Speaking out should be an option everyone should choose...

Today we are completing exactly our four weeks stay in India. It has been full of experiences since then. I don't even remember how many times, I have visited to people's office to get small things done; how many times I have got shocked that they actually don't work or bother; how many times I have realized that the procedures should have been simplified 50 years back and so on. Now I am getting used to visiting people's office, writing notes(applications), getting simple things done on crooked way etc. These does not bother me, if the system is such, we have to follow. However, today something noteworthy happened and I would like to know from my readers what should be done regarding this.

The story goes like this: When I joined this institute, I had a regular position offer and a fellowship offer. I wanted to join the regular job but wanted to keep my fellowships contingency(this is a valid option) since the salary offered by the job was substantially higher than the fellowship. But the admin office said me unless I complete the medical test, I can't join the regular job, so I have to join as a fellow and I can change it to the regular position only after the medical test is done. That was fine with me and I thought medical test should be going to be a one day trip to medical and that is it. But that is not quite what happens here. The office admin sends a tattered paper to a place called Swasthya Bhavan ( A govt. agency) by post. Once that letter received at that place, they will send another letter to you to your office address specifying a date for medical test to be done at a state run medical college. But before that one has to complete a number of tests at a separate clinics and bring in all the reports to the board. It sounded weird to me in the first place. I waited for this letter from Swasthya Bhavan to arrive but it never came in 15 days. So, we set off to salt lake to Swasthya bhavan to find out what is happeneing. As ususal, govt. office, all are either yawning, playing games with the computer or not there at their desk. Everybody looks extremely bored. We were tossed from one place to another in search of the place that can tell us the section that deals with such things. Finally after few rounds we reached at the right place! But alas, the right person was not there. Someone looked into our eyes and in a cold blooded manner said that he is expected to come in 2 hours. Damn we said to ourselves, since it was already 3.30 PM, in 2 hours it is bye bye time. In any case, we decided to wait, then suddenly saw a weak man sitting leaning over a pile of paper and looking intently into it. Out of curiosity we asked him what was he doing? And then it turned out that actually he is the one that deals with my types of papers. We asked him about ours, and bearing a bored countenance he pulled out a thick file and searched. My letter was there in the bottom ( The ones that come first gets to the bottom). Then he kindly replied us that he has sent the letter a day back and that should reach us in sometime.

A week later, I got that letter from despatch, looked into the requirements. It asked us to do urine exam, chest exam, eye test and carry all the reports and appear before a board on 24th August. We did the needful, another day off for me! Getting the reports back is again another days work.In any case, going to the medical board happened exactly a month after I joined (that is today).

We had a scientist joined day before yesterday. He was from some University in DC. He said his medical exam was not done and IB clearance was not done, but he was being able to join the institute. Surprise for us, many thought may be they have changed the rules in a months time. Today at the stae run medical waiting room, I discovered him. I was shocked. I thought to myself, he may have been confused and instead of Swasthya Bhavan he may have landed here. SO, I went and was trying to talk with him asking whether he needed to go elsewhere. Then he said a firm 'no', the office issued a letter to Swasthya Bhavan and he took it along and got the dates for today and did the medical tests the same day (all in just one day!!!). It sounded impossible in Kolkata since I have heard from other scientists that it took atleast 2 months to complete everything. I was admiring him and was thinking he must be really a smart guy to have gotten those lazy asses work for him in a few minutes. Then the waiting began for the medical board. The medical board constitutes  3 doctors and a helper. They are suppose to see all the reports and ask additional questions to make sure you are physically fit. I thought there may be some order  in which they will call people (i.e first one first) and was expecting them to call me first. But to my surprise, they called that guy first and my name followed immediately after him. When my turn came, I saw his papers lying on the table (since he was done) and one of the doctors got a phone call. After the call ended, the doctor informed the rest of the people indicating that fellow's file that "He is commissioner's son in-law". Then I saw very pleasant smile on all others faces which was indicating their inner happiness to have served the "prince". Now everything started making sense to me. For him, there are no rules, no queues. He can break the rule and break the queue and as a result, the genuine people get pushed back. I don't think I am going to leave this here. I may take it to the next level and let everyone know about it.

The guilt of my inability to do anything or raise voice against such actions got partially erased when I did something today fearlessly. This may even cost my hard earned medical report go awry. Shocking as it may sound, one of the doctors in the exam room was continuously smoking. The exam room and the waiting area was getting stuffy with that. I could not stop myself from telling him that he should not be smoking there harming everyone around. While saying that, I was fully aware that I know no commissioner, they may as well screw up my medical report and make me do everything all over again or may declare me misfit for the job. But I chose to speak out and he finally said sorry. I am hoping next time when he lits his cigar in a packed room he will think twice....

Coming back to the earlier chapter about my colleague, I would like to know what should be done to stop such queue jumping.

Our first 2 and half weeks in India

We are going to be 3 weeks old in this city this Wednesday!! Now we are feeling much at ease and comfort. What we (Pramod) has done in these 3 weeks are remarkable. Being new in this city, it is hard to find a rental place, but he actually did find us a rental place within 10 days of moving to the city!! Within 2 weeks of coming to this city, we have already moved into our rental place, purchased most of our furnitures that are at various stages of delivery. We have been cooking for last 3-4 days, have a maid now for last 3 days, have news paper delivered to us for last 3 days, plumbers fixed few things,  ironing of our clothes taken care of, milk delivery taken care of. Cell phones are up and working for last 10 days, suitcases unpacked a couple of days back, kitchen arranged couple of days back. We have discovered few local vegetable markets, day to day shopping places. Life is finally looking up. Most importantly, we have figured out how to go to office from my new rental place. Here 5 Kms is considered a big distance. My office being 5 kms away from the office is considered far. Our housing society is something like half kilometers from the main road and given the road condition, it is not advisable to walk and taxis would not go from here. So, the best way is to take a cycle ricksaw till the main road (Partly because we want the ricksaw guys to get some money), then take an auto till another half kms away from office and then walk. It may sound horrible in the beginning, but we will get used to it.

Joining a Govt. job after long overseas stay

Landing in India this time was quite different from  landing in India before. Since this time it is permanent, we started looking at things more critically than ever before. I am not sure if this is the right thing to do. Fortunately or unfortunately I have come to a place where the systems and protocols are very much tangled in a mess. I have been associated with govt. organizations before, but this one appears like much different.

From USA, I have been sending documents from time to time for signature, but did not know until I arrived here that they have actually lost some of them!! Let alone sending it the right place. That is kind of shocking. I was surprised to see that people are still dealing with papers and files for procedures. Nothing works through email. You must make your presence felt, stand there and actually literally walk along with your paper, so that it moves from one place to another.

Here are few things that took me for surprise. I realized there was no sitting place for me, there was no id created for me, there was no email id and so on. What about computers? I must be kidding, that is even far away… Who is supposed to do all that? Looks like me. I have to run around between places and speak with the departments and make my case. For my fellowship to be released, I need a piece of paper to be signed and sent to DBT. But that will not happen until I go grab the paper, get it signed and send it personally. I thought that was the job of the admin staff, but hey who cares.

Something I saw yesterday, I think should be documented here. There are a lot of admin staff sitting on the downstairs in a big hall. Each of their tables are filled with files and and files. I was told that I should have my medical card ( I am not sure if this is equivalent to a insurance card). Then I asked a fellow scientist whom should I contact for this. He gave me a name and a department. I went to that department only to find that she is on leave. The I asked another fellow in that office about the card. Then he gave me a conditional statement – Go to billing dept -> meet Mr. X and if he is unable to do it then come back here. Okie Dokie, I went to the billing department, met Mr. X and at 2.30 PM, he was having his lunch. He said casually without even looking at me come after 4.30 PM. I obliged and went again at 4.30 PM. This time he asks me if I were a permanent staff. To me permanent has no meaning, no one is permanent, this term is actually obsolete. In a govt. institute no one gets a permanent position before a years time and people issue their cards much before they complete a year. So, in order to simplify things, I said yes, I was permanent. Then, they say, they have received no circular about it and feigned ignorance about my whole existence. Then another guy from behind tells, she is Ramalingaswamy fellow. To that, the lady sitting near by makes a ridiculing gesture  and tells “you should not say you are permanent, you should say you are a Ramalingaswamy fellow”. Well, I had to brush her aside and asked that guy that we are entitled to all benefits, now he takes out a thick note book and looks for names that were Ramalingaswamy fellows and had health cards. Luckily that day I spoke to a R fellow and knew about his joining date. Mr. X looked at the register for some time and coolly said his name is not on the list. Then I had to tell him to look at year 2010 records. There you go, it was there. Then he reluctantly dragged his feet, got up and went to the other side of the room opened an almirah overflowing with papers and notebooks, pulled out a big form and handed it over to me. In these last few days, I have mastered filling these forms,  so not an issue for me…

Job Redundancy:

I think much of the problem stems from job redundancy. In other words no one knows their responsibilities and boundaries. One job can be performed by many people technically. So, that leads to passing on responsibility from one desk to another. For my guest house stay extension, I asked one of the section officers and in the end, I said I was not sure if that was his responsibility. Then he tells, OK, you go to section X in room No Y meet Mr. Z ask him for a letter. I was testing the water, so did not follow what he said. Went to Director’s assistant and asked him, if he could draft a letter and get it signed by the director and he said he would!! Well, now I wonder why then it has to follow this circular route.

Another instance I faced today was about getting my R letter signed by director and send it to DBT. The section officer emails me saying the letter is ready please come and get it signed by director. I went down and asked the concerned person and he says, we will get it signed, so don’t worry. In the end of the day, just to check I went to that section only to find there was a summit of all admin officials. They are having a gossip session. I asked him if the letter was signed.