Words With ScrabbleScrabble, Words With Friends, Lexulous

by shawnogram

Words From the Mouth of a Man

Words from the mouth of a man ?

Dalip Singh Wasan, Advocate.

I had been in college for six years and did my post-graduation is the subject of political science. My friend Krishna had been with me throughout, because, we both were neighbours and we both were of the same age. Father of Krishna was in government service, but as and when he was transferred to some other station, he was leaving his family here because they were having their own house here and they had got some properties too and they needed persons to look after those properties and to collect monthly rent from the tenants.

My father was a contractor and we were counted amongst rich people of the town and I had noted that my parents were keeping me in schools, in colleges and in training institutions simply to defer my marriage, which they wanted should be conducted when I complete the age of 23 years. They were having certain boys in their mind who too were engaged in contractor business and they would not like that the wife should go to work in some office or in some institution.

One day my friend Krishna wanted to get her name registered with the local Employment Exchange and I had to accompany her. We reached the office late and he clerk concerned informed us that the register has been closed and he suggested us to come on the next day and that too before 1.00PM. I was insisting that name of my friend should be registered now and the employee should not direct us tomorrow. But the clerk concerned was not agreeing to my suggestion. I started speaking on the subject, “ You people never serve the people. In papers it is declared that you are public servants and the people of India are the real masters of this country. But in fact, you people could not change your attitude and still you are functioning as masters of this country and you are trying to keep us slaves.” But the clerk concerned could not agree to re-open the closed register. We both went to a senior official, and he too expressed his inability to reopen the register. When I started speaking once more, the official said, “ You are an educated girl. You are beautiful and sweet. You are well behaved. You seem to be belonging to an advanced family. You belong to a well settled family. We want to serve you and I should have been happy to serve you and get your pleasure, but I am unable to re-open the closed register. We are governed under certain rules and regulations and we have not been allowed to violate those rules. Sorry Madam. We are not able to help you today. Pleas give your ‘darshan’ tomorrow.” We came back, but I had in my mind that tomorrow I shall be making a complaint against these two official to their senior officer present in the office.

My friend Krishna was not ready to visit the Employment Exchange because she was not agreeing to my proposal of making the complaint with the senior officer. She had said, “ We should not make a complaint. We should develop- good relations with these officers and officials because they shall be present in each part of our life and since the whole administration is controlled by these people, they shall be useful for us if we have good relations with them and if we make complaints, those too shall be ignored, but the people against who we shall make complaint shall never forget the same and they would be causing harm and losses to us.” Krishna countered my speech and from that day I never talked on this subject. But still I could not forget my visit to the Employment Exchange and the blunt refusal which I had to face on that date. I had got some information about government offices through news papers and through some serials telecasted through TV Channels, but this actual experience was unforgettable to me.

I was married to a contractor and my friend Krishna got a job of lecturer in a high school and was married to a college lecturer. We had been meeting and we had been sharing those good days of childhood and those days which we had spent in the schools and colleges. Krishna had become a serving woman and I had turned a house wife and a society woman because my husband had been providing me with all the aids which could beautify me and as and when we were in some gathering, I had been adjudged the best dressed and the most beautiful woman. My husband was happy and we were living a very good life.

I had been sharing my experience in the Employment exchange with my husband and he had been telling me that there could be certain difficulties with the offices. All are not corrupt and all are not in favour of creating troubles for the people of India. He had been explaining to me that they too have to give some money for getting through their bills and estimates and he had been telling me that the people in the office have got their own distribution system and that is the reason none from the office makes a complaint against them. Similarly they pay money and get the work done so that they may not be bothered time and again. He explained that it is better to give money and get the work done than visiting the offices time and again. He told me that they pay because they try to save their time and energy which is more constly.

I had been sharing the views of my husband with Krishna as and when we had the occasion and one day she said, “ I was not having any ill will against the officials in the Employment Exchange because I have myself seen that the government servants have got their own limitations. They were right because they were bound to draw a line on the end of each working day and for registration purpose they had fixed1.00 P.M.” But I was not having a soft corner for those people even today after lapse of so many years. I still wanted to teach them a lesson. But once Krishna said, “ Can you recall those words which the senior official had said.” You are beautiful. You are sweet. Your behaviour is beyond our reproach. You belong to a well settled family. You are having more and higher qualifications. ……. I still remember those words because that was the first and the last occasion in my life when I had heard such sweet words about my personality. I have lived the last years with the help of those words. Those words are still echoing in my ears and are giving me booster. Your husband might have passed such appreciable remarks on you, but I could not hear such comments from my husband to whom I have offered whole of myself.” Krishna had expressed her heart to me without any hesitation because we both were fast friends and therefore, I too started thinking on the subject and within a few days, I decided to meet that official once again. I wanted to listen those words from him once again. I started longing for those words which had never been pored in my ears after that date.

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