What Happens When the Watchdog Is on Leave

In early June, when the weather in Baramulla turns warm but still kind, I walked into a tehsil office for the first time in my life. I was fresh out of 12th grade and needed an income certificate to apply for a college scholarship.

- Sincerely, Nasir Roshan Khan Baramulla

My family couldn’t afford higher education otherwise. I had no idea how the system worked. I had never been inside a government office. I just knew I needed help.

What I didn’t expect was to feel completely helpless.

The place looked nothing like an office should. Files were scattered, the air was thick with cigarette smoke, and people sat in corners waiting. Some for hours, some for days. I wasn’t sure who to ask, but somehow I found the right window. I filled a form, showed a few documents, and was told to meet the patwari, the officer in charge of land and revenue records.

The patwari wasn’t in. “Come tomorrow,” I was told.

So I did. And again. And again.