I had been studying the immigration statistics,I also memorised the wide variety of welfare benefits available and learned all about the National Insurance . I had pored over the 145 page Home Office publication encapsulating everything I needed to know about the history,the education system,the political system and confusing general trivia about living in the United Kingdom . Studying for an exam after donkey's years is not only challenging,but also unnerving when its a citizenship exam that you pay £ 35 for . Its a tough passing score of getting 18 out of 24 multiple choice questions correct in 45 minutes and if you fail, you pay again till you succeed .
I had taken two days off work to study as it required serious concentration and pointless browsing through the book was futile as each detail was too specific to remember . I took some practice tests online and prepared myself for the next day which would be my ' judgement day ' .
Then , the fateful catastrophe happened.My just the night before the test at 7pm,my mother in law called to ask me if my family and friends were safe because she'd been watching the latest news that showed horrific terror attacks in Mumbai on the 25th of November 2008 . Because my in -laws had stayed at the Taj the year before that for my wedding,they were more concerned as they could envisage the seriousness of the attacks. Hell had broken loose not only in India, but also worldwide .
Though my family had quit Bombay to retire in Manglore - our hometown in Southern India, I was obviously shaken watching the news reports on NDTV . It was too late to call India and I spent a sleepless night, and to add to my nervousness on the day of the exam , it was raining in the morning , my taxi arrived late , and he was as clueless as me about the exam centre address . Somehow I made it to the building only to be faced by a mini- sea of 30 other nervous and shivering candidates of various ethnicities .There were Chinese people, Carribean people, Indian and Pakistanis , all obviously discussing the attacks happening in Bombay . Most were economic migrants looking for a better life or , like me, had moved here for love . Some were attempting the test for the second or third time .We all agreed , in whispered exchanges that the test questions seemed irrelevant to British culture .
After an unnecessarily laborious form-filling process which took so much time, our exam fee was collected.We then sat in silence .Talking is forbidden . We were even made to remove any hats and scarves and tuck our hair behind our ears in case anyone was cheating by receiving electronic feeds . The test was tricky, boring and difficult. I don't know how I managed to pass the test in such a tensed state of mind , luckily I had to work after that to keep my mind off the gruesome attacks in my beloved homeland.
Clutching my passing certificate I called my folks in India to enquire about their safety . I informed my family and friends that I had passed the test though I was not informed of the score. I had mixed feelings - utter devastation at the aftermath of terror in Bombay and joy that I nailed the exam at the same time . It got me nostalgic about the first time I had visited London, just after the terror attacks there in 2005 and how tense the whole city was with security everywhere . Despite that I found Britain utterly beautiful during my stay - the ecstasy I felt when I first saw huge golden fields full of daffodils , the woods carpeted in bluebells , whole mountains purple with heather ,the awesome beauty of the heavenly highlands of Scotland, Loch Ness , the medieval city Edinburgh that transports you to another era when you step in , and the crazy bargains on the British high street that you can't find elsewhere in the continent .
Living in Britain also means the much talked about dull, gloomy weather but hey,as my american friends say,British weather is ' tropical ' compared to Chicago or most places in North America which have harsh winters . Here the indoor culture is highly evolved to suit everyone's tastes - the theatres, art galleries and museums are one of the best in the world , and above all, free to enter (most of the museums in Scotland at least) .The Botanical parks are fascinating , so are the vintage pubs and shopping galleries . You meet a cosmopolitan mix of people who could be typical tea drinking sophisticates with impeccable manners , or fun loving quirky ones who work hard and party harder . Strikes are almost non- existent and you have access to food from all corners of the world to suit your pallette .
More than anything, Britain is almost the centre- point of the world for transit passengers shuttling between Asia and USA , which makes my home a convenient ' transit point ' for my globetrotting friends . Only six hours by direct trans-atlantic flight from New York , I've had my american friends visit me , friends from India have visited my home too, my sister from Dubai who comes every summer ( daylight till 10.30pm at night in summer is still fascinating for both of us ) and others who cannot wait to visit .
My citizenship ceremony was fun for which I enjoyed designing my ' Indo-tartan ' avataar . No longer an outsider, I can now wholeheartedly join the robust debates about British society . A few of my girlfriends from Bombay have already moved and settled here which is a great feeling for me , I hope many others will soon follow suit , or at least keep visiting me on transit at least , just like my home in Bombay used to be a ' transit point' .
