Sitting in an uncomfortable seat of an auto which stank like shit, officer Gaya Ram found it difficult to comprehend that it(stink) competed with his profession and modus operandi. It wasn't as prominent as his job or task at hand yet it bothered him. It bothered him so much that he wasn't sure if even auto driver was bothered. Incidentally Auto drivers name was Ruka Ram and it was coincidental or a big joke, that Gaya Ram didn't understand. He didn't bother about the "Ram" coincidence in their name or the place as a matter of fact. It was not a BJP ruled state, at least not yet. and yet there were instances of lotus bloom everywhere. No one was sure that if deep mud emanating from the overflowing sewer nearby germinated them right under the auto. However, coincidence which he understood, actually was the "Ruka" (Stopped)... It was all Ruka (Stopped) traffic along with stench from auto and other vehicle's exhausts which propelled smoke faster than the abuses Gaya Ram had to endure for not completing his one of the tasks.
Gaya Ram didn't understand that when nearly halted traffic task was never looked by anyone like him in offices then how they'd the audacity to abuse him for not doing something which no one anyway does ? He didn't even want to think about the other tasks which he hadn't done either as that made him feel even worse. Only if a VVIP was not attached to the case, he could have easily moved the files under the dusty dungeon of other case files. He always understood that once files were moved, no one like him which understandably were all of them .. really cared! .. They all had dust allergy and living in country like theirs, they all understood that it was each man for himself. No one anyway cared for women so that was not an issue anyway. But this was a different case and file just couldn't be moved without arriving a conclusion and a report. No one really understood what that even means ? Ironically digging some old documents and catching dust infection on the way, Gaya Ram had discovered that it was a long and tedious protocol and required extensive work. Something which no souls like him was accustomed to perform anymore. Visiting a site, gathering vital evidence and finding the root cause with a detail reasoning and probable solution ? Who all do such things ? Officials must be kidding! At least that's what he thought and he knew it well that unless there was a pressure of suspension and transfer to other places, no one really would have bothered about the file getting dusted. Just that a damn VVIP tag, bothered them all.
Now, everyone in his line of chain had to work to wait for his report and add their lines after presumably reading it. Each one of them was involved and unless task was finished and corresponding action taken, it had to be done almost every second day. The unseen burden combined with risk of disciplinary action looming large had made everyone jittery and that added more to the uncomfortably sitting Gaya Ram.
Sahib, said the driver, its gonna take a little longer to reach the destination. Today for some reason there is a bit more of a traffic. Usually at this location and time can cover 7 Kmph. Today its painfully slow and moving only at 5Kmph. Driver then stepped out of the auto and moved to one side of the road and began relieving himself. The vibrating auto with a constant deafening sound coming from exhaust gave a cruel meaning to Ruka Ram's name. Everyone almost everywhere honked expecting someone to make some space magically and move the vehicle, cursed stopped traffic. Everyone shouting to each other that "Ruka hai ... Ruka hai" ... sounded as if everyone hooted for Ruka Ram to make artistic patterns on the wall shaped canvas under painted with pictures of many pious Gods. Ruka Ram also in no hurry to return to auto seemed to be enjoying working on his master piece as if he's there to challenge Mona Lisa of Da Vinci.
Suddenly a character presented himself with chants of "chai chai" .... Gaya Ram uncomfortably tried to ignore him but was least successful as man was persistent. Sir, just Rs - 10/- quipped the "Chai-Wala" ... and began his mann ki baat that its bit different than the regular Jam ... most people may not know as they always see the Jam here but today is bit different. So what's the problem? asked another man on motorbike who managed to find some time by taking off his fingers from horn. Ah ... I could tell but then I wont be able to sell my tea, said the Tea vendor and began moving away ... I'll take one ... said the voice from behind and Gaya Ram realized that master work on big canvas was over. He needed to recharge and tea was a good option to start with ... I'll take one too ... said the guy on bike. Chai wala began pouring tea in two plastic cups ... the same plastic which was banned few years ago and was supposed to attract a spot fine of some 500 change. It was quite obvious that none really cared for the rules and of course none of the officers inquired or initiated anything to enforce it either. Gaya Ram was fully convinced now that it must have been some bad deeds in his last birth that's forcing him to go through this torture when everyone did the obvious of doing nothing!
Suddenly sound of sipping tea broke Gaya Ram's slumber and he realized that most were tired and had switched off their's vehicle. Everyone at that moment sounded like an educated idiot and stopped honking. It was a miracle, ... and yet was hard to believe and may be that was the reason that it was a miracle! Chai Wala after having handed over the tea cups and collecting money sounded bit content. Gaya Ram was sure that two cups had already recovered his cost more or less but was still not sure! ... In this city water was precious, yet available at most drainage. Milk was supplemented or augmented by acrylic paint and that was the pain point for exact cost estimation. Gaya Ram was so spent doing his job that he never bothered that others like him in health department never bothered either. Had he paid some attention to public rumors he'd have exactly known the estimates!
By now Ruka Ram had already finished his tea and also had decorated the used cup in middle of road. Exactly middle of the road for traffic coming from the other side. Ruka ram was a gentleman who believed in not keeping Indian economy synonymous to his name. He believed that it was a common knowledge that plastic cups were recycled and only then good for environment. Had he crushed the cup and dumped in a garbage bin which possibly was impossible to find, he'd have robbed someone a chance to pick that cup and recycle! ... Ruka Ram now demanded that Chai Wala explain what he knows about the Jam which incidentally was the first reason for having bought the tea and kick start the economy. But none actually understood that Chai Walas are more complex than one knows. And what they think can't be known by asking. It has to be good day and mood only then any Chai Wala starts his "Mann Ki Baat". and today was not the day and everyone almost Ruka, this was the moment to cash on the profits! .. And profits had increased more as Chai is best taken with Pakodas! ... And India with a population number of no one knows but everyone feels is clear that has many Pakoda vendors! ... This is the most popular and profitable job central government had created after promising crores of jobs! And everyone wanted to make crores. Chai Wala only wanted a few of them and yet he had hard time covering most Pakoda guys covering the cornered commuters! ....
Ruka Ram had no issue with Chai Wala moving away without any explanation. He had lost hopes in all of them. By now it'd become well known everywhere that promises Chai Walas make have no meaning in practicality ... It just looks good in Social media. Ruka Ram turned around and asked Gaya Ram if he managed to get any money in his Jan Dhan Yojna account ? Nah ... Replied Gaya Ram. Gaya Ram understood that his dressing style was not indicative enough for an auto driver to know that he was a superior government officer ! ,...and he also didn't understand that Gaya Ram and his other friends alike him never believed in promises. They'd multiple first hand experiences when they even got money but had no meaning or made any difference to the other guy. The beauty of cash transaction is that its not even a transaction and can not be proven unless recorded. However, even if recorded, it may not really be admissible at right places because even if it did, the media format would have become obsolete or storage medium would have evaporated in thin air if decades later someone bothered looking ... Cash was and is king! And thanks to new government now there is no dearth of bigger denomination notes. They even bettered it with size reduction. The Demonetization was the best thing ever happened for cash transactions. Gaya Ram understood that initially some cash was gaya (Gone) for retaining the previous one, after all everyone has to make some sacrifices at some point of time but looking at the brighter side, the future is amazingly pink ! These new notes perhaps were the only solution government had offered for real state. Everyone knew that it was not possible to buy as prices are sky rocketing like social media bought out followers overnight. Stacking fewer notes and yet holding onto same amount was now kids stuff just like the color and design of these notes!
Lost in thoughts again, Gaya Ram realized that traffic had moved a bit and was not that Ruka. Everyone began jostling for the inches worth of real state created with forward movement. This again was the confirmation that how expensive even public real state was. Everyone wanted a pie of it and yet it belong to no one .... No one, because to utilize the space someone had to give in to open the deadlock created by claiming the space no one had. This is the country where people are reluctant to give anything for free ... not even votes ! ..... Only a messiah could save the Ruki (Stopped) souls now but he/she was no where to be seen. Ruka Ram starting a conversation with guy who appeared like lifelong neighbor by now came to know that almost everyone were calling the helpline numbers to look into the problem but lines were not available. The only help was the numbers mentioned on few government sites but as lines were withdrawn, they're not reachable. Only if by some means someone could make it to those numbers the problem would have been solved.
Gaya Ram understood this quite well now as he never really understood earlier that why phone at his desk never rung! ... only when his superior officer came running to him which in turn came because his superior one came and government knows how many more superior in between ... He had found out that fat ones could run when required and phone lines didn't work now ... Yet, he wasn't sure that if they ever worked !
By now, having spent a considerable amount of time and fuel, some decided to take the matter in their own hands and began an attempt to manage the traffic.
Gaya Ram didn't understand that when nearly halted traffic task was never looked by anyone like him in offices then how they'd the audacity to abuse him for not doing something which no one anyway does ? He didn't even want to think about the other tasks which he hadn't done either as that made him feel even worse. Only if a VVIP was not attached to the case, he could have easily moved the files under the dusty dungeon of other case files. He always understood that once files were moved, no one like him which understandably were all of them .. really cared! .. They all had dust allergy and living in country like theirs, they all understood that it was each man for himself. No one anyway cared for women so that was not an issue anyway. But this was a different case and file just couldn't be moved without arriving a conclusion and a report. No one really understood what that even means ? Ironically digging some old documents and catching dust infection on the way, Gaya Ram had discovered that it was a long and tedious protocol and required extensive work. Something which no souls like him was accustomed to perform anymore. Visiting a site, gathering vital evidence and finding the root cause with a detail reasoning and probable solution ? Who all do such things ? Officials must be kidding! At least that's what he thought and he knew it well that unless there was a pressure of suspension and transfer to other places, no one really would have bothered about the file getting dusted. Just that a damn VVIP tag, bothered them all.
Now, everyone in his line of chain had to work to wait for his report and add their lines after presumably reading it. Each one of them was involved and unless task was finished and corresponding action taken, it had to be done almost every second day. The unseen burden combined with risk of disciplinary action looming large had made everyone jittery and that added more to the uncomfortably sitting Gaya Ram.
Sahib, said the driver, its gonna take a little longer to reach the destination. Today for some reason there is a bit more of a traffic. Usually at this location and time can cover 7 Kmph. Today its painfully slow and moving only at 5Kmph. Driver then stepped out of the auto and moved to one side of the road and began relieving himself. The vibrating auto with a constant deafening sound coming from exhaust gave a cruel meaning to Ruka Ram's name. Everyone almost everywhere honked expecting someone to make some space magically and move the vehicle, cursed stopped traffic. Everyone shouting to each other that "Ruka hai ... Ruka hai" ... sounded as if everyone hooted for Ruka Ram to make artistic patterns on the wall shaped canvas under painted with pictures of many pious Gods. Ruka Ram also in no hurry to return to auto seemed to be enjoying working on his master piece as if he's there to challenge Mona Lisa of Da Vinci.
Suddenly a character presented himself with chants of "chai chai" .... Gaya Ram uncomfortably tried to ignore him but was least successful as man was persistent. Sir, just Rs - 10/- quipped the "Chai-Wala" ... and began his mann ki baat that its bit different than the regular Jam ... most people may not know as they always see the Jam here but today is bit different. So what's the problem? asked another man on motorbike who managed to find some time by taking off his fingers from horn. Ah ... I could tell but then I wont be able to sell my tea, said the Tea vendor and began moving away ... I'll take one ... said the voice from behind and Gaya Ram realized that master work on big canvas was over. He needed to recharge and tea was a good option to start with ... I'll take one too ... said the guy on bike. Chai wala began pouring tea in two plastic cups ... the same plastic which was banned few years ago and was supposed to attract a spot fine of some 500 change. It was quite obvious that none really cared for the rules and of course none of the officers inquired or initiated anything to enforce it either. Gaya Ram was fully convinced now that it must have been some bad deeds in his last birth that's forcing him to go through this torture when everyone did the obvious of doing nothing!
Suddenly sound of sipping tea broke Gaya Ram's slumber and he realized that most were tired and had switched off their's vehicle. Everyone at that moment sounded like an educated idiot and stopped honking. It was a miracle, ... and yet was hard to believe and may be that was the reason that it was a miracle! Chai Wala after having handed over the tea cups and collecting money sounded bit content. Gaya Ram was sure that two cups had already recovered his cost more or less but was still not sure! ... In this city water was precious, yet available at most drainage. Milk was supplemented or augmented by acrylic paint and that was the pain point for exact cost estimation. Gaya Ram was so spent doing his job that he never bothered that others like him in health department never bothered either. Had he paid some attention to public rumors he'd have exactly known the estimates!
By now Ruka Ram had already finished his tea and also had decorated the used cup in middle of road. Exactly middle of the road for traffic coming from the other side. Ruka ram was a gentleman who believed in not keeping Indian economy synonymous to his name. He believed that it was a common knowledge that plastic cups were recycled and only then good for environment. Had he crushed the cup and dumped in a garbage bin which possibly was impossible to find, he'd have robbed someone a chance to pick that cup and recycle! ... Ruka Ram now demanded that Chai Wala explain what he knows about the Jam which incidentally was the first reason for having bought the tea and kick start the economy. But none actually understood that Chai Walas are more complex than one knows. And what they think can't be known by asking. It has to be good day and mood only then any Chai Wala starts his "Mann Ki Baat". and today was not the day and everyone almost Ruka, this was the moment to cash on the profits! .. And profits had increased more as Chai is best taken with Pakodas! ... And India with a population number of no one knows but everyone feels is clear that has many Pakoda vendors! ... This is the most popular and profitable job central government had created after promising crores of jobs! And everyone wanted to make crores. Chai Wala only wanted a few of them and yet he had hard time covering most Pakoda guys covering the cornered commuters! ....
Ruka Ram had no issue with Chai Wala moving away without any explanation. He had lost hopes in all of them. By now it'd become well known everywhere that promises Chai Walas make have no meaning in practicality ... It just looks good in Social media. Ruka Ram turned around and asked Gaya Ram if he managed to get any money in his Jan Dhan Yojna account ? Nah ... Replied Gaya Ram. Gaya Ram understood that his dressing style was not indicative enough for an auto driver to know that he was a superior government officer ! ,...and he also didn't understand that Gaya Ram and his other friends alike him never believed in promises. They'd multiple first hand experiences when they even got money but had no meaning or made any difference to the other guy. The beauty of cash transaction is that its not even a transaction and can not be proven unless recorded. However, even if recorded, it may not really be admissible at right places because even if it did, the media format would have become obsolete or storage medium would have evaporated in thin air if decades later someone bothered looking ... Cash was and is king! And thanks to new government now there is no dearth of bigger denomination notes. They even bettered it with size reduction. The Demonetization was the best thing ever happened for cash transactions. Gaya Ram understood that initially some cash was gaya (Gone) for retaining the previous one, after all everyone has to make some sacrifices at some point of time but looking at the brighter side, the future is amazingly pink ! These new notes perhaps were the only solution government had offered for real state. Everyone knew that it was not possible to buy as prices are sky rocketing like social media bought out followers overnight. Stacking fewer notes and yet holding onto same amount was now kids stuff just like the color and design of these notes!
Lost in thoughts again, Gaya Ram realized that traffic had moved a bit and was not that Ruka. Everyone began jostling for the inches worth of real state created with forward movement. This again was the confirmation that how expensive even public real state was. Everyone wanted a pie of it and yet it belong to no one .... No one, because to utilize the space someone had to give in to open the deadlock created by claiming the space no one had. This is the country where people are reluctant to give anything for free ... not even votes ! ..... Only a messiah could save the Ruki (Stopped) souls now but he/she was no where to be seen. Ruka Ram starting a conversation with guy who appeared like lifelong neighbor by now came to know that almost everyone were calling the helpline numbers to look into the problem but lines were not available. The only help was the numbers mentioned on few government sites but as lines were withdrawn, they're not reachable. Only if by some means someone could make it to those numbers the problem would have been solved.
Gaya Ram understood this quite well now as he never really understood earlier that why phone at his desk never rung! ... only when his superior officer came running to him which in turn came because his superior one came and government knows how many more superior in between ... He had found out that fat ones could run when required and phone lines didn't work now ... Yet, he wasn't sure that if they ever worked !
By now, having spent a considerable amount of time and fuel, some decided to take the matter in their own hands and began an attempt to manage the traffic.
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