The Department of Technical Education (DTE) office in Mumbai is one place to be if you want information and entertainment together. And both, the information and the entertainment quite often does not come from officials sitting in the cabins, but from peons waiting at the doors of the ‘sahebs.’ These peons are the some of the most friendly people around, who are a mine of information and can help in times of crisis or lack of time.
The DTE Maharashtra office situated in South Mumbai is actually very picturesque. Enveloped in wild and unkempt shrubbery, the facade is a typical Victorian structure made of stone. However, once you enter the building, it is every bit the familiar government office with paan stains on walls and piles of papers stacked on most tables.
Inside the DTE office and close to the entrance, there is a counter kind of wooden structure with a plastic enclosure above and the word PRO written in big bold letters. Most months of the year, this seat remains vacant. Students then have to re-direct their queries to the officials sitting in the cabins. If the officials are busy or not in office, then the peons are always there to strike a conversation, give information and a little bit of advise too. More than often, students turn back after hearing what the peons have to say with a perfect “thank you for the information, it was most helpful’ look on the face.
On the numerous occasions that I went to DTE, (both admission time when there was a PRO sitting on his chair and post admission days when the seat was empty), peons at DTE have been more than helpful. Clad in white trousers and white lose shirt, they have answers ready even before you can ask the question. Every time I have asked for the director and he has been out of office, the peon has never waited for me to finish the question. “Saheb baher gele aheth. Dhupaar nanthar yetheel. Urgent ahe thar deputy kade zaava (The director has gone out. Will come later in the afternoon. If your work is urgent, meet the deputy director.” And all this info without a line of irritation on the forehead.
It is a sight to see students and families spell out their woes to peons. Two weeks ago (late September) on a visit to the DTE, there was a hapless family trying to meet a senior official. Since all were busy in a meeting, they met the peon of one of the officials. The family consisted of a father and his son and a neighbour who seemed to have been brought along for his knowledge of Marathi. The neighbour, translating the child’s woes to the peon said that the son was ill and not managed admission into any engineering college earlier. “Can some official from DTE furnish a letter which the family can show to some college and secure admission. We have been told by a college that if DTE gives us a letter, our work will be done.”
The peon heard them out patiently but told them to wait for some official for addressal. After a five-minute wait, the family asked the peon for his suggestion on the matter. This was the peon’s reply. “Your son was ill for so long? What will DTE do now. Not sure if DTE will give you a letter. Tomorrow so many other students will come with similar requests. I recommend you try at the colleges again. There may be some seats vacant, and at least this year he can enrol in any college and next year try for another college.”
When the neighbour added that he was willing to pay money, the peon replied that payment was an issue they should deal with the college directly. To which came the next question from the neighbour. “Can you tell me the rates of donation these days. The peon was aghast at the question and told him it was not his job to discuss money issues with students. The peon asked the name of the student and on finding out that he was from the minority community, provided names of some colleges which accept minority students on a quota basis. “I am not sure whether they will actually help since it is late in the year, but you have to try, the peon replied.
The neighbour persisted that he was willing to pay a lakh of rupees to which the peon shot back, that it is more urgent that the family keeps visiting colleges instead of simply shelling out money.
Another student, who had come with his parent had not got into a college for lack of a good percentage and also because he could not afford management quota donation. The boy wanted to pursue an engineering diploma after his tenth standard and then later go in for a degree. The peon spoke to the boy who knew only a smattering of English and told him to first make himself ready for the engineering course and then seek admission. The peon told his father that boy should first improve his English. “Just doing an diploma is not enough. How will your child study complex technical terms and subject matter when the entire course is in English. He can hardly read and write in the language. I suggest since it is anyway late in the year, let him seek admission in an arts or commerce college. Let him gain some confidence and also improve his English and then go for a degree after the twelfth.”
The boy and his parent were not too happy hearing the ‘English’ bit to which the peon said they could wait to speak to an official at DTE.
On another occasion, there were two students who had come make inquiries about a particular course. Another peon, answered. “This is the website address of DTE. All information is there. Why did you have to come here to ask this.” The students were not too happy with a college they were studying in North Mumbai and wanted to complain. “There are hardly any industrial visits and there is not much of teacher-student interaction,” one of the boy’s said. Again the peon asked the boys to wait for the concerned official. After ten minutes of loitering around the boys then turned to the peon for information to which the peon advised the boys to put down the entire complaint in a properly worded letter with proof of the promises and then meet the official concerned.
Yet another day, I was waiting outside the cabin of one of the officials seeking information for an article. It was a long wait and the peon attending to the official left for lunch. He gestured that I should continue to wait. After a while, I met the official and left. On my way out, peon met me again. “Hope you have met saheb. Otherwise come back with me.” When replied in the affirmative, the peon walked back in with a smile on his face and to a room full of papers and busy ‘sahebs.’