On September 13, their note couldn’t have been clearer: “The ten members of the Board unanimously directed that the intervention of the Human Resource Development Ministry (HRD), Home and Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) be sought with a request to treat these pending applications on an urgent/emergency basis to enable US scholars to take up their academic engagements with their host institutions in India.”

The Board’s statement detailed the delay: “Of the 80 scholars whose applications are pending, 53 have been waiting for more than five months, and 13 others more than 4 months. 21 per cent of the cases have been pending for more than nine months.”

“USEFI has been informed that approvals would be granted in about 3 months. The scholars who are waiting include nine visiting lecturers and seven teachers, the rest are researchers...several of the American scholars who have made plans to come to India this year have made substantial personal commitments. They have relinquished their normal duties or studies, and in some cases their spouses and children have left jobs and school,” it added.

Nothing moved. In December, almost five months after the scholarship year began, clearances of about 33 Fulbright scholars were still pending. It’s then that they sent a desperate “missive” to U S Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

“In case of one teacher exchange group,” the Board told the Government, “Americans and Indians and their home schools have agreed for the teachers to swap classrooms.

Today, the Indian group is already in the United States, living in the homes of the Americans and teaching at their schools, while the American teachers are staying in temporary quarters or hotels at their own expense awaiting clearances to travel.

... contd.