh yeah! She had to wait for a whole day, sweating out in her college to get that! The concerned officer was supposed to come at 10:00 ‘AM’, but only showed up at 5:00 ‘PM’) Meanwhile, as things were progressing here in India, TWBI started getting emails from Freie Universität about the kind of work she was required to do while in Germany. TWBI started to acquaint herself with the software program she was required to use. Also, the University had also worked out the details of her lodging and other mundane things. Also, the university had agreed to provide her with €2000 for her passage to and from Germany and for other expenses.

Visa was the next hurdle, and this was the very hurdle that brought about an end to this endeavour.

TWBI, in her visa application, had filled in ‘Internship’ as the reason for going to Germany. Now, working as an intern in Germany requires a certain type of documents known as ZAV (read the rules here). As stated in the document, nationals of certain countries are not required to submit ZAV. However, India is not in the list.

Prof. Dr. H.C. Randolf Menzel, who was coordinating TWBI’s visit from the German side, suggested that the apt term for her work in Germany would be ‘Study Visit’, rather than ‘Internship’. In that case, ZAV was not to be required.

Feeling happy, TWBI went ahead and corrected her VISA application. As she was positive that her VISA application was bound to be accepted, she went ahead and booked her passage to Germany as well, for a sum of Rs. Twenty Eight Thousand. Things started going bad from this point onwards, sadly.

The German Embassy in New Delhi reiterated that ZAV was required for her visit to Germany, even when her visit was termed as ‘Study Visit’. Perplexed, TWBI contacted Prof. Menzel, who reiterated that ZAV was not required. Prof. Menzel even got in touch with the Embassy officials directly, but to no avail. The ZAV was required, after all.

The VISA interview date was nearing, and though the ZAV was in process, it was expected a moment too soon. Thrice the interview date was postponed. Thrice the airline tickets to Germany were cancelled and re-booked. Thrice TWBI had to endure the pain after excitement.

Until it was too late.

The costs of this endeavor were escalating, for when an airline ticket is cancelled, the full amount is not refunded. The VISA application fee was going in vain too, for the ZAV was nowhere in sight. The VISA interview date was fixed on 24^th of June, when the tickets purchased were for the 20^th. Time was running out fast, and nothing else could be done.

Sadly, TWBI did not remain TWBI. The internship was called off.

It should be noted that TWBI had to let go of a tremendously good opportunity for a mere formality. If only people were more informed! Some mis-information and some mis-communication led to this fiasco, which could be easily avoided. The visit would have been a great addition to TWBI’s CV when the employers came recruiting in her campus. A mere formality!

This aspect represents a sad reality about… things. We have too many people, who have too many talents. If all of them were to be recognized properly, consider the progress we would have made in any field possible! But we are lazy, and don’t want to work, and let those talented ones run around in circles gasping with mis-informations. We can’t change, can we? TWBI’s story is not an isolated one, and I know that.

Whose mistake is it, anyway?

This is a true account of things that happened this summer. However, for privacy reasons, I am not permitted to use TWBI’s name. The rest of the details are correct to their best possible extents.