We just renewed our lease agreement and my
brother has been very busy with a new project he is assisting in. We needed to
get the Police verification done.
I’m generally a brave girl (yes, ‘girl’ as physical
& mental age are different). And I had been to the Malvani Police Station
before in order to deliver some documents for my brother’s passport, a few
years ago. But at that point I had gone immediately to the Passport Section...
This time around I had to go into the large room where I suspected, mostly
missing person’s reports and other complaints were being filed.
Even so, it was a peaceful place, like a normal
office and everyone was disciplined and spoke very gently. The movies need to
tone it down a little.
Never-the-less, I was perspiring like anything. But
I am so glad that I was aware of what might be happening with me... I went
through phases and it was beautiful at the end, trust me- At first, when I saw
so many people looking sad and just the thought of what they must be going
through with someone missing from the family was over-whelming. I was so afraid of attracting misfortune...
I went inside and asked a young lady officer who
was not surrounded by people, where to get police verification done for leave
& license and she directed me to the table inside towards my left. Now,
here also the gentleman was surrounded by women complainants, who were quite
calmly discussing things. I looked further left and there was another gentleman
on a table. I went up to him and asked and he confirmed that the officer in the
middle will take care of it. I waited. The gentleman (attending to the complainants) with the boat-shaped
cap, asked me what I wanted and then directed me to sit
on the bench, out, in the large room.
I went and sat at the end of the bench. Here, the
officer was asking an old bearded man, “koi birth mark? Koi aisa nishaan”...
This is when I started saying ‘Thank you God for our safety’ took out my little
book of Buddhist practice and started whispering the gongyo sitting right there...
It calmed me down... And then I started writing this bit down. Here it is...
“Thank you, God for our safe existence. (I) was
feeling low about not having enough money... about not being successful in the
past eighteen years... came to the Mal. P.S. & saw a Passport Room and the
Missing Persons large room. ‘Akkal Thikaane aa gayi’ Nahin, beech-beech mein
blessings count karte bhi the, yaad aata bhi hai, par phir-phir yaad dilaana
paRta hai, ki agar sab safe hain toh bahut baRi aur baRhiya achievement hai ye.’
(It is) so imp. To just be... ek baar gusse
mein beh jaana aasaan hai, violence is
easy, but to deal with it calmly every day, from one moment to another, hats
off o these people. Thank you, God, that I could see this. It is not just about
(having) power, it is about being calm in spite of it... to be present, no
matter what... It was aspirational for me- the office of police and remains so.
I salute all those who dare to serve our nation.”
When I was done writing, I felt even better and
now I could look around and admire all the people around me. When the old
gentleman at the other end of the bench left and so did the two others, I moved
slightly more to the right of the bench, so as to create distance between myself
and table of the officer receiving complaints. Soon the gentleman with the boat-shaped
cap, (he could have been the Head Constable) but really was highly respectable,
he ushered me into a little chamber along with other applicants. Now he glanced at my Leave & Licence copy
and asked “ye copy hai na?” I said, “Original yahaan”, by the time I tried to
show them”, he very quickly and efficiently stamped and signed on the copies, and
said “Original humaare paas rahega” and returned my copy of Signed Verification.
I smiled like a child and said “Thank you so much, Sir”. He said, “Welcome”.
Also, the place is extremely airy and open. I have some funny stories also, from many years ago... They took place in Vienna and Calcutta. I shall share those too:)
