My polite reply
“That I have” brought his next order: “Then you have to fill
up the KYC” and pointed me to a counter clerk sitting in another
corner with a lot of forms. He on approaching gave me my required
forms. I searched out an empty chair and sat down to fill up the
forms both for me and my wife and after a lot of references to this
and that got all the little squares filled up and took it to the
earlier executive. He went through it in great detail and demanded
“Where is the photo?” I was taken aback and said “ have it in
my bag”. “Take it out and fix it in the column above signature
and sign it” was his next command which was obediently executed.
He went through it again and instructed “All right, this is
complete now, attach a residential proof and an identity proof and
take two photo copies each and bring it to me” to which I meekily
asked him “Can the Bank make the photo copies?” to which he
retorted “Are ither kutch nahi hoga..aapko yeh cheese banaake laana
hai” which ended my arguments and I started to make photo copies
from the shops in the market cluster where the Bank was located.
The shop just
opposite was closed and it had a small board saying “Photo copying”
-> and an arrow to the right. This meant I have to walk to the
right side of the complex. To be doubly sure I enquired in the next
shop next to it who directed me in the opposite direction. He said
“Walk to the right side of the Bank building and there is a market.
As soon as you enter the market turn right and photo copying is
there”. I walked as he said taking the right turn and I was
looking into a old dilapidated shop in which an old gentleman was
talking to a young girl. I entered and enquired and he replied in
the affirmative. He was talking to the young girl and disposing her
off after laminating some papers and making her identity card water
proof etc. So, I waited for my turn and when the old gentleman turned
to me enquired the charges for photocopying.
He looked at me
quizzickally and said “It is two rupees per copy” for which I
put forth my bargain, “Not one rupee?” The old gentleman looked
at me benignly and said “I shall make it one rupee and fifty paise
for you, which is the minimum you can get in this market.” I
agreed.
He took the papers
from me and very metiiculously took the photocopies on his computer
copier adding: “My copier is superiour to other machines. It is a
computer thing. It costs more, you see” I saw that and agreed with
him. I remarked in reverence to his age and experience, looking at a
huge photo copier stacked on one side of the shop completely dusty
and in disuse. “You should be using the large machine and lessen
the price for us” for which he said: “Who is going to get this repaired
and reused? Even
otherwise there is not much business here these days”. He
completed the copying, counted the pages and gave me the two copies
each of the three pages and I walked back to the Bank where lunch
time had started!
THE LUNCH: When it
comes to village banks, the lunch time is sacrosanct. The clerk sir
who was to take my originals and copies was walking out wiping his
face and stroking his stomach. Once outside he did not recognize me
which is OK. I entered the bank to wait for him and my wife who was
with me said”It has become lunch time now, should we wait or have
lunch and come back.?” “Naturally, we can go for lunch and come
back, there is no point in looking at those who are taking lunch or
at those who are having a little piece of mind during lunch time.”
We left for lunch to
a relative of ours and at their house I started rechecking my papers
and found out to my horror, that I have missed out my original KYC
with the lovely old gentleman who did my photo copying. Now I have
to go back there to collect the original copy first before giving it
at the Bank....I knew, things are compounding. The KYC is going to
trouble me a little.
*** **** ****
My wife was agitated
at the loss of the original at the photocopying shop and enthused me
to go and check the shop once again which I did. I found the shop
was shut half way with a blue shutter and the internal glass door is
visible at the bottom side. I tapped on the shutter and the door
for a little while and then came back to the bank to report the
matter to my wife who said she will make enquiries at the shop or
around and find out if she can get the same and went out in a jiffy.
She came back promptly with a phone number and showed me how simply
things are in place. I kept wondering, what is happening to me. I
never saw the phone number. She said the phone number was on the top
of the shop. (Perhaps..!, I thought). I called on the number
brought by my wife and the gentleman on the otherside seemed to be
appologetic. He said : “saab jee, mey thoh sochaa bhi tho ek
khande se pehle uthar aah nahin sakta. Meh toh Luxmi Nagar meh hoom
is waqt.” (Sir, even if I wanted, I can't reach there before an
hour at least).This threw away our idea of getting the paper back
immediately and giving it to the Bankers immediately after lunch.
We came out for
lunch and once on our own, thought of looking at the shop once again.
We went to the shop and found out the shop which was now fully shut
and the real inside of the shop I could not visualize. I remembered
the old gentleman, sophisticated in his talk, but the whole shop in
shabby conditions, a huge dusty” photo copier at one corner and his
having a computer copier on the shop table and his standing infront
of it with a small laminating machine on one side etc. But now I
can't reverify them until the shop is open. Also, the glass door
which I had seen just behind the shutter was also confusing as I had
not see a glass door when I went in for photocopying. I thought
“Now, I can't do a thing, until I saw the shop opened”.
Then, of course, we
thought of asking the neighbouring shops. The girl in the opposite
shop said, “The photo copy shop on the other side? He closes for
lunch and comes late after lunch. Why you worry, we can also photo
copy for you. What is it that you want to photocopy?” I was
amazed! I had not seen this shop in my hurry to get the copying done
in a hurry when I came the first time. The shop was full of hanging
leaflets and pamphlet advertisements on various issues which made the
people inside the shop invisible. Since I did not have anything to
photo copy now, I said lazily:
“Oh..no..we have
to collect a paper from him”. The girl said “Then you can come
back after your lunch and siesta. The uncle takes a nap after lunch
and then only comes.”
We surveyed the
whole area for the near by shops and the location and left for lunch.
We could relax a bit at our relative's place which made us recover
from our crestfallen feelings and once we felt good, I called up the
phone number again to check if the gentleman had reached the shop. He
replied in the affirmative and ever so promptingly saying “Saab
jee, shop meh toh hai, magar aap ka photo kaunsi hai. Mere paas
athaareh photo hai, aapka kaunsi hai?” This gilted me. You see,
there was a quirk in the conversation with him. I am talking about
photocopies and he is asking me about photo. I sensed something is
not correct. Why he should ask me about photo instead of photo copy?
I told him : “Don't worry..I am coming there..so there will be no
problem” He said: “Aayiyeh ji, aayiyeh...” We reached there in
the shortest of time when the skies were getting cloudy and a rain
was about to come down. The noon time temperature had come down and
we were relaxed. Once in front of the shop, which was now open it
was clear to me: “My lord, this is not the photo copying shop.
This is a photo studio. !”
The shop keeper saw
us and came out to invite us in with a broad smile: “Aayiyeh....ji.”
Once inside, I appologised to him Bhai sahab, we were looking for a
photocopying shop near around and not your shop. This is a faux
pass. Sorry for the inconvenience” He was a young sikh gentleman
at his best in politeness and hospitality. He said “Areh saab, kyaa
baat karthey ho, yeh toh hota hi rehtaa hai... koi baat nahin” He
continued “Hum toh photocopy nahin, photo kheenchteh hai. Yadi
kabhi photography sumbanthi koyi jaroorat ho, yaad karleejiyeega”
“Aap kaa photocopier vaaleh uncle ji doh shop aage hai. He comes
late. Timepaaas keliye aathey hai.” (Sir, what are you saying?
These things keep happening. No problem. We make no photo copies but
photographs. If ever you needed a photography connected necessity, do
remember us) (Your photocopier gentleman uncle is two shops ahead.
He comes late. He comes for time pass only).
It was clear a faux
pass has occured and now we are at the receiving end just for a photo
copy because our bankers won't do a photo copy for themselves ..!
The studio owner showed us various albums and their varieties which
he can make for us on order whenever needed.
We decided to wait,
even thoughit was only past three o' clock. A wait which made us
cut off from all other worries of news paper, tv news, internet and
cell phones. My wife kept standing infront of the newly located
shop. I had missed noticing this shop properly. I was reminded of
my new traits of not noticing the places and shops properly these
days, which I fully agreed in my own surprise.
The new shop which
we now aimed, had the small sign board saying “FOTO COPYING”.
The shop had the old and fading large sign board of “CHEMISTS”
written on the Shutter followed by thefurther sign of “Specialists
in ayurvedic medicines” . I had not seen this earlier, when I went
in as the rolling shutter was up then..! My wife, now adamant that
she will collect our paper as soon as the shop keeper came in, took
position in front of the shop and I walked back to my car to sit down
and watch when this old uncleji is returning...! The climate was
cooling down as the clouds were becoming darker. Now the market had a
desserted look and there were no body outside the shops, except my
wife standing alone. A girl from the nearby shop came up to her and
started chatting with her. I went to join the conversation to see
what is happening. Once with them it was clear. The girl is an
emplyee in the near by shop. She could not stand the sight of an
elderly madam just standing in front of their shop all alone in this
humid climate. She invited us to sit in their air conditioned shop.
That is a piece of Indian Hospitality. We profusely thanked her and
said we would rather keep outside where we are to which she made a
great suggestion: She said: “You give us your number, I shall
call you when the uncle ji opens the shop! It is not necessary that
he comes in the evening. Sometimes he does not turn up” That was
great of her. May God bless her. We told her that we shall take her
number and call her after a while which she agreed to and gave us the
shop's visiting card.
We left after giving
the girl our number and with the visiting card of their shop in hand.
We came to our relative's house again,had tea and left as it was
getting darker. On our way back, it started to rain heavily. It was
a beautiful drive in the heavy rain remembering old times and free
from the bank stuff and photocopying.
After two days, we
got to know, our relative had got the original from the old uncle ji
and now it is our turn to go and collect it. Our KYC (Know your
Customer) is still not given in our Bank with which we have an
account for the last twenty years or more..!
