I had an interesting experience last night. Ever since I quit journalism, I have steered clear of politicians, but of course every now and then you have to rub shoulders with them... and so I turned up at my (newly-elected) local councillor's office with a request for a certain piece of paper that only some elected public official can issue. Nothing very important, and certainly not a 'special favour' of the sort that requires bending rules and things like that, but as everyone knows, in this country ordinary people without 'connections' are apt to be harassed and fleeced by the netas and babus for no fault of their own. So it was a very pleasant surprise to have my work done in a jiffy, and that too in a very courteous manner - for once, it didn't sound like a hollow joke when the man behind the desk said 'We're here to serve you'. If this is the way they are ensuring that I will vote for them next time round, why, I wish them godspeed. They didn't even charge a penny (it would have been perfectly okay to ask for fifty rupees, or at least ten, if only to cover establishment, stationery and such other costs). I came home reflecting on how little our vast, creaky, unwieldy and free public services are appreciated, while we rave starry-eyed about private hospitals and schools and hotels and malls which charge us the earth for every little thing right and left. There is much that is wrong with our country, not least in areas that most of us never care to think about...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
.JPG)
5 comments:
This is an odd post. For one thing, I never even knew that the local councillor's office stayed open at night, and I'd been wondering about what that piece of paper was. I did often wonder when in college how every now and then some lost important paper for some exam related matter could be retrieved in a matter of minutes when I was sure that there was no possible way that the lone "Mrinalda" behind the counter could find anything from the stacks and stacks and stacks of paper that seemed to have been stored from another century. Back then in college, the college fees was Rs 15/pm and then it was raised through the many years that I was there. I can't remember whether it crossed the Rs25 mark though. The other bit that makes me grin is that line you have about "we are here to serve you". But that is a long rambling tale.
A few of the private medical test clinics while they were good I remember not a few instances where I waited and waited (among other things) and fell asleep and left because the doctor was too busy to see the friend I was accompanying (and even after an appointment). About the malls, hotels and schools I'll say nothing (malls make me cringe, and the schools you told me are promising a/c toilets).
I regard cheerful courtesy as an essential part of any service, and I try to acknowledge and thank whatever little I get of it. While I know that very little of that is expected of public servants in this country, I also feel that they grow surly and uncooperative because their lifelong experience is that hardly anybody ever thinks of saying a kindly thank you when they do work well. Indeed, it's not really limited to govt. functionaries: shopkeepers as a rule treat you better if you are courteous and considerate with them, which is why my family usually gets much more prompt and cheery service almost everywhere we shop, much to the annoyance of a lot of other customers...
Dear Sir,
This is an opportune post as we celebrate 65 years of our independence.
We ourselves and sometimes our media is vocally aggressive about work not happening - whether in public or private sphere. (Thankfully so!)But while we are amazing critics, sadly, we don't show similar enthusiasm for work that gets done without hassles. Our excuse - "Well, that was his job" "You see, that's my influence in these parts"
Over the past few months, I have had the opportunity to meet many government officials who could have demonstrated the same apathy we characterize our bureaucracy with, yet I found them to be surprisingly co-operative and enthusiastic.
On my way back I have often wondered, "How many of them get a word of appreciation, leave alone an award? How many of us who get our work done, get back to them and just say a thanks for being different?"
I am not confident that we appreciate the small miracles in every day life, the continuous small improvement in our wards, the step-by-step painstakingly implemented procedures/processes that ultimately help in the building a better world we are want to be part of.
I feel, many a time, that we are 'tamasha'-friendly, drama-prone. We want all good to happen at the stroke of a pen rather wave of a wand. Lalu Prasad posts profits for Indian Railways - we declared him an overnight hero and invited him to IIM and Harvard to tell us how he achieved the impossible; did anyone see the efforts of previous railway ministers or even the staff who might have ushered in numerous small changes?
Even in day to day life, I notice we are stingy in exchanging pleasantries, sparing a kind word, lending a helping hand... Most of my friends want quick money, will not conserve water but want metro water project to increase their capacity, superiors want instant results without any groundwork...
Every plan now a days (be it insurance, mutual fund, realty, business)seems to talk about the breakneck speed of returns. Ask them about sustainability /longevity...silence...
Hard work has no substitutes. As a society we have to learn to slow down...to appreciate the small acts - even if it is of a person doing his job in the stipulated time. Given that this itself is so rare, let us encourage such people.
Independence means not only the right to demand - it also means the responsibility to own, to share and to care. In that context, Well Done, Mr. Councillor. Thanks for giving my teacher such a quick and helpful response!!! :)
So do we Sir; and I understand exactly what you mean. We don't haggle unnecessarily with shopkeepers and talk to them politely and believe that any hard-working and honest man deserves a certain level of respect regardless of his station in life. I think, since I believe this truly deeply, it shows in the way I talk to them, and in return the service we recieve is prompt and courteous. We always wish people while leaving with either a simple' thank you' or 'ashchi' and people appreciate that. Lets face it - anyone yearns for some appreciation for the job that he/she does. Without appreciation everything becomes a drudgery, especially for those who do their jobs sincerely. I have seen how some of those 'ultra modern' type of people treat these people. Only those, especially those, who haven't done anything worthwhile, haven't earned a single paisa honestly, treat others as scum. Those who are satisfied, at some level at least, with themselves know the meaning of consideration and courtesy.
Sayan Datta
Good article! Please continue to write more articles like this.
Post a Comment