Been there, done that . . .
The last time I went to a ration shop was about 15 years back or so. That’s one of the places I really hate to go. There is not even a single reason to be enthusiastic about going to a ration shop. Anyway, we don’t use the ration shop so much.
On a nice Saturday morning, when made myself comfortable on the couch while booting up the footie in the xbox, my mom tells me that I have to go to the ration shop today. I was like ’sorry, come again?’. I was very sure that it was not for buying anything from the ration shop because they know that I’d buy it at a premium from outside than visiting a ration shop. I realised that it was something administrative and since I’m the head of the family as per the ration card, I had to go. I finished my coffee and wore the most unatractive, unflashy of all clothes as we set out for the adventure.
We took an auto as we knew it was about 2 kms or something and I would not take my car for such short distances. While inside the auto, I just checked with my mom on why exactly are we going to the ration shop. She told me that the bills are going to be computerised soon and our ration card number and other details have to be captured in a register by the staff and signed off by the head of the family. I didn’t get it because the ration card I have is a computer generated one and that should normally mean they would all the data in their systems somewhere. I parked my logic aside and got on with the work.
We reached the ration shop. It didn’t have a big neon board but it did have something that characterises a ration shop. It had long queues. I said ‘queues’ because there were these primary queues for men and women separately and there were these secondary queues which may not be long enough to be called queues but serve the same purpose. I stood in the men’s queue and told my mom to wait in the shadows of the minimalist temple that was opposite to the shop.
Standing in a queue is never fun. In some places, they understand the psyche of the people in the queue and do something about it. But here though, the queue is practically on the road and it was about 11am in the morning which did not improve on the experience. There were some really really nasty arguments and quarrels from the women’s queue. That was the only piece of entertainment. The experience can be better if the wait is worth it. I know standing here is not the same as waiting in the queue for an Apple ipod on the launch day.
While it was about 25 minutes in the queue, I heard someone say that the process of ‘entry in the register’ as they call it, would happen only for the card numbers upto 1500 and the others should come ’some other time’. I quickly checked my card, mine was way above 3000. I did not want to waste single minute there if I’m not going to be serviced. I tried to look for some announcements or some stuff around where it gives these details. I wasn’t surprised, there was none. There is no way I could check with the staff in the shop because from where I was I couldn’t even see whether there is anyone inside and if yes, how many. My best chance was to ask the gentleman was ahead of me in the queue. He confirmed so confidently that they would do for all card numbers. That eased me a bit. From then on, I tried to peep into every serviced customer to see if their card number is beyond 1500. But I failed.
The queue experience is never going to be complete without an infiltration. When I was nearing the final third, this 50-something man was suddenly standing so very closely to me. And he was talking as if he is the uncle of the man before me and the father of the boy behind me. I knew that before I could realise he could take my place and he is not someone I would like to reason. That’s when I had to be very tactical, in terms of my movements, my gestures, my turns and man, it was so subtle that it is probably an art as much as queue infiltration.
I got really closer to the service desk that I can ask the staff if they service cards beyond 1500 that day. As I got closer to the desk, I could see the kind of customer service and client focus that was in display. That kind of made me think ‘what’s the point in asking him now. anyway i’ve stood in the queue for an hour. it’s just a few minutes more’. I waited for my chance. The staff were very cold in their approach and had only one thing in their mind – to get rid of these bastards in the queue so they can go home. Some of the interactions would make you wonder who is the customer here? Customer is king? Then that staff must be the queen.
Finally, it was my turn. The staff looked at my card and turned the register towards me. It was a manually pre-numbered accounts register. They had pre-numbered the register only upto 2295. I thought, don’t ever think of telling me to go back for this bloody reason. He was in a thinking mode. No, don’t even reject me. I’ve stood this fuckin queue for about an hour in hot sun among the people I’d not share my life boat with. I think he got a brilliant idea then. He struck the card number on my ration card and wrote 2295 instead. He’s a fuckin genius! He got my mobile number and then updated the details in the register in the 2295 column and asked me to sign. Despite being a chartered accountant, I didn’t quite know why I was signing. Anyway, if that was to signal the end of the gruelling process, I’d even sign once more.
That was it. I really wish I don’t have to go the ration shop again until and unless they put aircons, make the staff more courteous, provide more clarity of the process, reduce the queue time by 90%, introduce e-ration shop etc. In other words, I’m not going again.
Vj,
Gone are the days when I go to the ration shop a night before they sell Kerosene to mark my spot for the next day. Gone are the days when I used go again at early morning 2 AM to stand in the queue and get some glimpse of that precious Kerosene atleast by 9 in the morning!
Man! what have these LPG cylinders done for this society! Having a ration card is most importantly for an address proof for the privileged families than anything else! Can’t imagine if ration card is my only trump card to buy groceries as in the case of many in India!
With the way innovations are happening I wonder why ration shops are still at stone age and seeming to have that same old looks of 1950s? Same applies to Government schools and hospitals! No improvement, no attention, no facilities and no nothing!
Only solution is to make it compulsory for politicians to get treated at Government hospitals, make their children study at Government schools and make them eat only ration rice and groceries!
Its a jungle out there Vj and we have no option than to survive and try a little to make our kids to survive as well
Eppa VJ,
Ithu enna process appa? Ethukkaga intha per pathivu?? Enga areaukku eppo varumo theriyaliye.. ready erukkanum appu.. thapikkathan!!!
Sarkari mamla hai, time to lagega !!
How can you expect them to be faster, it’s next to impossible. I think every gov officer is vowed not to listen to customer and to try to torture him as much as possible.
Couple of years back, I also had this misfortune of going to the Chennai Telephones office to transfer my phone. My god, what scenes! At 3pm on a week day, the hall with about 15 cubicles was fully empty. All lights and fans were on. Papers flying everywhere. Not even one soul there. All I was told was to just WAIT!
Good one,
Sometimes I feel we are fortunately unfortunate for seeing our daily life in India and ending ourselves with frustration, annoyance, irritation, and nuisance that is engaged with every govt operation. The waiting time for every service from govt can be improved largely and made the process so light & easy. We have been recognized as the best IT talent in the world and we are yet to automate ourselves in any form of govt activities. Why can’t we inject IT in every single administrative process that govt is associated with public.? We possess largest postal network, we are the largest railway network, we have largest vote bank, We have great insurance industry potential in rural areas for our population. We could have created so many opportunities & employment in automating every need with the help of IT. I am happy after a long pause atleast now India initiated the UIAI project. Let’s hope for its success to make our lives light & easy.
Good one santy, even I am in same page – Why can’t the IIT standard’s Quality educated is not there at govt school levels & why are we not able to build a hygienic super specialty hospital in every district? as every common man’s prime objective is Good Health & Quality Knowledge. An open debate should be made mandatory every year for our MLA’s on what he did & what he is going to do next year with the help of media? There are so many “why” & “why can’t” questions in India that are unanswered since ages.
Vj,
You and me have choice of either going to a ration shop or not. Hmmm…… After this post I got interest for the first time to check for some statistics of India to see how many of my fellow Indians have a similar choice!
World Bank has recently recommended that the threshold for extreme poverty should be raised to $1.25 per day which transforms the picture in India. The revised benchmark captures 42% of the population, over 450 million people, one third of the total world figure below poverty line. India’s status as an emerging global superpower rests on narrow economic data drawn from its booming middle class of 50 million people, less than 5% of the population.
Not sure the statistics are correct over here but I don’t care about numbers. What really matters is that I still see beggars, platform romeos, orphans, child labours……etc, etc., This population of India is for whom the Government is working and the Government schemes and policies were brought in. Unfortunately none being executed effectively & HONESTLY.
Policy makers and rulers are are in elite upper class, middle class like me know how to use which policy and use benefits from both Government as well as private sectors.
Unfortunately its the people below poverty line, who do not have education, money, home, food & facilities. Only escape root for them is to be part of politics, as a disciple of their own policy makers as a slave and start shouting THALAIVAAA!!!!! He or she will get Rs. 50 for the day and a packet of Chicken Briyani! And of course a bad leader as well!
Of course 50 million can’t change any Government or make an unbelievable change in policies. What’s possible is to starting blaming and worrying as we are doing now!
Need of the hour is neither 450 million nor 50 million! but just ONE……..THE CHOSEN ONE! And just one policy called NON CO-OPERATION!
I wish that’s me! atleast in my next birth
Oops . . . I am supposed to pay a visit next week to the ration shop ; -(
Vj, most of the middle class people have ration card just to have their address proff and nothing else, eration shop is a good concept..but 1 hour in 15 years doesn’t goig to impact anyone..
finally, we have nandan nilekani who is into national identity card project,, this should stop queing in many government shops.. you should see the TASMAC shops on friday evenings..
I wonder how you choose topics like this !!!
yes, I totallly sympathsie with you. I can understand how much it must have bothered you so that you even decided to dedicate an article to it !! I like your writing style.
I read a few topics. I respect your work and added blog to favorites.