"This is my card. Your work will be over today and I'll hand over all the documents in this shop. Please collect it tomorrow by morning and my charge is 100."I was not keen in his words till i got an eye on his card and understood that he was an advocate. That too a notary public advocate. And what we were supposed to pay was for his signature in the document typing that was going on. I wondered if we were doing any mistake and pay him to cover it or was his sign that splendid worthy of 100 bucks.
"Come here to collect by 11.30 tomorrow and that is when people will start functioning in govt offices"Again tomorrow!!!!! No.. To the same building that we were hanging around for more than half a day. Think this is the first time in my life I have entered a govt office and observed it very keenly. The building was really big and looked nice from outside. Just as I entered, a sudden gust of some feelings stroked off. A very different sense of confusion. I felt very odd being there and it took few moments to realize my being there. I could notice lot of people moving here and there. A guy selling chaai in a kettle and few glasses, men of different ages carrying big folders and lot of documents, few chit-chatters, time passers, messengers, peons, officers with a people flock around them.... but despite this differences in people, i could observe a common feature among all.. everyone was spitting (pan) wherever they could and they were trying to make white walls and mosaic floors RED. A good social effort!!!
It took us another few minutes for us to locate the room where we should go and finally reached there. A medium sized room with more than 7 people sitting there and leaving a small passage for walking, rest of the room was dumped by full of papers, documents, folders. For God sake I wonder if someone can locate any paper from that room in a week. As we entered many eyes gazed us and tried to evaluate our "potential". But when we declared that we were students and there for some clearance form, I could sense few disappointments in those eyes. Finally we asked Mr.A who was sitting at the entrance as what should be done. He was lethargic in his posture sitting in a chair resting his legs on the table top. Later i understood that Mr.A was a peon.
"Wait. Bade Saab will come in few minutes and you can talk to him."Everyone looking new in that place, we found two seats at the corridor and sat very carefully so that I'll not lean over or touch the RED wall. I noticed the same chaai guy in this zone. He hardly had 10 glasses with him and he was supplying chaai in it to the customers. I was making fun at him with my friend as where he will wash those glasses or should we order some special chaai to get in washed glass. But he was very keen and active in his work that he never looked around and was busy in giving and getting back the glasses.
While waiting for the Bade Saab, I noticed there were bundles of papers at corridor also. And interestingly I saw a Rat running over. It went inside all the rooms and with so many paper bundles there, it was having a lot of fun. It helped me to kill my time watching it. Then arrived our Bade Saab at 3.30 pm (just after lunch) who gave a very careless look on us. It seemed like he was not interested in what we were telling. He saw us as if we were asking him some donation. After narrating our whole issue to him, he simply asked us
"What do you want?"Again starting from the scrap, we made him understand that we were in need of a particular form..
"Go to the photocopy shop near the gate and ask him for the form Bayalis and get a bond paper for 10 Rs and another stamp ticket for 10 Rs from the guy selling in ground floor. Then get the matter printed in the bond paper and get attested from the notary at the nearby street."I never expected life to be more difficult for such simple issues. But before we reached the stairs the peon came out to us. This time with some 10% humbleness and 90% helping tendancy. A voluntary service. I wondered. e himself helped us showing where all the business outsourcing is going on. Finally came the words,
"If you give me 50 bucks I can get sign easily from the officer in charge and it will be over in 10 mins. Also don't pay anything more than 40 bucks to the notary."Let us see. Gathering our full strength, we started our journey searching the outsourced guys. The stamp guy sold me stamp papers for more than the actual value of it. He must have known some new commercial or business trade laws to give one rupee and get two rupee back. After getting all the forms and documents we finally landed in the spot of notary office from where I've started the story.
The next day....
As the notary advocate instructed we reached the office early by 11 am (30 mins in advance to the government schedule). After collecting all the documents from the notary office, we proceeded back to our favorite zone. Same office and few new people inside the room. Again they asked us to wait for a senior officer who was ranked as asst commissioner. After a long wait he arrived and even before we opened our mouth, he dropped our papers on the table and asked us to move to the other room. The same response on the other room. Actually, both of the officers were playing ping-pong with us. Again we were waiting in the same chairs. I was looking for my entertainer, the rat. Yeah, it was there. With the same enthu and fun. With all the sluggish people around, I found that rat very active, with enough papers to eat for more than its life time. Again a familiar face, with same kettle and glasses. chaai chaai. He was charging 2 Rs for a glass and was busy in his work.
Then the officer called in and for the first time (after 2 hours) heard from us. Then again we were sent to Bade Saab who had to complete all the paper works and give us the final form. OMG. It was lunch time again. We somehow managed to pass the time and had some food. Finally we were waiting for Bade Saab and he handed over the form by 3.30 pm, after lot of verifications and questions. God save the king. We finally achieved it. After two 2 days struggle, we were able to complete our work in a govt office. Just when we were about the leave the room, I heard some sound from the peon. Yeah, his 50 bucks demand. It was all my time waiting there, helping those officers for their ping-pong game.
"Why should I give him money?"But he was following us to the stairs and asked us for money. After a long thought I gave him money and left the spot. While walking down the rat crossed me into a paper bundle. I just turned my head to look back the peon. I saw him with a rat face with a 50 Rs note in hand. I just peeped inside the office room. Now I could see many bigger rats sitting in chairs trying to get into Rupee bundle. All the men around there suddenly transformed to rats to my vision carrying money instead of papers. All of a sudden, someone stopped us asking if our work was over. When my friend responded him, again I tried to identify that rat. It was the same notary public advocate rat carrying my 100 Rs note. Besides all these rats I observed a familiar man face there, with a kettle and 10 glasses, selling chaai chaai.
