What I am doing tomorrow

Dear all,

This mail might come as a surprise to some of you and to some others I am sure it would seem like something I would do.

India has seen a lot of scams being uncovered last and this year. A lot of our tax money that the Government gave out for various 'projects' has gone towards filling the pockets of a very few. While we ride on clogged up roads with sewage covers and pothole risking our lives everyday a few others have been wiring bucket loads of cash to their swiss bank accounts.

We see a lot of high profile cases now where people are getting arrested (Suresh Kalmadi) so that should mean that we have a bright future to look forward to right?

At least I thought so and I saw the new UID initiative, lamely named Aadhar, as a part of this brighter future. We were moving towards a system that a lot of other countries already have in place; like the Social Security Number in the US and NRIC in Singapore. In short, the UID is going to be a unique number that identifies you for which they will be capturing and storing your finger prints, retinal scans, name, address and so on. This will then be used for getting a bank account, registering for LPG, getting a passport and all the very important tasks where till now you had to submit shit-loads of paperwork.

That all sounds good right?

Leaving aside the not-so-good implications of the methods they are using, I was still excited about getting my own UID card so that when I visit 'places where identity/birth date proof is required' I wouldn't have to carry my passport! The situation on the ground is a lot worse. People have complained about finger print scanning machines taking as long as half an hour. Long queues that would make you turn back and go home. Extremely rude people at assigned centers who close the center hours before closing time! In one case, they are reportedly closing it at 4pm when its supposed to be open till 7 pm!

Talking about my personal experience, today I visited one of the UID centers for my area and I found the doors locked. The guy standing there threateningly informed me that the queue inside is too long and that they are closing the gates now knowing that if they can 'only handle these many people before closing time'. There are other cases of old people facing similar problems.

There are so many questions I have!
Where are the advertisements/announcements announcing the locations of these centers? Has all advertising space been taken up by hoardings advertising the birthdays of some shades-wearing, covered in gold politician?!

Why are these centers supplied with faulty equipment? What is the point of standing in the queues for 4 hours (as a couple told us today) when the machines don't even work?

How do I even know that they are doing a good job of capturing my data?

Why should I even rush to get my UID done?

How is it that these organizations (usually schools) that were PAID for hosting these centers are locking their doors before closing time and turning us back?

Why am I the only one who is feeling very very angry about this?

Are we so apathetic now that we are way beyond any kind of help?!

As you can see, I have started to lose it.

My solution to all this
I am going to make a documentary. The center near my place closes on Saturday and I am going to go there with my camera and record everything. Record how the gates are locked. Record the accounts of people who are coming out. Record experiences of people who have been through the process. And even record the inside of the center if I can. And then I am going to publicize it as much as I can.

I am going to be there to do what I can. These people need to know that they can't so easily f*%k with us and get away with it. I have my camera and microphone and that is all that I will need. If anyone else is willing to join in please do let me know because I can use all the help I can get. We are not going there to protest, merely to record but I can't promise you that it won't get ugly...so if you do join in, do so at your own risk.

That is all from me. Yes it is another long mail from Yash but if this doesn't get you out of your seats and make you feel like doing something then it surely wasn't long enough.

That is all from me.

If you are interested please do contact me.

Take care and be safe.