An experience to remember
This is what happened today morning…..
At 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, that is the day before yesterday, I received a letter from the Department which deals with my service file.It was a memo issued to me , directing me to submit a form (S1 form) before the noon of Monday, that is today, failing which my salary for the month of October will not be released. I did not bother much about it that day, as Saturday being a half day, the concerned Department closed at 1 p.m. Yesterday my home was teeming with guests, and so I did not get time (and neither did I have the inclination) to look into the memo.
Today morning I reached the hospital at 9 a.m. and downloaded the concerned from from the net. Now the real problem began. A stamp sized passport photograph was needed to be pasted on the form, and I had no such photo with me. I started to panic…Mondays are usually very busy days in AIIMS, and I was reluctant to ask my boss to let me go out for an hour or so …With a lot of hesitation, I asked Dr. Chatterjee, my boss, to let me go out so that I can search a studio nearby and get the photo.She agreed.
Now, my Driver, Babluji, was also in a hurry today morning..He had to go to the court where his brother is facing trial for wife battering…He was understandably a bit upset when I asked him to take me to a studio. Now all the shops near AIIMS opens after 10 a.m., and we went to nearly five studios, all of which were either closed or the photographer was yet to arrive. Babluji was also becoming impatient, and I too was getting late.
At last, I found a studio..Lets call it ABC Studio…(for obvious reasons)..The photographer had a ponytail, very much like Roberto Baggio in his prime, and had the attitude of someone like Shahrukh Khan..He told me, ” Madam, Rs 80 for eight photos..Its not yet the time for business , and I will charge double for working outside my hours.”
I had no other choice. I told him to hurry up and click the photo soon. Baggio then went to a corner of the room, stood in front of the mirror, and started a long ordeal of combing his tresses and retying the ponytail…I was getting impatient by the minute. I told him, ” Bhaiyya, you are taking my photo, no getting yourself clicked..Please hurry up…”
He glanced at me with scorn..An image of Amitabh Bachchhan glancing at Danny Denzongpa in HUM flashed in front of my eyes…
With great elan, he took the camera and clicked a photo..Then he uploaded it on his desktop, looked into my image in the monitor and told me’” Madam, this photo will need some touch up…You look bad in this photo.”
I gritted my teeth and told him, ” Sir, I am getting late..My patients are waiting..Please give the command for the printouts..I do not need a nice photo..”
Just then, a six feet something policeman came to the studio.He grabbed Roberto Baggio by the collar and asked in a loud voice, “Are you Mr. X ? ” (lets call the photographer X).
The photographer stammered and answered in affirmative.
The policeman looked at me and asked’ ” Why have you come here Madam? I have an arrest warrant for this man.He clicks the photos of ladies, and morphs them and then uses them for blackmailing..”
I started to panic. I flashed my ID card to the policemen and explained the urgency of the situation. I pleaded with him to release Baggio and let him take out the printouts as I needed the photos urgently. Baggio’s ponytail had become limp. He took out the photographs and handed them over to me.
I fished out Rs 80 from my purse and handed it out to him. The policeman told me, ” Madam no need to pay…You take your photos and go..”
Then he looked at X and shouted, “Delete Madam’s photograph from your camera and your desktop..”
The poor man did so…I was relieved…
I rushed back to my car where Babluji was getting more and more impatient….
I entered the hospital premises, and filled up the form and submitted it to the dealing clerk at 11 a.m. sharp….
Its my lunchtime now…I am wondering what might be happening with Roberto Baggio…So much so for the damned stamp sized passport photo….
At 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, that is the day before yesterday, I received a letter from the Department which deals with my service file.It was a memo issued to me , directing me to submit a form (S1 form) before the noon of Monday, that is today, failing which my salary for the month of October will not be released. I did not bother much about it that day, as Saturday being a half day, the concerned Department closed at 1 p.m. Yesterday my home was teeming with guests, and so I did not get time (and neither did I have the inclination) to look into the memo.
Today morning I reached the hospital at 9 a.m. and downloaded the concerned from from the net. Now the real problem began. A stamp sized passport photograph was needed to be pasted on the form, and I had no such photo with me. I started to panic…Mondays are usually very busy days in AIIMS, and I was reluctant to ask my boss to let me go out for an hour or so …With a lot of hesitation, I asked Dr. Chatterjee, my boss, to let me go out so that I can search a studio nearby and get the photo.She agreed.
Now, my Driver, Babluji, was also in a hurry today morning..He had to go to the court where his brother is facing trial for wife battering…He was understandably a bit upset when I asked him to take me to a studio. Now all the shops near AIIMS opens after 10 a.m., and we went to nearly five studios, all of which were either closed or the photographer was yet to arrive. Babluji was also becoming impatient, and I too was getting late.
At last, I found a studio..Lets call it ABC Studio…(for obvious reasons)..The photographer had a ponytail, very much like Roberto Baggio in his prime, and had the attitude of someone like Shahrukh Khan..He told me, ” Madam, Rs 80 for eight photos..Its not yet the time for business , and I will charge double for working outside my hours.”
I had no other choice. I told him to hurry up and click the photo soon. Baggio then went to a corner of the room, stood in front of the mirror, and started a long ordeal of combing his tresses and retying the ponytail…I was getting impatient by the minute. I told him, ” Bhaiyya, you are taking my photo, no getting yourself clicked..Please hurry up…”
He glanced at me with scorn..An image of Amitabh Bachchhan glancing at Danny Denzongpa in HUM flashed in front of my eyes…
With great elan, he took the camera and clicked a photo..Then he uploaded it on his desktop, looked into my image in the monitor and told me’” Madam, this photo will need some touch up…You look bad in this photo.”
I gritted my teeth and told him, ” Sir, I am getting late..My patients are waiting..Please give the command for the printouts..I do not need a nice photo..”
Just then, a six feet something policeman came to the studio.He grabbed Roberto Baggio by the collar and asked in a loud voice, “Are you Mr. X ? ” (lets call the photographer X).
The photographer stammered and answered in affirmative.
The policeman looked at me and asked’ ” Why have you come here Madam? I have an arrest warrant for this man.He clicks the photos of ladies, and morphs them and then uses them for blackmailing..”
I started to panic. I flashed my ID card to the policemen and explained the urgency of the situation. I pleaded with him to release Baggio and let him take out the printouts as I needed the photos urgently. Baggio’s ponytail had become limp. He took out the photographs and handed them over to me.
I fished out Rs 80 from my purse and handed it out to him. The policeman told me, ” Madam no need to pay…You take your photos and go..”
Then he looked at X and shouted, “Delete Madam’s photograph from your camera and your desktop..”
The poor man did so…I was relieved…
I rushed back to my car where Babluji was getting more and more impatient….
I entered the hospital premises, and filled up the form and submitted it to the dealing clerk at 11 a.m. sharp….
Its my lunchtime now…I am wondering what might be happening with Roberto Baggio…So much so for the damned stamp sized passport photo….
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