The Missing Link
In this age of digitisation and the internet, getting official work done could be literally a nerve-racking experience. This is based on a personal experience.
An SJ team member visited the GPO last week for a customary KYC update having spent a good amount of time getting his papers in order. Armed with passport sized photos, photostat copies of identity and address proofs and the original document, he reached the GPO only to be told that the link was down.
Realising that the GPO staff were helpless, he returned home having made up his mind to return the next day. To his dismay, he was greeted with exactly the same message on the second day.
He turned up at the GPO on the third day, determined to get his work done without further ado. The familiar staff at the counter was all apologetic as she passed on the sad news that the link was down again. The SJ member moved away from the counter and found some sympathizers nearby, some of whom were repeating their visits for the same reason.
All this while, the GPO staff maintained courtesy as they repeated “no link”, “link down” and even translated the message for some customers. “Link down hai”, they said to some of the customers, sadness writ large on their faces.
On his way out, the SJ member met an acquaintance entering the GPO gate and told him that the link was down. “Not again,” the elderly gentleman muttered, explaining that he has to return again on Monday. “Don’t worry. You’ll have my company,” the SJ member said as they parted ways.
An odd but harrowing experience
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you plan a first day first show? Probably be among the first few ones to watch a highly anticipated movie or, for that matter, a movie starring your favourite actor/actress?
Now, flashback to the days when there were no digital theatres in Shillong and you had to watch a first day first show. How would the experience be? Allow the SJ team to jog your memory.
The scene would be as such — the theatre would be jampacked with a horde of people till the entrance. At the entrance, you’d find a handful of people selling tickets at exorbitant rates. Enter inside and the scene you’d find would be tumultuous — more often than not it would be an all-men throng that could not be regulated by the security there. They would squabble and jostle their way into the ticket counter to secure a ticket whilst the womenfolk would wait outside. Such was the struggle at theatres back in the days.
But then again, people who would secure a ticket could actually watch the movie they came for back in the days.
Now, fast-forward to 2022, the scenes at theatres, especially with the introduction of online booking of tickets, are quite the otherwise.
An SJ team member who had visited a cinema hall in the city to watch a first day first show of a recent release had luckily purchased tickets physically and not online — you’ll later know why.
The movie, scheduled for 5:05 pm (the only timing), had few but fervid takers.
It was around 5:15 pm, when the movie did not start as scheduled, people inside started smelling a rat.
At around 5:30 pm, the patience of people continued to wear thin and this was when the SJ team member overheard grumbles from the nearby seats.
Around 5:55 pm, a person in-charge shows up out of the blue and says, “We are sorry but due to some technical issues, we will not be able to screen the movie. You will, however, get the refund.”
Albeit the ones, including the SJ team member, who had made the payment physically got the refund instantaneously, the ones who made online payment had to follow a due procedure for refund.
Disgruntled and dejected, all thanks to the technical malfunction, the SJ team member came out of the theatre only to overhear a person say, “Money for the tickets will be refunded but who will refund the money for cold drinks and popcorn?”
Another said, “I’d rather download the movie and watch in bad quality than come here again.”
The grumblings continued…