Thursday, December 8, 2011

A day's experience with the systems and procedures in India

Ufffff......It was in July that I shifted my residence from a godown...err... sorry, a bachelor's accomadation in Choolaimedu to Middle class residential area of Nanganallur, Chennai.
And I was supposed to get: Gas connection, New address proof for this residence, Change my Landline Telephone connection to this address and get Ration card to this address... Sorry I forgot the following too... Change address in Bank accounts, PAN Card oh.... a lot more.

Getting a gas connection literally S*CK*D....
I went to the Prathana Gas agency near Madipakkam Koot Road.
Enquired for getting a gas connection:
She told write your address. They ll come for verification.
Step 1: Writing your address

We waited. We both were working and the house will remain locked during the working hours.
The verification guy came and called. I said we will not be available in working hours.  After a few days, one of our relatives thankfully stayed a few days at home and they helped by being available at the time of the prime minister... sorry.. the verification guy's arrival.

Step 2: Make yourself available irrespective of your office or any trivial thing of that sort when the guy comes for verification.

Unfortunately, we were using a cylinder at the time of his arrival and so he asked how it came there and if we were already using why register. (come on man... How do we eat if we wait for your damn connec****tion). We wrote a letter pleading (begging) that we were using our relative's connection and its not ours.

Step 3: Be careful that you dont use any cylinder at the time of verification guy's arrival. If you were using, u should be able to provide whose cylinder it is and get their signature also.

(Long sigh)

That guy gave a  slip for verification (made of Gold??)

Like a weak little humble all believing goat, I took the slip and went to the same old agency. That building looked more familiar. I gave the address proff, ID proof and that golden slip. I was told that a letter will be delivered to me and I was asked to bring that letter to that office. We waited patiently for a month.

Step 4: Take that golden slip, with address proof and ID proof. Be ready to get the scronful look if you dont have a ration card or voter's id for the address proof. I submitter HR letter from my office.

Step 5: WAIT and BE PATIENT

Step 6: Check if 3 and a half months has passed from Step 4.

Step 7: If the answer to step 6 is yes and still you didnt get any platinum letter from them, call and check what happened to your registration papers amidst their busy heap of golden documents. If the answer is No, refer Step 5 two times.

A single sheet was received after 3 and a half months. It took 4 days for me to take it to their office and ask what to do with that paper platinum. They said bring Rs.6500 for two cylinders. That divinity at the counter opened her lips and uttered that final boon, I thought. Happily I came home.

Took leave of office today i.e., 8th December 2011 for this duty of getting a gas connection and few other important duties. Went there and asked for it. I said I did not want a stove. She looked at me and then said, we will come for verification. ( Me, the poor fellow was not informed, why and what for is the verification)

I just came home and wrote this blog. (Big sigh)

Step 8: Refer Step 5

Coming to EB:

I parked the bike in a shade of a tree and went up there with all the required things. Waited. Waited. I thought the Queue will move. I waited. No it didnt move. I waited. No it didnt work. There were five counters. But only two were open. The other three were closed with daily sheet calendars with Lord Muruga showing his smiling face and Abhaya Hastha. I took it to be the need of the hour. and I waited.

Long sigh.

Not even one person moved. Fed up. I came home to make the online payment to EB.
And till now, I am refreshing the EB page.

God knows if I had made the payment even at this second.
Thanks to our systems and Procedures.

Ooooffff......... Retiring.














Friday, December 2, 2011

My blogperience

My first post was in April 2010. Right from it, I have posted a few posts.
Mostly to keep logs of what I think and What I do and to find people with similar interest and also to quench the thirst of writing in public.

But sadly, its not upto my mark. I wanted my blog to be filled with a lot of visits, discussions, comments and to create a big public awareness and a meeting spot for cultural discussions, spiritual discussions and sometimes a hangout point for a bored youth. Too much eh?  Yeah...It should be....

But where is my blog now? Its just a nanomicron in the cloud.
What should I do to make my blog a hub?

1.Be thematic. But before that find what is my theme? It could be travel, It could be people etc. A blog should be a one stop for one particular thing
2.Be creative. In words, In design, In flow. Be Crisp.
3.Be-lieve that my blog can become popular because there are more people in the world looking out what they need.
4.Send links to as many as possible. Advertisement works. Cant rely on google all the time to direct to my blog.
5.Key words are the key.

Following these one can make a blog popular. The journey begins......