Passport and more....

I just had to add this information before I forgot the details.
While in Tirupathi, we went to the TTD choultry Srinivasam to book a room for Srikanth and Gayatri's family. It was hard to get rooms and so Nirmala had to use her influence as a retired employee to get a room for her guests. My purse was too tiny and so I asked her to carry it in her purse. She obliged and carried it with her inside the office room. My purse contained my American passport which I always carried for identification purposes and I also had Rs.7300, a small picture of Saibaba in the purse. She got one large room, paid the deposit and the other fees. When we reached home, I wanted to pay her back and asked for my purse. She did not have it! She dropped it some where (it could have been only in that office room). We made a few phone calls and no one had good news. Being a Friday, we were at Tiruchanur also. So, we called the office there and no one found it. I was worried about my passport and my return to the USA. Nirmala and I were on the Auto many times going from one Police station to the other and finally on Saturday evening, filed a written complaint at the crime police station.
I could not contact the US consulate. Went to the Cyber cafe, got on the internet and gathered all the info I could about the procedures and policies on getting a new passport. I will post that below. In the meantime,I promised Hanuman that I will recite Chalisa 11 times a day for 40 days (ending on Feb 21st) and somehow to get me the passport. Started reciting the same day. Called the US consulate on Monday morning and they told me that it was no problem since I carried my old passport also - all I needed was $100.00 in cash or pay by a credit card and two photos. I was ready with all that. I then called Srikanth's family in Chennai and told them thatI would be there to get my new passport. They expressed their happiness to see me again!!! My train to Chennai was around 5 p.m and I get a phone call from the Police station at 4 p.m. saying that someone had mailed my passport to their address from Chittoor (a neighboring city) and to come and pick it up!! The circle Inspector was extra polite, I was asked to withdraw the complaint. Neither my small purse nor my other contents were returned. Perhaps it was because I forgot to mention to Hanuman about my other stuff!!!:). Nirmala questioned the fact that there was no postal stamp on the so called envelop that was sitting on the CI's table. Also, we filed the complaint on Saturday around 6 p.m. and they got it in the mail on Monday???? We did not think that the Indian Postal dept. had improved that much!!! As long asmy passport was intact, nothing else mattered to me at that point.

Anyway, here is the information that may be useful for any in such situation:

Passpot lost???:
No appointment neccessary - just walk in. Make sure they are open. Because they are closed on Indian holidays also.

You NEED
Police report (the consulate told me that this report is for you be able to leave the country not to obtain a new passport. We need the passport to enter our country).

Forms DS - 11 and DS - 64

Two 2X2 photos

Old (expired) passport, if any.

US Consulate in Chennai:

American Citizen Services(ACS)
220 Anna Salai,Chennai 600006

Phone# 44-28574000
Fax# 44 2857 4344
E-mail address: chennaics@state.gov

HOPE YOU NEVER LOSE YOUR VALUABLES!!!!