3 days ago
Croatia visa delays wreck IIM-Calcutta batchmates' trip planned since 1979; each loses Rs 4 lakh
A long-awaited reunion of ten
IIM Calcutta
alumni from the 1979 batch was disrupted after visa delays from the Croatian embassy prevented half the group from travelling. Of the 18 members, including spouses, only nine could fly to
Croatia
as planned. The rest were forced to cancel or reroute their trips at significant personal cost, as per a report by the Times of India.
The group had applied for Croatian
Schengen
visas well in advance, between February 14 and March 12; expecting the stated processing time of around two months. Their itinerary included a birthday celebration on Croatia's scenic Adriatic coast on May 20. However, visa delays meant that only the seven foreign nationals-four from the US, two from France, and one from Australia, received clearance. The remaining 11 Indian citizens did not get their visas in time.
Ramkrishnan Rajaram, 75, a retired president of a textile company, said he had to abandon the Croatia leg entirely. 'My wife and I finally got our passports back from the Croatian embassy in Delhi and are now leaving for the UK and US. Rescheduling our tickets has cost me Rs 4 lakh,' he told TOI. 'We kept writing to the embassy, but there was no response.'
Rajaram said the group had successfully held reunions across the world before, but never faced such an issue. 'Two of our friends stayed a day longer in Switzerland and got their Schengen visa from the Swiss embassy in just 3-4 days. The rest of us had applied through the Croatian embassy, but never received any visa or update.'
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Pune-based Nandu Kulkarni, another member of the group, and his wife also failed to secure visas. They submitted their passports on March 6, but got no communication from the embassy even after the 60-day window. 'We even reached Mumbai airport hoping the passports would arrive, but had to return home,' he said to TOI. 'We have travelled extensively but have never had such an experience with any country.'
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Travel agents say delays and appointment shortages at the Croatian embassy are common. One agent, speaking anonymously, said, 'We often advise clients to get a Schengen visa from another country if they are visiting Croatia. This group should have been guided similarly.'
Croatia's popularity as a destination has surged in recent years, particularly after the HBO series
Game of Thrones
was filmed in Dubrovnik. Bollywood productions have also recently turned to the country for filming.
Despite repeated follow-ups, the Croatian embassy did not respond to the travellers or to media queries about the visa delays. A senior executive from a foreign airline called the situation surprising. 'Post-COVID, most countries are welcoming Indian travellers. Croatia is beautiful and Indians want to visit, but they've made it hard to enter,' the CEO said to TOI.
The missed reunion has left many in the group disappointed, especially as they acknowledge the uncertainty of organizing another such gathering at their age.
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