Entering France

When I went to France for the first time in 1970, I landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. There, one immigration officer said to me, "How is it that you do not have a visa?"

I said to him, "I enquired in New York. I used to work at the Indian Consulate there. They told me that if you are going to stay in France less than two days, then you do not need a visa. I am going to stay in France less than two days."

The officer said to me, "No, you cannot enter. You have to go back."

Either he saw my sad face or he felt my sad heart. Anyway, he said to me, "Let me see what I can do for you. Can you speak to the Indian passport officer at the Indian Embassy in Washington, DC?"

I said, "Certainly I can."

He went on, "If he takes responsibility for you, then I shall let you stay for three days without a visa."

O God, he dialled the number in the USA for me! I spoke with the secretary of the passport office. I told her, "I have to give a talk at the American College in Paris."

She said, "No, no, you cannot enter the country without a visa."

Then the secretary asked me my name. I told her, "Chinmoy Kumar Ghose. I come from Bengal."

She said, "My boss, Mr. Mukherjee, is also Bengali. You do not have to worry. I will talk to him."

Then her boss came on the line and began speaking with me in Bengali. He wanted to speak with the French customs officer. God knows what he said to the officer, but the man just smiled at me and said, "You can go."

Then the French officer said, "You do not know how to wear a tie." He very kindly fixed it for me and said, "Now you look like a real gentleman!"