In Haiti, I was finally experiencing a sense of exhaustion, but it was a mental one. For the past six months, I hadn't taken a single day off. While we are supposed to get a week off every eight weeks, I believe that when we feel tired, we should take a break. There's no point in pushing ourselves. I decided it was time to go home and rest. I informed my superiors that I was feeling exhausted and wanted to return home. I left Haiti on February 25th.
I had two days of debriefing in Oxford and also had an appointment with the doctor. Typically, these doctor's appointments involve checking and advising on physical and mental well-being. I must mention here that I have a special regard for the doctors there. The reason is simple: they give each patient a full hour of their time. In my Ahmedabad, it seems like every doctor is competing to see how many patients they can examine in an hour and how much money they can make.
Since I had taken 2-3 months of leave at home, I made a list of things to do. Upon arrival, we first moved out of our rented apartment and into our own flat. We got the painting done in a week and did other minor repairs. The most difficult task after changing houses was changing our address in the bank, post office, driving license, passport, etc. The most difficult and unpleasant part of this process is when you have to pay money. Bribery and corruption seem to be present in every corner of our society. If only our government would put up a sign in every police station saying "Bribery and corruption are not tolerated here. If you offer a bribe, it will be a criminal offence. To report a complaint, call this number and register your complaint."
I had my passport changed to reflect the new address. The police asked me to come to the nearest police station for verification. After all the formalities were completed, they asked me for "chai-pani" money of 500 rupees. I don't mind paying 500 rupees, but I feel sad that I became a part of this evil in our society. And that too in the land of Mahatma Gandhiji, the father of our nation - in Sabarmati. This money is demanded with open confidence. The same thing happened when I changed my address on my driving license, and now it's happening for my ration card.
Some people say that government salaries are too low. Are they really low? Or have our needs simply increased too much? Or does the government give all government employees this opportunity to earn the rest of their money? Can't we demand a salary increase? There are so many strikes and agitations. In my opinion, a government job is the opportunity to work in the world's largest company. People work here for 20-30 years and then the government gives them free money for the rest of their lives. Many times, their heirs even get jobs.
Today, we and our government need to take direct, simple measures that ordinary people can understand to fight corruption. Why do we need to set up an anti-corruption drive? Can't we do without it? Something that an ordinary citizen can do in general.
Now there are only a few days left. I have to go to Oxford on May 20th. We have a workshop there for a week. There I will be told which country I have to go to next and which disaster I have to work in.
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