The human right to leave and to return

Tourism visa to India granted with no problems at all

I am using my right to leave my country in a week time and in june I will use my right to return, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights article 13(2). It has never been a problem for me leaving my country and returning, no one ever asks questions.

Well, in leaving I need to enter somewhere and my destination of choice is India. I started thinking of India this december when I was reading about the Bangalore based organisation EQUATIONS and their work in regards to equitable forms of tourism, I started dreaming of doing a field study there and to spend some time with this organisation.I also felt the urge to travel, just for the sake of it. Experience something new and unknown.Last time I travelled I was in south america and prior to that central america but i have never been to Asia.

I never really thought of the visa requirements and if they would let me in the country, I never had to reflect on that, wherever I have travelled it have always been so easy to enter. So I left this to the last moment and with relief the Indian Embassy took only 3 days to process my application.

The stamp in my passport gives me more time than I need or rather, more time than what my scholarship covers me for but no one asked me questions of how I will support myself during my stay.

In the application to India I didn´t need to declare income or where to stay in India and who is going to cover for me there. I didn´t need to show a reciept of my bank account. I know I won´t be detained and questioned for hours in arriving to India either.

I have friends from the global south that have applied for tourist visas to come visiting the UK and Sweden but have been denied this despite reciepts of their bankaccounts, of their relatives bankaccounts of their hosts annual income, of throurough description of their family situation and so on, but still have been looked upon with disbelief and denied a visiting visa.

My reality is not the reality for many people around the world and I haven´t yet started speaking of those that aren´t able to even travel within their own country because their jobs don´t pay them a minimum wage and even if they do, the overtime they have to do kills all available leisure time.Not rare in jobs within the tourism sector itself.

I can just say:

Thank you India for having me I am more than delighted to visit your beautiful country, I´ll try the outmost to be a good and responsible guest!