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Monday, March 13, 2006

My own Voter ID...

Yes! I got it. No, I didn’t get promoted……I just almost got my Voter ID card. Yay!

We got the news that they were giving voter id cards in a school near my house. So off I went to get my first ever Voter Id card. With a spring in my steps, i went to that school with my dad.

And the queue represented the entire population of the place where I stay. My oh My! Was it long…I joined as the last in the queue exactly at 3:30 PM. I felt like one of the million legs of a centipede (or whatever it is….) as the queue moved 1cm at a time!

Soon entertainment began. People began talking. They began blaming the government for everything. Few of the early birds, who had managed to get their voter ID cards, proudly showed it off to us poor souls who were a good two hours away from getting our own thanks to the long queue.

It seems the photos were being taken using cell phone cameras. Photos are the biggest form of entertainment as such. Consider them being taken in poor light by uninterested man wanting to get the job done and the person posing having tested the power of his/her legs for anything like 2-3hours, and you can guess the quality of the picture taken.

“Hanumaan maathiri irukku….”, (my photo resembles the monkey god’s face)one disappointed old man commented on seeing the photo on his Voter ID card. And as always there were peels of laughter following the old man’s sigh.

“Inga Aishwarya Rai vanthu photo eduthaalum asingamaa thaan irukkum”
(Even Aishwarya Rai will look bad , if she takes her photo here.)commented some guys.

It was like watching an art movie. As I continued to stand in the queue, I saw the varying angles of shade as earth rotated and consequently sun seemed to move from one side to another.

Yes, my dears, that’s how long I stood in the queue. But thankfully for me, there was no dearth of entertainment. It was like watching a news channel too sometimes, everything under the sun from budget to movies, 33% reservation for women, separate queues for women and what not was being discussed.

As one man went on and on about fake votes and government and election, another young man said..
“Do you think we are here for the card, so we can vote? We are here because this ID card is a very important proof…..”

I guess that summed it all up. I was there partly because of that. Finally we came to the verification point and suddenly power goes off. The officials refused to check our papers without power. The crowd was beginning to get agitated……We had stood for 3 hours almost. There was no way we were returning without the card….

I couldn’t imagine standing another day that way..

Some good souls called the Electricity board…and soon enough the power was restored. After verifications and another queue to get out photos taken (which I am sure is going to be pathetic….) we got two slips.

“Come another day for the card.”, said the man there….

Oh no, another queue….. but I am determined to get my card and vote this time!

9 comments:

Jeevan said...

you are very endurance monu, to stand on the Row and the ID card. so your going to visit the School another day, another row. all the best.

smiley said...

Good you got it with all your name details correct. As you said it is a very good ID card.

Anonymous said...

:)
yeah monu, its quite an adventure..When i voted the last time it was like a movie scene...only there is no script and it is like one big spontaneous drama:)
I dont have my voter ID yet :(
But looking at my Dad's and Mom's , i wonder if it will be any good.. Other than the name and photo, all other details seemed messed up! Hope they are using computers and good software! Hec we are a nation with a lot of ITans!

LOL at the quoted words :))

csy0182 said...

lol

expertdabbler said...

Good!
Thats the spirit. you need loads of that to put up with India and its politicians!:)

Kay said...

Kasta pattu me got the voter id, later learnt that somebody has already voted for me on the election day...athunaala thaan vote poda america kelambi vanthuten :)

Anonymous said...

Happy Holi:)

monu said...

@jeevan
i finally got my card!
:)

@smiley
yep it is
tats y most ppl get it!

@sanju
:)

@PK
life teaches u as u go along!
:)
more queues....

@Kay
lucky voting there!
:)

@iris
thanks!Wish u the same

Known Stranger said...

in all these after me growing to 18 never voted.. i know i am not doing my duty. i ashould be ashamed