MISSION ECNR

Went to the passport office to get my ECNR stamping done.. It has to be one of the most irritating things you can do when you are vetti.. No idea why they didn't do it for me when i applied for passport.. Idiots made me go again for it and charged 300 bucks for it..

The place should be on the verge of breakdown.. Endless queues(there are so many of them) of people waiting for hours together.. All i could think of standing was Kamal's dialogue in Anbe Sivam where he says "India Oru Jananayaga Naadu, Ingu Queue La Ellam Wait Panidhan Aganam".. The ventilation there is pretty bad, so it all together makes for a very stuffy morning.. There are people outside the office who fill your forms in the proper format for a reasonable price, either 10 or 20rs depending on what form it is.. Makes our job easier..

The worst part about the place is that there is just one Regional Passport Officer for each task.. The queues become serpentine cause of this.. For the ECNR work in the second floor, i had to start at the landing of the first floor.. This in spite of me being there by eight and the office starting only by 10.. Chennai folks would easily walk away with any early bird prizes.. The fun part of the place is the variety of people you meet there.. Loads of comic characters..

Once you get through all that and pay the fees, they tell you that you need to come again in the evening to collect the passport, which is another huge queue.. I started at ground floor landing for that.. Thankfully this one moves pretty fast.. The Indian government should seriously consider either employing more people to have more counters or open another passport office.. Everything in online anyway, so synchronising shouldn't be a problem.. The irony of the entire thing is that even after i stayed there and did the entire thing, i still have no idea what the ECNR means and why i need to get it..