February started with a loud bang… As the hectic week started with PLP workshop, It gave me a break from the monotony of home office home and role reversed to Home –Resort –Home, as the mid week approached I started feeling sick of the food in the resort. As I yearned for amma’s curd rice and pickles , uppma, and rasam the week had already passed and I was back in the week-end den.
Cultural difference within the country cannot be more evident in this context then other. My friend being a Chinese, raised in North India with education from South qualifies herself to be epitome of cultural understanding.
As my friend called in and asked if I could accompany her for the University for Official Transcripts, I readily agreed to ease the language complexities which people face with the government bodies.
As we approached the university campus we were greeted by a guard who guided us to “The Stone Building” what they called. It read “Student Grievance Center”, the first thought that struck me on seeing the interiors of the office only reminded me the old movies which portrayed central jail in all glory. Coming back to senses and reminding my self I was in India’s Reputed University and not any central Jail was a reliving enough. As I scanned the place to check on the formalities and procedure I was lured to more confusing thoughts. Except a print copy pasted on a wooden separator ( which acted as a separating wall from one division to other) on the cost for various applications with hardly enough information was visible. To get a better understanding we approached the person with a grim face (it appeared to me as though I was taking the grievance). Thus began the conversation in the native language.
The jist of the entire conversation was I wanted to know more details on the process for filling an application for the official transcripts. While the representative just asked me to pay 180 RS per required transcripts in the Bank at the other corner of the road without sharing no further details in spite of using the probing technique in interviews!
As both me and my friend dashed just to be in time before the bank closed for transaction little did we realize we had to walk close to 1 km to reach the bank. As the February sun soared high up as the temperatures raised, my patience level dripped every step I took
The only conversation that filled the air between us was how backward we still are in the current era which dominates the software’s and applications. We were dazed that there is not a single web application format in the university website. Our conversations revolved on how bureaucratic we still are as a society.
As we reached the bank filled the formalities of manual transactions of which we have almost lost the ground on when the banks have opted for core banking and Internet and mobile banking is now the trend and style. We doodled a bit on the challan and submitted the copies while depositing the cash in the counter.
As we tracked our way back to the Stone Building, I was just wondering what more the day could have in store.
Then the Rep gave me a familiar smile this time, only that I had a curt smile to return back for having made me walk 2 kms in the treacherous sun!
As we submitted the challan we were asked to produce the photocopies of mark sheet with one set in a paper cover which we were advise to carry from some acquaintance . It was then our representative sparked out that one had to attach even the copy of degree certificate.
As I rushed to get the certificate photocopied checking with the students where the photocopy center was I was baffled to know that I had to go to some court complex for photocopies. As I walked past the vendors on the lane, selling groundnuts, mints and bananas, I was only wondering if I were in a University Campus or just another government organization. University without a Photo copy center was beyond me ability of imagination! As I conjectured the state and plight of the students around the area a sense of pity struck to those gullible.
I hurried my way past back to the Stone building just be in time before our officials took their long earned break for lunch. We worked our way together to put the copies in the covers and as my friend submitted the Challan copies and cover containing the most treasured mark sheets and Degree Certificate for the day, the good old representative shot back “ Where is the application form?” both of us were stunned for a moment with no words flowing and as our empty stomach made noise for resources to be supplied to all the back up energy were being utilized in running up and down the university lane! Rather quizzed by the question we exchanged perplexed stares at each other. Now this was the limit of my patience zone it had long crossed the negative line of control! With all temper I shot back “ Now what is this application about? Will you please let me know” Slowly but steadily the rep replied “you need to fill in an application and get it stamped and signed by your college authorities!” and beyond this not a word was said!
While I pondered over how else I could get the situation under control as the clock ticked close to 1:00 pm, I hastily took the application and helped my friend fill it, we dashed back to her college hoping that the Admin office would still be open. Thankfully for the security guards eye we still looked like young college girls, as we barged in to the Admin area we managed to get the application stamped and signed. We stopped on our way back for lunch discussions backtracked to all the events of the day.
We finally managed to submit the request for official transcripts for B.com while we have one more pending for the Master program which we target to complete early March.
There are far too many questions that hit my thoughts. We are supposed to the second largest country in terms of population and contribute to largest pool of IT and ITES operations. Infact Bangalore is called the silicon valley of India. I am perplexed at the rate at which our basic infrastructures and process are in place. In this experience of mine, the renowned university does not even have an option in there website where such basic transactions can be easily automated with little effort. We still run the grumpy grievance cells manned by people who assume the roles of gods’ moment they have a visitor, forgetting all basics of customer services approach. There is hardly any mention of various processes for such transactional operations for student in the website or any clear guidelines in the office;
We are on close standards for producing the best in class engineers with high talent output ratio, we talk a lot about core banking operations, still we stand in the long queues just to fill a challan. Do the agencies and institutions even realize that the coming generations are going to be highly tech savvy, those student which the university themselves has produced with high standard of education, to which they would cater to? When India is on high agenda for the next milestone to be crossed, add yet another feather to its culturally diverse hat. Our universities are still surviving in the era of last century of dark, dumpy grievance cells while the world itself has moved to another continuum of technology bound by the immensity of speed and time.
India no doubt is making its presence felt in this era of globalization but these ground realities do strike hard!
Cultural difference within the country cannot be more evident in this context then other. My friend being a Chinese, raised in North India with education from South qualifies herself to be epitome of cultural understanding.
As my friend called in and asked if I could accompany her for the University for Official Transcripts, I readily agreed to ease the language complexities which people face with the government bodies.
As we approached the university campus we were greeted by a guard who guided us to “The Stone Building” what they called. It read “Student Grievance Center”, the first thought that struck me on seeing the interiors of the office only reminded me the old movies which portrayed central jail in all glory. Coming back to senses and reminding my self I was in India’s Reputed University and not any central Jail was a reliving enough. As I scanned the place to check on the formalities and procedure I was lured to more confusing thoughts. Except a print copy pasted on a wooden separator ( which acted as a separating wall from one division to other) on the cost for various applications with hardly enough information was visible. To get a better understanding we approached the person with a grim face (it appeared to me as though I was taking the grievance). Thus began the conversation in the native language.
The jist of the entire conversation was I wanted to know more details on the process for filling an application for the official transcripts. While the representative just asked me to pay 180 RS per required transcripts in the Bank at the other corner of the road without sharing no further details in spite of using the probing technique in interviews!
As both me and my friend dashed just to be in time before the bank closed for transaction little did we realize we had to walk close to 1 km to reach the bank. As the February sun soared high up as the temperatures raised, my patience level dripped every step I took
The only conversation that filled the air between us was how backward we still are in the current era which dominates the software’s and applications. We were dazed that there is not a single web application format in the university website. Our conversations revolved on how bureaucratic we still are as a society.
As we reached the bank filled the formalities of manual transactions of which we have almost lost the ground on when the banks have opted for core banking and Internet and mobile banking is now the trend and style. We doodled a bit on the challan and submitted the copies while depositing the cash in the counter.
As we tracked our way back to the Stone Building, I was just wondering what more the day could have in store.
Then the Rep gave me a familiar smile this time, only that I had a curt smile to return back for having made me walk 2 kms in the treacherous sun!
As we submitted the challan we were asked to produce the photocopies of mark sheet with one set in a paper cover which we were advise to carry from some acquaintance . It was then our representative sparked out that one had to attach even the copy of degree certificate.
As I rushed to get the certificate photocopied checking with the students where the photocopy center was I was baffled to know that I had to go to some court complex for photocopies. As I walked past the vendors on the lane, selling groundnuts, mints and bananas, I was only wondering if I were in a University Campus or just another government organization. University without a Photo copy center was beyond me ability of imagination! As I conjectured the state and plight of the students around the area a sense of pity struck to those gullible.
I hurried my way past back to the Stone building just be in time before our officials took their long earned break for lunch. We worked our way together to put the copies in the covers and as my friend submitted the Challan copies and cover containing the most treasured mark sheets and Degree Certificate for the day, the good old representative shot back “ Where is the application form?” both of us were stunned for a moment with no words flowing and as our empty stomach made noise for resources to be supplied to all the back up energy were being utilized in running up and down the university lane! Rather quizzed by the question we exchanged perplexed stares at each other. Now this was the limit of my patience zone it had long crossed the negative line of control! With all temper I shot back “ Now what is this application about? Will you please let me know” Slowly but steadily the rep replied “you need to fill in an application and get it stamped and signed by your college authorities!” and beyond this not a word was said!
While I pondered over how else I could get the situation under control as the clock ticked close to 1:00 pm, I hastily took the application and helped my friend fill it, we dashed back to her college hoping that the Admin office would still be open. Thankfully for the security guards eye we still looked like young college girls, as we barged in to the Admin area we managed to get the application stamped and signed. We stopped on our way back for lunch discussions backtracked to all the events of the day.
We finally managed to submit the request for official transcripts for B.com while we have one more pending for the Master program which we target to complete early March.
There are far too many questions that hit my thoughts. We are supposed to the second largest country in terms of population and contribute to largest pool of IT and ITES operations. Infact Bangalore is called the silicon valley of India. I am perplexed at the rate at which our basic infrastructures and process are in place. In this experience of mine, the renowned university does not even have an option in there website where such basic transactions can be easily automated with little effort. We still run the grumpy grievance cells manned by people who assume the roles of gods’ moment they have a visitor, forgetting all basics of customer services approach. There is hardly any mention of various processes for such transactional operations for student in the website or any clear guidelines in the office;
We are on close standards for producing the best in class engineers with high talent output ratio, we talk a lot about core banking operations, still we stand in the long queues just to fill a challan. Do the agencies and institutions even realize that the coming generations are going to be highly tech savvy, those student which the university themselves has produced with high standard of education, to which they would cater to? When India is on high agenda for the next milestone to be crossed, add yet another feather to its culturally diverse hat. Our universities are still surviving in the era of last century of dark, dumpy grievance cells while the world itself has moved to another continuum of technology bound by the immensity of speed and time.
India no doubt is making its presence felt in this era of globalization but these ground realities do strike hard!
