Brush with beurocracy

Part 1

the day began with a well planned trip to the RTO (regional transport ofice? ? doe anyone really know??) the only problem was, that i forgot to wake up. Leaving aide the minor maternal skirmishes, i reached the Kakkanad bustop at 1030

as i got off the bus, there were 11 other women with me. all were dressed identically. starched saree, bulging handbags (for what? lunchbox or kaikkooli??). there was one woman in a salwar kameez, but she had lots of sindoor on her face, so she was probably too young to fit into the matronly group. (seeing how women in kerala choose to be married at 21)

i knew the general scheme of things. i went and perused a large layout board which informed me in malayalam and english that the offices i may be looking for were on the 3rd floor.

The moment you take the stairs, the renovation efforts are visible. lush marble and marbonite adorn the steps, smirking at the chipped cement of the ground floor. As you take the stairs up, you see the collectorate(i think) which proclaims itself in golden relief.

after much ambling, i reached the place in question. i walked in, and saw a help Desk board that pointed me back out of the room. the bearded official (i assume he was early to work, cuz noone else was there yet) read my letter. (i was smart enough to anticipate the need of one, on white paper , no less). he dug out my address, id number et al, based on my first name. i was told, however, that as my permanent address was in aluva(distant town), i wd be issued the duplicate only from there. what i cd get from here, however , was a "particluars" which i needed to produce at aluva. i was told to meet somechap - the mvi

Back to the ground Floor

the mvi hasnt come, the friendly uniformed chappie said, after much deliberation with his coleagues.

the Mvi arrives, but how on earth am i to know it is the f mvi?!
here's what u shd do. march boldly up in the general direction f where u know him to be. as loudly , has the mvi come? the reply will come. yes. and as irony would have it, the respondent was the mvi.

he peruses my request. makes some changes, switches the power on. boots his system(XP), atrts the software, enters username and pw (i am standin an reading it!! how careless!!)and digs out my record looks at it, and tells me i need to get the "particulars".

By now i had become quite desperate to get this elusive "particulars". Nothing can come between me and my particulars, i tell him. he asks me to go bak up to the place came from.

Back to the HelpDesk 1

Go to Counter 5.

after much fighting and pushing, i pay 70 rs and get a receipt

Back to Help DEsk 1

Go to counter 3.

wait for woman to come (phlegm infested female with a chequered cloth at her nose)

Go to help desk 2

Push and shove bit more to get sign and staple.

Go to counter 3.

Get receipt that Says many things in small print. Could this be the "particulars" ?? nay i say, too small a slip to make such a big fuss about.

i decide to re-ask the phlem female.
" ga gobe gab gager"
"manassilayilla"
she scribbles on the receipt slip thing.

" COME BACK on MAY 11th. "

aaaaaaaargh . foiled once again