So my mom just bought a small pressure cooker ... for me! ok so you dont know what a pressure cooker is, look it up on wiki.

You might be asking me so what about it? well for one thing I have been talking to mom since a very long time about me moving out, well maybe like since 1998. But she woudn't accept it and something would always come up either my career or something would happen at home that would make me stay back. She never accepted the fact that I would ever take the decision to stay somewhere else and not here.

Somehow since last year after my fracture things have accelerated very much, she has come to accept the fact that I wont be here for very long. In my recent discussions I had asked her on whether one just cuts and eats raw beet root or does it go through a cooking process. Thats where the pressure cooker comes in.

why legalization now?

While doing some research I came across an interesting article about the Hague convention. This was implemented to ensure that all the countries who signed or joined will not need to go through a legalization process. So all I need to get is an Apostille, however the Netherlands consulate does not currently know that India is now a part of the Hague Convention.

As per the MEA to get an Apostille you need to do the following steps:

Procedure: All documents should be first authenticated by the designated agencies in the State from where thedocument has been issued. In case of personal documents, Home Department/General Administration Department arethe designated authorities. In case of educational documents, State Governments have now opened Regional Authentication Centers (RACs) (see list) at various States from where the document should first be attested. Documents attested by these authorities then need to be presented to MEA for issue of Apostilles.

Fee: A fee of Rs. 50/- in form of Postal/Pay Order drawn in favour of PAO, MEA, New Delhi is payable for each Apostille sticker.

You can find more information at the following link
http://meaindia.nic.in/apostille.htm

To know which all countries have acceded to the Hague Convention you need to check this link:
http://www.hcch.net/

The irony is Hague is in Netherlands and they themselves are not updated on which country needs legalization and which does not. FYI Indians should not go through legalization yet they still have to. This is in effect since August 29, 2007 and Netherland counsulates have still not updated their procedure did I mention Hague is in Netherlands and is considered the seat of Goverment very similar to our New Delhi in India.

Lets do it again

So, I travelled to Mantralaya yesterday and went searching for a notary then I realized that they dont sit there anymore, I asked the xerox guy where I could find one and he said "court" realising that the city civil court was nearby.

I walked past the "oval maidan" and finally found a small crowd and in the centre a guy stamping everyones paper, aahh the notary. He charged me Rs. 60 for a document (I had two birth certificates so I paid Rs. 120), he stamped it, signed it, put a red circle sticker on it stamped that too, then he pasted 5 Rupee 5 stamps (total Rs. 25) and cancelled them out by puting the notary stramp on that too.

Finally after this was done, I went back and stood in the line which was now 30 people strong. It was five minutes to two in the afternoon. Oh did I tell you the attestation office is open only from 2pm to 5pm. So dont even try to go there any other time because they wont let you in.

Ok so I sign my name at the gate and I am told to go to 9th floor. Whoa look at the line at the elevator, anyways after much waiting and shuffling I reached the 9th floor. Guess what another line so waited some more, the board clearly said attestation will be done free of cost and that there is no charge. Some people were giving Rs. 100 and getting it done out of turn, anyways my turn comes I see a small window I shove my face and my papers through it, guy stamps it and then asks me to wait in line for the signature, checks it and signs it and then we are done.

I am on my way back home. Now I need to send these documents to the MEA - Ministry of External Affairs, Delhi. Now how should I go there by plane or train.

Leagalization

So you might be asking why am I doing this all, well I need to apply for a long term visa to the Netherlands. Prior to doing that one very important document needs to be procured, when I sent the consulate an email I was informed that I had to follow the chain to get the documents legalizaed from them in short first take the document to get it notarized, then stamped from the home department, then get it attested from the Ministry of External Affairs (Delhi). After all these stamps then fill up a 2 page form at the consulate and submit with approx Rs. 1400 and within a couple of days they would return it back to you. After which you can apply for your visa and submit all the relevant documents in relation to your purpose of stay.

The procedure in more detail below:

STEP 1: Get the original birth certificate from the Office of the Registrar of Births and Deaths, at the place where your birth occured. If your birth is registered contact the Registrar and request him to issue a new/fresh birth certificate. Advisably the document should be issued within the past six months.(i.e. should not be older than six months at the time of submission to our counter). - If you remember I got my original birth certificates extracted from the municipal office last week.

STEP 2: Get this original document attested from the competent authority of the State from which the document originates. Please be informed that IF ONLY your document originates from the State of Maharashtra, then your document should be attested from the Home Department, Govt. of Maharashtra. This is located at Mantralaya, New Administrative Building, Nariman Point, Mumbai. The Home department generally requires the original document to be notarised prior to attesting it.

Its finally done

Since mom had taken up this project she continued to follow up, she finally met the officer in Parel and she tells me that he was very polite and a true gentlemen. He read my application and signed it immediately approving the change of dropping "kumar" from my name, yeah my name was "Ashish Kumar" in my birth certificate. In 1972 they used to put Kumar for male child and kumari for female child. Now aint that cute, 35 years later I suffered the consequences.

So mom goes back to the municipal office and hands overs the signed letter and imagine here horror when the officer refuses to accept it saying that there is no stamp and the signature could be done by anyone....lol.

After a couple of phone calls and explanations from the senior officer in Parel, things got resolved and I am now a proud owner of 2 new birth certificates with my printed/given name as "Ashish". What a relief!

The BMC - once more

Since I have to work like most other normal people, I had to ask Mom to visit the BMC office again, so she trooped off again on Thursday, obviously she had to wait a couple of hours before the officer would get the "time" to meet her.

I always wonder in government offices who the public servant is?

Anyways, he finally meets her and says "I dont have the authority to take this decision" wow and you finally figured this right now? he mentioned that this change needs an authrotization from another Senior Officer who sits in Parel near KEM Hospital.

Mom went on Friday to meet that officer guess what he was in a meeting!! guffaw!

Now she will go again on Monday.

BMC - again

So I went to the Municipal office again on the 12th the concerned officer was ahem "visiting the wards" so then I went to office and then went again at 3pm by then he was in a "meeting".

I finally did see him as he came back to his office at 4:30pm (BTW he left office at 4:35pm, if I was his supervisor I would have....), when I asked him on what was the status of my application he nonchalantly said submit it and I will look at it. Hello buddy I did submit it last week, you haven't looked at it yet?

And he said "oh it was Diwali last week", ok that was understandable after all this was a government department and they celebrate this festival more than the common man.

"Ok can I come next week?" I said, and he said its ok you can call and find out the status.

You must be laughing your head off right now saying yeah right call him. Well I believed him and off I went on Wednesday I called and called on Tuesday and Wednesday and then asked my mom to drop in and find out what he was up to, she called me later to tell he was on "leave".

ha ha, Diwali holidays weren't enough!?