Oh my god, it was like I was having a bad nightmare which I couldn't get up from, I think anybody in India can relate to this situation, the problems they face when making a document which requires government officers approval are unimaginable, just like a rabbit popping out of the hat, the tricks just keep coming and coming, there is just no end, well here is the scenario of what happened to this poor soul.
Last Saturday I got to know that for all higher education courses, you have to attest income certificate too, (yeah dumb me, :P), so I traveled to my home town i.e. coorg and when I said it to my dad he said “Don't worry, it will just be ready within a day”, but when we went to the office we got to know, that the whole procedure was changed, you first have to visit a place called “Peace centre”( It was more like a hell centre ...), where you have to fill in a application, which they then send it to concerned officers, if everything goes in “Order”, you will get it after '15' days,
For a second I was in shock, cause i needed one within 5 days, and it seemed like an impossible task, when I asked the guy if he could quicken it up, he said, “Nothing Doing, it will at least take 12 days for sure whatever you do”,
I was doomed, but I filled out an application and gave to it the guy there, after this my dad called out his friend who was counselor of our area and said our problem, he agreed to help and the next day itself we ran to the officers, lemme tell you how this procedure works, first the village accountant prepares a report and signs it, this goes to the revenue inspector, he signs it, which then gets recorded in a computer record, then it gets passed on to the assistant of the Tahasildar she signs it, then to a clerk she signs it and then to Tahasildar where it gets signed for the final time, and then it comes back to the computer section where it gets updated and then finally we have to collect it back at the “Peace centre”, Hoof
I mean you get it right, now what if I told you we got to do this all in just 2 days!!!, (yeah I am good all right ;)), well it was not easy, cause at first my application was almost rejected cause the ass(the guy) at the “Peace centre” dint take the necessary signatures, and another reason being people there work so slow that even a snail would overtake them by miles, we had to run from this department to that saying our plea to every person, oh it was damn stressful.
Another funny thing that happened in between was, when the application reached the assistant, the woman checked the documents and asked me “Where is the proof that you are Muslim?”,
And at that moment I was like WTF?, first of all my name itself suggests that I am a Muslim, and when they gave me a income certificate 2 years earlier, they have mentioned clearly that I am a Muslim in that certificate too, when I told her this, the woman says, “That certificate is old, that cannot be considered now”, I mean wtf, Was I Muslim till that time only????, I asked her this, you know what she did, she just smiled, “what can I say, government rules” she says,
I then brought a stamp paper and registered myself from the notary, that I am a “Muslim”, only then did my application went further and I got the necessary certificate, and it was not free, my dad had to toil with me for 3 days, we spend more than 1000 bucks from autos to bribes, the bigger part being that of the bribes being given and finally when I went to the Peace centre 3 days later to pick up the certificate, the look on the guy's face was priceless, he face clearly said, WTF how did you?,
it was my turn to smile now :D
You know this made me think, I at least had the resources which made my work easier, but what about the poor section of the society, I met a woman there who is in need of this same certificate, and she hasn't got it till now even though its like 3 months since the day she has filled up the application, bribe is the only thing that works in government offices if you don't have it, then you don't get what you want, I mean WTF. Even though there are so many rules, recent one being cameras being set up in government offices, there is just no way out of it, and if you fight back against the system they just don't do your work itself, who is at loss here?? still the common people, WTF is all I can say
Another thing that makes me sicken is whats happening in Gujarat, Narendra Modi the chief minister, is not approving the scholarships sent to minorities, mainly that of Muslims, even though the central government has approved it, I mean is int it direct opposing of a government order????. well there is just nobody to oppose that, cause ministers in some place I heard are busy banning an on line comic named Savitha Bhabi and a theater play called Charandas Chor. WTF.
Well thats about government hassles, another good news is, that the supreme court passed a decision that now fees charged for students in private and unaided schools can now be regulated by the supreme court, I mean how cool is that, if you read my blog regularly, you might have read I once wrote about it here link. And within just a month or so the court passes order against it, I mean that makes it a whole lot cooler,
I know the decision wasn't just made by me writing about it, but i am very happy, cause it was the first time I wrote about something being wrong, and it got solved within just a month, Man thats gotta be the coolest thing happened to me ever. (See I am famous already ;))
OK now enough of me boasting, I am going to submit my application tomorrow for my admissions, pray that I will get selected in the 'A' list itself and then become a great journalist too, (yeah thats my dream).
Pray don't forget. :)
Until next time.
Take Care have a nice day........
