Flyers in fix over 'do's & don'ts' list

AHMEDABAD: If NRGs are doing without home-made pickles, ''keri-no-ras'' and ghee, blame it on Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. For, WTC attack or the Iraq war aren''t just international events.
That is what Miti Raval discovered when the airport authorities in the US asked her to leave behind the "mawa", ghee, mango juice and incense sticks that she was carrying for her mother-in-law in New York.
Miti joined the growing list of OBCD (outward bound confused desi) after a series of world events in the last two years - from 9/11 to the Iraq War - led to countries changing and tightening customs rules at the drop of a hat.
"They did not let me carry mango juice and ghee as they were packed in opaque cans. My sister, who stays in Chicago, is so fond of ''keri-no-ras''", says Nita Thakkar, who had to leave behind these edible objects at the Ahmedabad airport recently.
So, when Shital Savla began packing her luggage for a month''s trip to the US, she was confused.
"I spent a week trying to find what I could carry and what was banned. I scanned websites of the US customs and international airlines and made inquiries with travel agents. None could give me the latest list of ''don''t carry'' items. It is so confusing", says Savla.
What has left most travellers foxed is the range of items facing the axe. If post 9/11, box cutters were banned on flights as they were used for hijacking, mouth fresheners containing ''dhaniya dal'' and ''variyali''were thrown out recently as they "look like seeds and could help spread germs." Even candles became a strict no-no for their inflammable nature.
"Pickle bottles jamming Indian airports became a common sight after the WTC attack. Now, scare of biological weapons has led to a range of food items — from dairy products to dry fruit — are finding their way in the banned items'' list", said Maulin Raval, an advocate based in New York.
Kamlesh Shah of GoodWind Travels says updates on recent changes announced by the US and other countries are not available.
"Baggage rules are changed often, citing urgent security concerns. We fall back on information passed on by passengers to prepare lists for clients. We always advise our clients to pack items in transparent boxes so that they can show the item to the custom officials", says Shah. "We have to depend on websites of airlines for baggage rules. But, often, even they cannot provide recent information", says P Mehta of PCFL Travel House, who herself had to leave behind her nail-cutter and nail-filer at the Mumbai airport recently.