Friday, May 7, 2010

Ordeal of a Kind

They say time waits for none. But there are few places where there is no sense of time. Well!! before you all start visualizing a heaven on earth where everything comes to a standstill...WAIT!!! Dont jump the gun. The place that I am about to mention is no where close.

Its nothing but our indispensable government offices - Regional Transport Office, Bank, Registrar office.......................

The time stands still or rather there is no concept of time at all except for of course tea, gossips, lunch, naps, tea, more gossips and home. Well, am I exaggerating? May be!!

But its no better. Go to any government office and you will see it for yourself. The staffs work at their own pace..........they can give tortoises a run for their money!!!

Only one finger pokes the keyboard; at its own speed...searching for alphabets as if they were precious diamonds rare to find............. a signature is made by a hand which is literally shivering, your documents are tagged as if it is going to take eons and eons.

Place where you can find antiques!! Probably these are the offices which use x86 processors and have floppy drives and FLOPPIES!!! I saw floppies after a very long time in a bank. An old man; probably senior staff threw it in a thrash can without any worry. What if it had had confidential information; related to user accounts??

Run amok, get the seal from counter 7 on 2nd floor, be asked to buy postage stamps at the counter on ground floor..... come back to 6nd floor and get the approval from counter 3, go back to 2nd floor to get signature from the Superintendent only to see he has vanished from his place.  Ask for his whereabouts and you don't get any proper response, wait patiently and when he comes back, he treats you as a trash. Yearn for his attention and be very polite just to get his signature only to be dismissed that you have not filled the details properly.

Ask him for directions as to what you have missed, he throws his price and redirects to someone else. That someone else asks you to check with Inquiry and the Inquiry is closed!! Check around and ask for help, finally get the details filled and back to the Superintendent counter. Now what? He has gone for lunch.

Wait for his return, finally get his approval and by the time you have completed your task, your day is gone. You are just left with sweat and frustration.......

And SORE FEET as it were a pair of stilettos which adorned the feet which sprinted up and down :-(


50 comments:

  1. *bang* *bang* *bang*

    that's me banging my head on the desk. Government offices definitely are a pain. What you just described, I lived it out sometime back when I had to go get my broadband tariff plan changed.

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  2. Wow brought back memories.. When I had to go to the Estate office in chandigarh to get a document..

    Put it this way in the end .. I was in the police station.. With the SHO Karnail singh, threatening me to Show the power of his Uniform... All because I asked the guy, how come he was accepting the Form from the Side while I stood in a QUE..
    I was taught
    "Yahaan to kaam aise hi hota hai"
    "Karle jo karna hai"
    and rest of the stuff...
    and showing my ID card of UK got the reaction.. "YEH UK main chalta hai.. Even when it had the word POLICE on it"

    I got saved by luck because my uncle who was there on his work saw me, and he happened to be the class mate of the Then DIG police.. so when the phone rang, I was offered a cup of TEA.. rather then the power of uniform...

    So Sorry to say I prefer now to pay someone a Tenner to get the work done, rather then get hasseled..

    But i see you had quiet a ordeal if that was you running around.. but hey on second thoughts look at how many calories you burnt he heh ehe

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  3. This is my complaint for ages that our Babus have no responsibility and accountability.
    How will this go on, God only knows, but our system of governance has taken a hit

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  4. Shaunak,

    You too!! Seems we all have to go through this pain at least once

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  5. Bik,

    Oh my!! Thats sad. Thankfully you were saved in nick of time!!

    Burn calories??? Hmmm..yeah and hence I treated myself with a large scoop of ice cream. :-)

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  6. Chowla sir,

    True. Sad that it has not changed.

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  7. I think the best way would be to treat the Government jobs like private.. the problems is once one gets a Govt job .. then they are not bothered cause there is no risk of loosing a job.. hardly see anyone loose jobs

    Once the fear of loosing job comes they will automatically start to respect ...

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  8. we need to reform the laws

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  9. While this may generally hold true, there are enough of government employees and their offices that i know of, that are straight forward, hardworking and live a simple life !

    :)

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  10. Looking at the brighter side - you got some exercise done, and treated yourself an ice cream! :)

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  11. very frustrating and we face it all the time.

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  12. it is so frustrating, and it happens all the time.

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  13. Bik,

    You are right!! but privatization is not that easy!! Whichever department has tried that they have faced lot of resistance...Not easy at all

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  14. Kavi,

    Sadly I havent come across such genuine folks yet!

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  15. Ashwin,

    Sun shine even while it pours huh!! But true :-) I did treat myself to an ice cream :-)

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  16. It is true in most countries including the USA. Government offices are slow. The best line of your blog

    "they can give tortoises a run for their money!!!"

    But there is one addition...in one old story a Tortoise won the race for being consistent...here there is no chance.

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  17. I have studied in a Government college for 7 years and I only know how we managed to get our work done when it came to admissions each year and exam forms twice or thrice a year! If you speak in Marathi, your work is done quickly; or else run from pillar to post!

    this is the case at most places..but as Kavi mentioned; there are few nice people too..

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  18. A,

    Tortoise in that story was THE one of its kind. :-P

    There's no chance in these offices...

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  19. Neha,

    That would have been so pathetic. I can understand. Exactly!! I get away at most government offices by speaking the local language.

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  20. I fully endorse what you said . I have already blogged on my ordeal on State depts.

    http://manchitra.wordpress.com/2009/08/06/i-have-a-ration-card/ ‎ ‎

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  21. Oh yes...they did not even spare my daddy who is visually handicapped. They have no heart...they made him run from pillar to post. Like Bikram, I believe that people should be treated the way employees in pvt companies are treated. Sarkari log do not have to fear about loosing their job, which is the primary reason for their callous behavior.

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  22. bureaucracy...well...i have tasted it a lot...so dunno what 2 say...

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  23. the mylapore rto is decent. was the only one getting car license without driving school.pay,take test,got the license. was pretty smooth and over in half day.lets see how my passport thing goes.free

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  24. chitra,

    Yes!! Let me read your post. :-)

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  25. Gayathri,

    I am so sorry to hear that. Thats the reason, they are safe and thats what that pathetic behavior.

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  26. Ramesh,

    :-) I understand your frustration. Happens.

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  27. soin,

    Hmmmm...all the best for you securing your passport.

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  28. What a scene maker u are..:)
    Everything was just roaming round me. I felt as if I was in the office.
    Amazing writing I must say.
    Government offices are called so because they are how u ave defined them..
    U missed n their sleeping part.
    They can sleep with open eyes and at all those half loose chairs..:)
    But what can we do.
    Let them work with X-86.
    Once I become the PM, i will make the changes u suggest..:)
    My chief adviser of PMEAC..

    Cheers

    Nuts

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  29. Nipun,

    Scene maker? Me?? Hehehehehe

    Exactly!! You felt as if it were you and things happening around you? Thats what I wanted :-)

    Mission accomplished. Oh yes, learn to sleep with eyes open from them.

    Oh yeah!! Great..Wish you become the PM soooon!! :-)

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  30. Bureaucracy..i tell you!!:x

    But kYa scene describe kiya re...clean really!!

    Hats off!!:)

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  31. I AM studying in a Govt College right now. Rest imagined! :|

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  32. Jaunty,

    Yup :-(

    You liked my description..hehehehe. I wanted people to feel it :-D

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  33. Yes. Agreed. This happens many of the Govt Offices. Of-course, there are few good people too.
    Eg:
    :( I also experienced once at RTO office. Where checking inspector asked me to show the engine number which is underneath the engine. I don't know the exact place, then I went by running to a nearby mechanic for his help. That mechanic gave me a chalk piece and a broken mirror piece. When I took those two pieces to the inspector then he has realised that I know the area of the engine where number is available. Big drama for half a day for this. He felt little angry on me for acquiring knowledge of engine number and asked me to come on the next day. Then I went and reported the main RTO the situation and and my waste of time for a full day, then the job is done immediately. It appears that inspector coming under the category of trouble maker and main RTO comes under one of the good people.

    We can't change this system, may be it may take few more decades.

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  34. Naidu sir,

    That was so pathetic. These are the things that happens.

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  35. yeah i agree.. i hate it when i have paperwork or anythin to get done.. morons these babus are!!

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  36. Nice post. I have experienced this a couple of times when we were visiting India. I am lucky I don't have to experience this very often.

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  37. Everytime I have to visit RTO/Passport Office/Any Govt Office, it is understood that the entire day will be spent cursing them. Getting the work done is a matter of whose face I saw that morning..LoL.

    Too bad about the stilletoes. Ouch. That must've pinched the most.

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  38. Chandana,

    Exactly!! Morons! :-)

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  39. SG,

    Lucky you! You havent experienced much of these

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  40. lostworld,

    Yeah :-( It was more than a pinch :-(

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  41. Govy offices - It's an age in passage. Soon you will be telling younger lot. Times were when you can't get a file moving for months.

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  42. Govy offices - It's an age in passage. Soon you will be telling younger lot. Times were when you can't get a file moving for months.

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  43. Holy Lama,

    Gory!! Yeah thats the word. And the younger generation dont face the same.

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I'd love to know what you thought :-) Please shoot!