Signing for Control

26-04-2026 12:00:00 AM

IYER MUSINGS

Lalita Iyer :

It is a small plot of land but the way the state government has made me run around for some signatures for something bought years ago would make one believe that I own lots of land. Hence it is not even funny.

And these registration offices are at quite a distance. For me most of the time it is all about a ride, and gawking, and finding out how much these highways have changed on the way.

I have also noticed that everyone coming to these offices seeks the help of an agent. An expensive deal but it helps get the work done on the said day. As luck would have it, I have to make my presence felt only during signature time, and hand over a copy of my Aadhar card and press my thumb down on a thingummy while staring into a harsh white light. The waiting period is not too much, but the process itself takes time. Yet time somehow passes.

Life happens there. Sometimes it is just people, sometimes birds on old trees that have grown thick trunks and thick foliage. And sometimes, weather permitting, you can just stare into nothing.

Everyone coming here is either buying land or selling it. But it never shows through. I don’t see a happy guy or a sad one either. Just the other day this fellow had a wad of notes and he was handing it over to someone, so I opened the car window and jokingly offered to take some. He smiled, wiped his sweat, and said he was registering some land.

People throng the lobbies, each holding files. Some walk the narrow corridors talking on phones endlessly. One lady was doing her entire deal through her advocate on speaker, with friends around her, all hithering and tithering. Seeing someone so young in land dealings felt good.

The offices are mostly old, small or large depending on the sub registrar. The main district office has many under it. The one I went to was busy, with trees and shaded seating fully occupied, even eateries inside. Parking is packed and it feels like a slow gauntlet with everyone watching.

There is always a dusty walk and steps full of purpose. Men are more, but many women work too.

And then the bane of every woman’s life—no clean ladies’ toilet. Some don’t even have water. At times, power cuts make the place worse and a smell spreads.

Why this apathy towards bathrooms? Someone says there are toilets but no one to clean them. Probably.

So what is one to do? I have friends who can control for hours. And then there is me…