‘I did what my grandfather did while leaving Pak’: Entrepreneur’s ‘jugaad’ at US visa interview goes viral

Deepak Abbot, co-founder of Indiagold, was not allowed at a US visa interview recently for wearing a sleep-tracking ring. What he did next went viral on X. “I did what my grandfather did with his gold while leaving Pakistan,” Abbot said after he went with his smart ring for the visa interview. 

“I forgot that I was wearing @UltrahumanHQ ring and they refused to let me in. I came out and realized there is no one I could hand that over. Confused what to do next…I did what my grandfather did with his gold while leaving Pakistan – I went little further, dug a hole, kept my ring inside and kept a stone on top of it. Only difference – I went back and took it back. Lesson: Do not carry any electronics to US visa interview,” he added. 

Abbot’s post garnered more than 40,000 views and hundreds of likes. The post also got several replies. “Desi jugaad>Videshi guidelines,” wrote one user. “Quite a similar method I used for my phone during my entrance exam. Glad I’m not alone,” said another. 

“Interesting. They allowed mine last year and I demonstrated the ring electronics to the Visa interview office. Jokes aside, happy to help in any way,” shared another user. “At least that was a smart ring. I wasn’t allowed my car key! I guess modern tech could allow for anything inside them. Need more convenient ways to store things at/near the consulate thought,” commented another. 

“How come they don’t have any facility to store? I doubt people would be just leaving their phones outside randomly,” asked a user, to which Abbot replied, “The security person was very clear that it isn’t their problem. No storage provided inside.”