Amit Shah recently claimed that the value of the Indian passport has grown under PM Modi. But the passport of world’s fifth-largest economy doesn't open too many doors
When Oscar Wilde was first entering the United States, he supposedly told customs: “I have nothing to declare but my genius.”
That was 1882; the Irish playwright’s wit had no known repercussions. But in 2021, it’s not a good idea to joke around with immigration officers. Getting a visa is so difficult, there are special temples and holy men in India that offer divine intervention. If you get one, be prepared to be pulled from the immigration queue for additional questions. If you have an Indian passport, it won’t help even if you’re Shah Rukh Khan.
Amit Shah doesn’t …
Omkar specializes in long-form narrative features and has reported from India, the UK, Germany and the Maldives. He writes across beats, from politics and crime to cinema and sports. His works have been published in Indian and international outlets including The Caravan, Mint Lounge, the BBC, Al Jazeera and The Huffington Post.
Senior Features Writer
omkar@mailtmc.com
Delhi
Surbhi is an independent researcher based in Mumbai. She is currently a data fellow with Equal Measures 2030 and the Tableau Foundation. She has been a data journalist at Mint, where she told stories with numbers and visuals, and a policy researcher at the Finance Research Group, Mumbai.
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