“Dad, I qualified for Politecnico di Milano’s Gold scholarship!” exclaimed my daughter Vedika as she burst inside my study with a beaming smile. Pursuing her postgraduate in Architecture from the Politecnico di Milano had been on my daughter’s radar ever since she heard of the prestigious institution from her undergraduate Art and Design Professor, Mrs. Madhumita Roy.

“Of all the bittersweet experiences of watching your child grow, none comes even remotely close to the thought of their imminent leave, especially to an unknown land thousands of miles away.”

And other parents in my situation will back me up on this: of all the bittersweet experiences of watching your child grow, none comes even remotely close to the thought of their imminent leave, especially to an unknown land thousands of miles away. And what was a loving father supposed to do? To acquiesce to his daughter’s wish, and make every possible arrangement to ensure she had everything she needed to achieve her dreams.

“Letting my 22-year old carry all that Forex in cash was out of the question.”

Right on top of the list was financing. Vedika’s college tuition fees were partly covered by the scholarship and the other half could easily be transferred to the college via IndusForex Wire transfer. It is the easiest and most reliable Wire Transfer service. As expected, the money transfer took place within just three business days! So those worries were out of the way. Subsequently, what bothered me was the Forex she needed to carry to pay for miscellaneous personal expenses - food, conveyance, books and work supplies et al. Letting my 22-year old carry all that Forex in cash was out of the question. I had been using a Multi-currency Forex Card for my overseas trips and its safety and convenience convinced me to issue one for Vedika as well. So, we sent her off with some Forex in the form of cash and the rest in the form of plastic money (Forex Card), bidding her a teary-eyed goodbye.

“Throughout those two years of her stay at Milan, the Forex Card was my daughter’s constant payment companion, from helping her clear local grocery bills to shopping at the fashion capital’s revered Corso di Porta Ticinese.”

Throughout those two years of her stay at Milan, the Forex Card was my daughter’s constant payment companion, from helping her clear local grocery bills to shopping at the fashion capital’s revered Corso di Porta Ticinese. And nothing reassures a father more than the knowledge that his daughter is safe and happy in a faraway land. In accordance with my instructions, Vedika kept track of her Forex balance online and got her card reloaded online, as and when the need arose.

“Her phone network had been out of range the whole morning. Neither could she reload her card, nor call me up to seek help. To top it all, the cash she was carrying was just about enough to pay for the meal she had had”

All was smooth sailing until the day I received that phone call. It was a month before she was to get her degree and head back to India. My daughter had gone on a solo tour of the city of Monza, north of Milan. It was set to be a day of fun and adventure until she realized that her Forex Card had run out of funds when she tried to swipe it to pay for lunch. Typically, that would not have been an issue (as long as internet is available) but her phone network had been out of range the whole morning. Neither could she reload her card, nor call me up to seek help. To top it all, the cash she was carrying was just about enough to pay for the meal she had had and she would be left with only a Euro after that. Fighting the natural urge to panic, she had the presence of mind to realize that a Euro was enough to make a quick overseas phone call. Locating the nearest telephone kiosk, she called me up.

“After her confession and apology, she requested me to transfer funds to her Forex Card.”

I was taken aback to hear that she was making the trip all by herself! After her confession and apology, she requested me to transfer funds to her Forex Card. Notwithstanding my annoyance and disappointment at her willful disobedience, I wasn’t going to make it harder for my child. Fortunately, her Travel Card would at least allow her to get back to Milan.

“For once I thanked God for the thing called technology as I realized what a blessing online ways of transferring funds are.”

Following that phone call, I immediately got to the work of sending funds to my daughter’s Forex Card using online services. For once I thanked God for the thing called technology as I realized what a blessing online ways of transferring funds are. It only took a couple of hours for the Card reload. On the other hand, a bank transfer or wire transfer would have taken much longer than she would have been able to afford at the time.

By the time she was up and ready to leave for college the next morning, her Forex Card had been reloaded with the necessary funds. Thanks to online Forex Card reload services, Vedika was able to sail through the remainder of her stay. And of course, we were thrilled to have her back a month later!