A long queue waiting outside the Passport Office, people occupying every nook and cranny of the already overcrowded foyers, some forcing their way into the doorways, upsy-daisies falling and tripping all over…Ok..now cut that out! Picture this...arriving jet lagged in a new country, espying a whole new landscape of busy streets, motley crowds, sunny beaches, heady cocktails… wait…wait, I tell myself…its time to jerk awake out of the reverie. The passport to my dream destination is still elusive. Three years back, I had applied for it with stars in my eyes and dreams of making it far. It’s been twenty trips to the PO so far and no sign of anyone jamming the dream passport into my hands. Now I have firmly come to believe that getting a passport is even more difficult than solving a 500-piece puzzle.

So here I am in pursuit of my ‘past’port. Once inside the office, I lose myself again amidst the umpteen cabins and counters till someone guides me to the right place. And yes there is a crowd waiting there too. I am told that they would call out my name soon after they locate the file. Never thought that tracing a solitary file would take up more than an hour and a half! Waiting thus, I remember the lines from Jane Austen’s “Emma” …the two letters that express perfection. I dream about my name being spelt out with that same panache. But the letters elude me for long. I hear someone picking up a fight with one of the babus and exploding into one of the “YOU KNOW WHO I AM...” rasps. He is send out packing half an hour later. I am telling you, never lose your temper in a PO, a frayed temper = Passport Mislaid.

At last, I hear my name being called out only to be moved from one room to another where I descry another long queue. So well, another hour of waiting before it is disclosed to me that my passport had the most intriguing of the trailing routes. It was transferred from Mumbai to Bangalore or Pune (they are not sure where) and now they are trying to trace its next stopover. My first application to the Mumbai Passport Office (one in 2004) did not produce any passport since I had to move down to Bangalore and the address verification at my Mumbai home couldn't happen. Later I shifted to Pune and couldn’t keep track of the transfer progress. So I am informed that I have to again apply for the passport. In other words, fill up umpteen forms, slog for days, stand in queues from 8 am to 1 pm! NOT AGAIN. But first, I need to stand in the line to collect what they call the Personal Particulars form. I realize I have forgotten to bring my photos to glue to this PP. Actually, I didn’t know which photo I should carry along. Last time, they felt my photos do not represent the “real size” of a passport photo. At other times, they thought it was either scary, smudgy, or unrecognizable.

So if you thought you could get a passport without a hassle, then think again. It is one of the worst struggles against the babudom, and inspite the legislations and the RTI threats, nothing seems to really improve the situation. I feel my dreams go down again like the most leaden of the lead balloons but at the same time a hope flickers in my heart, one day I will lay hands on my Passport…Remember Scarlett o’ Hara who said “There is always a tomorrow”.