The hardest thing I can ever imagine is to get through any government department, it’s the very old notion I have been preserving! And let me admit with it that this notion has always been true to itself and never let it be proven wrong!
Recently I had to compel myself to face that old fear again, had to go to Government body to get driving license. I was reluctant, as one can think of after reading the previous texts, initially to get it done but had to do it as I was not left with any other options than to get it done.
The main reason of doing it was to get rid from hassle often caused due to driving without being able to produce that what declares you entitled to drive the vehicle, of course on being caught.
And another reason worth taking this pain I found of is its nationwide acceptance as Id proof.
Up till now I was using my Electoral Card as an Id proof as I don’t find any other meaningful way to use it. But the same was about to torn out and I was not ready to revise it and ultimately passing through the same procedure of elaborate waiting and going one office to another like a mendicant moving form home to home in a hope of receiving something.
So I decided to get my license so that I can give rest to my Voter card and let it wait till I finally make my mind to use it for any appropriate candidate.
From my past experience I had found out that the best way to get through any Government procedure is to done it with the help of any agent, as its almost unthinkable that you can get it right on very first visit. So I choose to get it done with an agent. After completing initial formalities I was asked to move to major district office to ultimately get the long awaiting pearl.
As far as good!
And that was what makes me skeptical and desperate as I have never thought it to be this much easy and amicable. Still had to concede, after all, that there must be some improvement, I rather use word transformation had it really was so! After not mulling over it much and let the cause of it let untouched I moved to District Office just to finish the remaining work and rush back to home.
As for now it had consumed my two whole days that I get after been inflicted with a lot annoyance by the boss (who might have the revolutionary idea, as you can imagine of after hearing him all the day that: “nine women can born a baby in a month!!!!”).
The moment I met with the agent at district Office, he offered an advice that go straight and take the token which bears your number, means the number of persons that are in precedence because of first come first serve basis. Looked logical, but the number they gave me gave a shock! So as usual as an ordinary Indian I directly rushed to the agent and told him the situation!
Then a revelation, as expected came from him, get any of the two peons -give them prescribed amount -and get your thing done as soon as they make (or willing to make)it possible! I searched for them in a great anticipation matching the description of them given by the agent rigorously and at a moment laughed on myself on my this folly as I have never been so impatient even to search my girlfriend! There were so many of them (waiters!) like me in a queue and moving here and there fitting that description but I couldn’t find it prudent enough directly to access them with the offer.
Then at last I found a man surrounded with many amongst us like a celebrity giving a precious counsel of being patient and laughing a loud showing his uncanny teeth turned red by chewing “Pan” all this years!
As he moved little ahead I approached him silently and asked him to do the favor, and he was ready to do and the deal was done! Yet it’s not all over, he suggested to have a lunch, as it’s almost thirty minutes past the noon and work were not even started yet.
I respected his advice but didn’t bother to ask him about the working schedule of the office as I was sure It wouldn’t start working until 11 and I felt pretty satisfied by noting my guess turning true!
After a lunch in hustle I moved back to the office and started searching again for my redeemer with the hope that my labor will bear something. And there he was, laughing and strolling, as his signature attitude.
I went closer to him and without wasting a moment he got on the topic and start explaining what I needed to do just to windup the whole thing and I was thanking god for all this making happen. While talking suddenly an instruction struck – I had to wait for some time till he would be in a position to suggest me something again. I took his words and found a place in a queue constituting about more than two hundred peoples. After an hour or so I was so surprised to note them talking and sharing their life stories that had you were not aware of the fact that they all were waiting to come to their turn you might have thought of them being of a big family gathered on social cause!
Tick of time was becoming too heavy to be moved every second by the clock and everybody was looking at the main door of the office with a fixed gaze and a whole lot within the mind! Yet any of the employees of the office was not showing any uneasiness or discomfort for not being able to start the work even after hours and let others waiting on a stinky lobby.
Still being sanguine by nature I took myself fortunate that I had not to wait in any hospital lounge where all of these discomfort would be accompanied by the loud coughs, piercing cries of the children, pungent smell of drugs and all the rest of it. Then He came tearing out the silhouettes of the moving men swarming like maggots loaded with tones of sweat and bundles of documents! His news of not being certain about when delay caused with some technical difficulty, I rather say malfunctioning, would be restored with working came with a deep pang.
The only thing he could offer me was to wait again till he came with fresh updates! Waiting again for don’t know how many hours as I was blocked during those hours. Then He came again with usual smile like laughing Buddha – ever cheerful – despite of all the troubles (mostly on the visitor’s), and gave his final verdict : “ we couldn’t function for two days as there was a problem with the gadgets we were using, so go home and come on Monday with the same documents and meet me directly.”
After controlling my all the anger to yell at him using all the abusive I have known of I went off looking through the glass door of the office to get the idea of what actually happening there and just shocked with the sight – None of them was showing any sign of, even a bit of, feeling shame or regret for not being able to function their duty properly and let more then two hundred or so visitors waiting and wasting their work hours!
All of this ended with their sips of hot tea freshly served by the boy
Posts by SpeakBindas Editorial Team.