Arun Prabhudesai
19.5K posts
@8ap
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So, it's been 7 days since we've been stuck in Doha. I wanted to share a few updates, since I have been getting a lot of calls/messages: 1. We have no relief flights from Doha to India yet. And, there's no visibility in the horizon either. 2. Indian Embassy of Qatar is mostly incommunicado. The phone lines are near-impossible to connect to. This is adding to the anxiety of many stranded Indian passengers here. @IndEmbDoha I know because we have a WA group to help share information. 3. Accommodation and food are still being provided. And, Qatar Airways has a 24hr help desk at our hotel. 4. Many folks have managed to exit out through Riyadh and Saudi Arabia with on-arrival VISAs (note that you need a stamped UK, US, or Schengen VISA for the same). We haven't done that yet because one of our colleagues doesn't have that option. 5. Thankfully, the embassy @IndEmbDoha has offered to facilitate VISAs for the same but with the caveat that they need 48 hours to respond. I believe -- considering the emergency -- it should be handled faster. Also, the form requires us to share onward flight ticket from any Saudi AIRPORT. What date should we book it for, if we have no clarity on how long it will take for us to get a VISA? Truth be told, I started off calm and composed, despite the loud blasts, and the sirens. But now, the anxiety and frustration is setting in. It is further exasperated by the fact that many folks have been able to get out of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. @DrSJaishankar @MEAIndia if you could help all the stranded passengers here and help us in anyway possible, that would be great.
JUST IN: An Indian university presents the Chinese robot Unitree Go2 as their own innovation at the AI Summit in Delhi.
Day 1 of the AI Impact Summit turned to be a pain for us. I came genuinely excited, it was the first time the summit was being hosted in India, and I wanted to show up personally to support the ecosystem and the government’s push. But what happened next was shocking. At 12 noon, security personnel arrived to sanitise and cordon off the area ahead of the visit by PM Modi visit at 2pm. I explained that we’re building India’s first patented AI wearable at NeoSapien and requested a chance to showcase it. One officer told others to let me stay, and they left. Then another group came and ordered us to leave immediately. Seemed like there was lack of co-ordination between the security itself. I asked: “Should we take our wearables?” They said, others are leaving even laptops behind, security will take care. Trusting them, I left. Hoping that the wearables will be safe, and If I am lucky, it might catch the eye of PM Modi. Gates were closed from 12–6pm. Much much longer than expected. Later we found out that our wearables were stolen. Think about this: We paid for flights, accommodation, logistics and even the booth. Only to see our wearables disappear inside a high-security zone. If only security and official entourage had access, how did this happen? This is extremely disappointing.
moltbook.com is art.
