The Gold rush

It was not very often that people go abroad in the 1980s. It was my first trip abroad. I still remember the dates 4th to 8th October 1980. I have flown a few times between  Calcutta and Madras ."Lucky lady..... she is  going to Singapore... the paradise on earth..!!! She would definitely bring in lot of gold and plenty of saris to fill her house.." This was the general idea about a traveller to Singapore. But they didn't know that I might be a weird exception to that rule!!

 We were going to Singapore looking for the prospect of a collaboration. The custom procedures for international travel was  new to me.  At the customs I was asked to account for my jewels, a chain two bangles and a pair of ear stud and asked to sign the document. I was worried ... what are they up to ? As I came out and confided to my better half. He told me not to worry and it was just to make sure that we did not bring  in additional gold from Singapore,  where gold was supposed to be cheap, by exchanging our small chains and bangles  into  heavier ones and thus create a loss of revenue to the government.

 "Let us not worry about it. Our budget is worse than the Indian one and any illegal means are not at all in our books" We laughed!

When we came back after the trip my gold was verified and I was questioned about  any extra gold  to which I answered in negative.

"But you should have brought lot of saris madam.. "The officer asked. Again it was a negative answer

I can't believe you... not even a single sari .....?! Going to Singapore and coming back without even a single one...?! Impossible.....

Possessing a Singapore sari was  deemed to be of high standard in the good old days and the body hugging quality of the Japanese georgette silk was an envy of the have nots and a gift of a Singapore sari was perceived as a great honour and always received with  great reverence!

 I was not against buying those revered saris...... but where do you get a sari sitting in the meetings (just an observer and nothing more!) and rest of the time being driven around to see the Singapore sights  and a big dinner with our prospective collaborator at the revolving restaurant at Mandarin Hotel..? Revolving restaurants were a rarity then and rotating around we were bewildered  to see borders of Indonesia and Malaysia

When I related this back home a Singapore relative who was  listening laughed.

"Listen to my part of the story. Whenever I come from Singapore I want to bring the maximum items including gold as my tribe here is really big. For instance I used buy beautiful georgette materials that can make for three saris and tie it as a single sari when I board the plane. I can bring in lot of gold but there was a limit. I used to wear a long sweater and hide some bangles as arm bands above my elbow. The bangles and other jewels I wore were legal while the 'armbands' weren't! The modern metal detecting machines were absent then. A good rapport with the customs would get me through most of the times. My obesity due to the big sari and the haggard gait and my age and my endearing approach would smoothen  the ambience and gift of few saris will push me right royally to the exit gate" She declared triumphantly!

I gaped about the nexus between the saris and gold and not very happy about the state of affairs.

While a Singapore citizen can sail through the customs with arm bands of gold we Indians like third grade citizens were asked to affix our signature for the gold we are wearing and account for the same when we returned.

Except for the revolving restaurant story I didn't have much to offer to my friends and relatives!

I thought that I could  at last  say by to  golden story. But my golden  destiny  thought otherwise!

The two decades in between the millennium and the eighties  brought in lot of changes.  Better saris were available in India and the customs' trite with   checking your gold  with signature affixed was a thing of past and it never bothered much with the small gold items brought into India since prices compared well between the countries and with clever machines to identify any excess smuggled gold  hidden  cleverly in the bags and baggage,  all was well with the nation!

 Then it happened! We came into a collaboration.  Singapore became the Asia hub for the operations. We were properly settled there and it was my first trip back to India. I had duly bought some gifts for the MTL family  at Chennai.

As we were about to collect our baggage  at the Anna International Airport Chennai we were stopped with one our suit cases marked with white chalk with the big multiplication mark! My man was called aside. I was worried. I didn't know what expired between him and the customs. He came back to me, a worried man!

"Did you buy some gold..?."

"No.........." A vehement protest from me!

"But there seems to be lot of gold in our suit case....."

"May be someone had pushed in....."

"But the lock is intact ........."

Then I realised that I had bought 150 odd key chains with the Singapore lion gold gilded emblems.

"I think I  bought  a good amount of key chains in gold colour."

At the end the case was solved.  The bag was never opened. Our words held good!

 If anyone of you guys in the MTL family still possess one of those golden key chain or remember getting one of those  this story is dedicated to you and only  you!