Identity Crisis
It's been over three years since my passport had lapsed. So, everyone and even the website told me I needed to apply for a fresh passport. And I did just the same, online. But little did I know the pain that it would be to get an appointment for submitting my documents. Every day for the next one month I would religiously try for an appointment between 4 p.m. to 4.05 p.m. and would be turned down. But every day it told me sorry all the spots are booked try again the next working day! Finally, I had to take resort to my hubby's office Concierge Desk to get the revered appointment.
So, I went finally for the appointment slip with the glee of winner written all over my face to the new shining passport office. The slip had bar codes etc. on it and I thought entry would be made easier by just scanning through a hand held bar code device, right? WRONG! We are Indians and we must toil under the sun and drop dead with heat stroke was what I was told. Although time is mentioned on the slip one still has to que up outside in 40 degrees centigrade till the authorities (in this case the security guard at the gate) takes pity on you and allows you to move into the foyer! Well, as I was a veteran at waiting for my above mentioned lapsed passport last time at the Brabourne Road Office in Kolkata I thought I knew better. Man was I stumped or what? The bright new shining office looked extremely efficient inside, with wash rooms, small eatery which dolled out coffee, tea and snacks and also a photocopy outlet! The earlier office had none of these facilities and one had to que up from early morning and more or less go hungry through out the day not to mention run back and forth to the photocopy shop around town. I was super impressed little did I know what was stored for me in the next set of events. It is a super impressive set up but the point is we just are one too many here in this country! The sheer number of people have grown at least 10 times since I got my passport the last time in 1998! I wonder what will happen the next time I have to renew the same? There will be another annex office I am sure handling just renewals and reissues etc. One office cannot suffice if we keep on growing in numbers at the current speed!
It took me half an hour to enter the main foyer where we were asked to sit down and were that we would be informed soon about our turn. And the musical chair began. I often wonder what is it with us as a race that just cannot take simple information and must try to be at the head of the que always? One guess 'population pressure?' Even when boarding is announced at the airport people fall over each other to reach the bus! Well, I often feel like reprimanding these fellow citizens for their impatience. Similarly here too hordes of people would time and again que up unnecessarily and create a chaos in the foyer area. May be all of us were too glad that we had won the lottery of an appointment and could not reign in our excitement! After this initial 'sit - down' and 'stand - up' I finally reached the desk where the processing began.
At the first counter I had to submit my appointment slip and the self attested photocopies of all the required proofs. I was armed with 17 photocopies and the only thing I had not photocopied was hubby's passport, the guy took one look at my documents and said well I was in the wrong to apply for a fresh passport and the category for me will always be reissue. Second, I need to write exactly the name as it was written on my marriage certificate and could not shorten it randomly!! Stumped again! I had already done that since when I got married and every proof such as bank documents , PAN card was on the shortened name!!! I started to protest and the I suddenly remembered my friend's good advice in the morning that I should not get aggravated no matter what they said and be extremely calm. So, I put my chin up and smiled at myself and asked if there was any chance to renew the passport with the marriage certificate name? And he said 'yes' that should not be a problem but I don't see photocopies of your husband's passport here, please go and get them and then we can start processing. Well, the only document I had not photocopied had to be photocopied! Murphy's law in action I told myself.
Once I came back with the same I was sent to the next counter my photograph was captured, so were the finger prints and Rs. 1000 in cash. But the girl here said there was no need for my husband's passport and threw out the photocopies which I had got done just 5 minutes back!!! The girl at this desk was happy to change my name but forgot to enter the same in the system and pressed submit! Voila it was locked with a shorter name!!! But that cannot happen as my proof was the marriage certificate with the longer name I was told. Hence, they unlocked the file in the next level of verification zone and sent me back to her! Well this time we got it right and I was sent to the next level. These first two tiers employ youngsters just fresh out of college, they are quick and extremely cool though a little flippant at times as my experience proved. Good ten minutes wasted for the quick pressing of the submit button on the page! So be it!
In the next twp tiers the original documents are verified and then rechecked and then one has to submit it at the exit desk. The people at the verification desk could not pronounce my name correctly one single time after me repeating the same time and again. I felt like screaming "see why I have shortened my name"? It was a reminder good old Brabourne Road office and I found it very difficult to keep my face straight through it all. But I remembered my friend's words every turn of the day and made it through the maze of identity crisis. Finally my middle name is back with my married surname! Whatever you wish is all I could say or I could say, "You can call me Al."
So, I went finally for the appointment slip with the glee of winner written all over my face to the new shining passport office. The slip had bar codes etc. on it and I thought entry would be made easier by just scanning through a hand held bar code device, right? WRONG! We are Indians and we must toil under the sun and drop dead with heat stroke was what I was told. Although time is mentioned on the slip one still has to que up outside in 40 degrees centigrade till the authorities (in this case the security guard at the gate) takes pity on you and allows you to move into the foyer! Well, as I was a veteran at waiting for my above mentioned lapsed passport last time at the Brabourne Road Office in Kolkata I thought I knew better. Man was I stumped or what? The bright new shining office looked extremely efficient inside, with wash rooms, small eatery which dolled out coffee, tea and snacks and also a photocopy outlet! The earlier office had none of these facilities and one had to que up from early morning and more or less go hungry through out the day not to mention run back and forth to the photocopy shop around town. I was super impressed little did I know what was stored for me in the next set of events. It is a super impressive set up but the point is we just are one too many here in this country! The sheer number of people have grown at least 10 times since I got my passport the last time in 1998! I wonder what will happen the next time I have to renew the same? There will be another annex office I am sure handling just renewals and reissues etc. One office cannot suffice if we keep on growing in numbers at the current speed!
It took me half an hour to enter the main foyer where we were asked to sit down and were that we would be informed soon about our turn. And the musical chair began. I often wonder what is it with us as a race that just cannot take simple information and must try to be at the head of the que always? One guess 'population pressure?' Even when boarding is announced at the airport people fall over each other to reach the bus! Well, I often feel like reprimanding these fellow citizens for their impatience. Similarly here too hordes of people would time and again que up unnecessarily and create a chaos in the foyer area. May be all of us were too glad that we had won the lottery of an appointment and could not reign in our excitement! After this initial 'sit - down' and 'stand - up' I finally reached the desk where the processing began.
At the first counter I had to submit my appointment slip and the self attested photocopies of all the required proofs. I was armed with 17 photocopies and the only thing I had not photocopied was hubby's passport, the guy took one look at my documents and said well I was in the wrong to apply for a fresh passport and the category for me will always be reissue. Second, I need to write exactly the name as it was written on my marriage certificate and could not shorten it randomly!! Stumped again! I had already done that since when I got married and every proof such as bank documents , PAN card was on the shortened name!!! I started to protest and the I suddenly remembered my friend's good advice in the morning that I should not get aggravated no matter what they said and be extremely calm. So, I put my chin up and smiled at myself and asked if there was any chance to renew the passport with the marriage certificate name? And he said 'yes' that should not be a problem but I don't see photocopies of your husband's passport here, please go and get them and then we can start processing. Well, the only document I had not photocopied had to be photocopied! Murphy's law in action I told myself.
Once I came back with the same I was sent to the next counter my photograph was captured, so were the finger prints and Rs. 1000 in cash. But the girl here said there was no need for my husband's passport and threw out the photocopies which I had got done just 5 minutes back!!! The girl at this desk was happy to change my name but forgot to enter the same in the system and pressed submit! Voila it was locked with a shorter name!!! But that cannot happen as my proof was the marriage certificate with the longer name I was told. Hence, they unlocked the file in the next level of verification zone and sent me back to her! Well this time we got it right and I was sent to the next level. These first two tiers employ youngsters just fresh out of college, they are quick and extremely cool though a little flippant at times as my experience proved. Good ten minutes wasted for the quick pressing of the submit button on the page! So be it!
In the next twp tiers the original documents are verified and then rechecked and then one has to submit it at the exit desk. The people at the verification desk could not pronounce my name correctly one single time after me repeating the same time and again. I felt like screaming "see why I have shortened my name"? It was a reminder good old Brabourne Road office and I found it very difficult to keep my face straight through it all. But I remembered my friend's words every turn of the day and made it through the maze of identity crisis. Finally my middle name is back with my married surname! Whatever you wish is all I could say or I could say, "You can call me Al."
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