A bitter experience

Sir, - I am a citizen of India pursuing medicine in the United States. I need to travel, and since my passport expired I went to the Indian Consulate General in New York on March 21 to obtain a new passport.

The following is the account of events that progressed that day:

We reached the Consulate around 10 a.m. The lady at the counter 6 was taking care of the business at that time. I could get the opportunity of submitting the application at 11-15 a.m.

When I approached her with the material she looked at my application and shouted in a sarcastic manner ``where is the affidavit and don't you know how to read the instructions on the application?'' I did not pay much attention to what she said and I went out to get the ``affidavit'' notarised (At that time, I observed that I was not the only one who was being mistreated and there was not a single person who was not shouted at by this lady).

I returned at 11-45 a.m. and it was 12 noon when I got a chance to re-approach her. She was already shouting and screaming at one of the clients before me.

As I was submitting the materials one after another, through the curved slot of the window, she said in a rude voice, ``you have to push the things otherwise I can't take them!'' I then tried to push the photographs and my passport along with my green card through the curved slot; and she suddenly yelled ``you can't throw these things at my face and you don't know how to behave and you are misbehaving''. I was, and still am, shocked and dumbfounded at her impolite and disrespectful attitude towards a customer. I also couldn't understand how anyone can throw the passport through the curved slot in a window like the one at the counter? When I told her that I did not throw the material she was even more furious and started shouting at me and said ``you have no manners and I am not going to process your application and I will teach you a lesson'' and she pushed back all the application materials through the same slot and said ``take them and come tomorrow''.

I said ``I cannot come tomorrow and I am not going to move from the window, until my application is accepted.'' I also said ``you have asked me to push and I did just that and if you feel that I threw the things, I am sorry.'' Everybody in the queue pleaded with her ``you have asked her to push and she did what you said, and she is also saying sorry to you several times; please take her application and also our applications, because the time is fast approaching 1 p.m. (that is the closing time)''. But she did not oblige and left the counter saying ``I won't accept anybody's application until she leaves and it is a punishment for everybody for supporting her.'' After a few minutes she came back again. Then I said ``you are a fellow Indian and you can't do this to me. I am a medical student and I can't take off tomorrow and I am also saying sorry''.

Then she said ``first you misbehave and now you are saying sorry and that shows what kind of a person you are! I won't accept your apology and you won't get any services from here.'' I stood there for several minutes and she did not even bother to take the application back. During this time she was shouting at me continuously.

Other clerks tried to convince her, but in vain. When the people who were standing in the queue said ``please take our applications'' she said ``mera mann nahin kar raha hein'' and suddenly she closed the window and left. This was being watched by everyone in the queue (I am sure everyone inside the office also must have been observing the whole scenario).

I waited along with others to approach the Consul. Somebody meanwhile said the applications are going to be taken by some other clerk at 2 p.m. At 2 p.m. the other clerk started taking the applications and he refused mine. I asked him ``What did I do? And what is my mistake? You are also watching everything and if you feel that I did something wrong, not only tomorrow, but I will come for the whole week and say sorry. But do justice.'' And he did not say anything. And I asked him ``can I see the Consul?'' He said ``Forget whatever has happened!'' Finally he did take the application at 3-30 p.m. after I pleaded with him so many times.

I did not know that I had to lose my pride and dignity to get my passport renewed. I left the office which I always thought is the place which connects me to my dear India, with a very bitter and painful experience.

Radha Guntur,

New York

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