Last year, I paid 200% extra on the pollution test of my car because I was late by just one week. I was furious - cursing the system, the rule-maker, the whole government. Whoever came up with that fine had clearly never stood in the queue for a vehicle pollution test. The actual cost of the test was 400 rupees. I ended up paying 1,200. It made no sense. The late fee felt like a blatant punishment and white-collar corruption. On top of that, I lost half a day running from window to window, queuing, filling forms, and submitting documents. To add insult to injury, I had to affix a 10-rupee postage stamp to the receipt. And guess what? That stamp cost 15 rupees from a street vendor, established inside the government office. Open robbery, right under the nose of the State. This year, I decided to be early. Determined to avoid another financial ambush, I went for the pollution test before the expiry date. I took a deep breath- Stoic breath - ready for the usual round of hassles. Since my s...
Monologue .......