Well, I have made changes to the title - do not want to be derogatory and second is the disclaimer.Disclaimer: This pertains to only certain official/s at Bescom and hence the rest can heave a sigh of relief.
Venue: Bescom office, Koramangala, Bangalore; Time: 11 am, Tuesday.
There is a throng of people patiently waiting their turn to see the almighty official who would hopefully resolve their issues.
I am unfortunately one of them that sad day. I was wearing my usual baggy pants and a casual tee and had asked my mom to sit on one of the dilapidated chairs till our time of reckoning comes. I wait and wait and wait. After nearly an hour, it is finally my chance.
I am always a bit weary meeting government officials with their high and mighty attitude so I tell myself, UbeU, be your modest best, get your humility personified shade out, and remember to kind of bend and at all times refer to as “Sir.” I think heck, let me just get this over with. After all the self-brainwashing, I finally meet Mr. Purushottam and thus ensues the conversation.
UbeU: Sir, the meter needs to be changed to my mother’s name from my dad’s as he is no longer there.
One look at me and there is a sudden look of fury in his eyes or was it broken ego or was it because I was a girl or I was wearing western dress or what the heck?
HnM: Why didn’t you come before this?
UbeU: Well, am sorry, we couldn’t, sir...
HnM: So where is your mother, why isn’t she speaking? Ennamma, ishtu dina yenu madtha idhre? (What were you doing for all these days?)
UbeU: Heck, I can’t pretend for long to be modest for long (to myself). Nodi, we just need this to be transferred to her name.
HnM: Look, I am not talking to you. Ennamma, which language do you understand – why are you just nodding your head.
UbeU: What, what is going on here? You cannot talk to people like that.
HnM: Why don’t you just get out and let me talk to her.
My mom is truly a sweetheart and not the rebellious kind. So she just nods her head. I am all the more pissed off by this.
UbeU: Look, sir, you better learn how to interact with people and not be rude.
HnM: He just throws the papers and walks out. [exit stage left]
I am too enraged and go back home [exit stage right] all red faced with anger thinking what went wrong or rather what did I say wrong. I call up my sister and tell her it is definitely not my fault and I was modest to the core.
So time passes and after couple of months, I decide things have to be gotten done so again dreadfully I visit the same office. This time I wore more somber colored dress and a salwar, thinking my western dress might have offended his fragile ego or whatever.
This time luckily or unluckily there is no queue. I try to avoid HnM and just check with other officials there if they could do it, but alas! no.
I am pretending to forget the past and with more humility not forgetting the “Sir” ask him what needs to be done.
“Okay, show me what are the documents you have?”
UbeU: Oh, lord, I didn’t know my face was so memorable.
HnM: One look at the documents and how many meters do you have?
UbeU: 2 meters.
HnM: But you have only one set of documents here. Don’t you know you need 2 set of documents? Anyways, see I will tell you and makes an attempt to explain, all the while showing his superiority. Then again looks at mom and says, “Do you understand what I am saying?”
UbeU: Yes, of course.
HnM: You keep quiet, I was talking to her.
Mom nods her head.
HnM: How many documents are there, again looking at mom.
Mom didn’t catch the question. The look of fury again, what language do you understand with a lot of venom spewing from his mouth than words?
UbeU: Tell him coolly whichever language you are comfortable in speaking. I guess I touched a nerve there.
HnM: He goes on a tirade, spewing more venom and orders me to get out for the second time.
This time I am too pissed off to take it lying down. I go to the next official and get a sheet of paper for a complaint against HnM. He stalked out of his room and shouts at me, “I think I told you what needs to be done, what more do you need.”
I totally ignore him, set myself on the chair, and write a complaint letter to the AE. Somewhere midway I realized, now what are the chances of this AE setting things right. Anyways, I finish the letter and decide I am too angry and better cool down and act later – something I learnt in management; never act when angry.
Today, it has been a couple of months now. My meter still remains unchanged, I am definitely not writing in anger, but still some questions remain unanswered – Why, oh, why, did HnM bark and bite people?
In an era where customer is the king, I was transformed to the draconian era where the words like service, customer care, and at the very least respecting elders do not exist.
