‘Me’ visited a local branch of the marriage registration office for filing a request for a marriage certificate. He had filled up the form correctly and had checked and re-checked the list of attested documents to be attached just to make sure that all papers were in order.
Me was waiting at the office for ‘She’, the lady who checks and accepts the marriage registration form.
She (after arriving 1 hour late): Yes?
Me: I wanted to apply for a marriage certificate
She: Have you already married and want to apply for a certificate or you want to marry here and then get it registered?
Me: I have married a few months back and I have brought this form and the necessary documents
She: Do you live in this area?
Me: Yes
She: Ok, show me the form
She: (mumbling and ticking) Age… Proof… Address… Proof… Photographs
She: What is this? (pointing to the city of the marriage venue)
Me: Gurgaon
She: Is this outside our Pune city?
Me: (trying to suppress a smile) Yes, it is in Haryana
She: Outside Pune city but within Maharashtra state, right?
Me: (suppressing my laughter) Err… no it is in the state of Haryana
She: Oh ok! Gurgaon… hmmm… this is in Punjab state, right?
Me: (suppressing wtf! expression) No it is in Haryana state
She: Ok then you will have to file the request in that city itself or the District Collector office of our city
Me: Well ok… I will take this form to the DC office then
She: No this form is for marriages held within our city. You will have a separate form to fill up at the DC office.
Me: But nothing has been mentioned on this form about venue of marriage!!
She: (smiling)
Me: I understand that the 100 bucks I paid for this form have gone waste
She: (still smiling)
‘Me’ later went to the DC office and found that the ‘marriages-outside-city’ form was fortunately free; though that form also didn’t have a mention about venue of marriage clause. A few trips to the DC office for lack of address proof (I guess officer’s hints of a bribe) and Me’s form was finally submitted (without shelling a single rupee in form of bribe). A month later three witnesses will have to sign a declaration at the DC office and then ‘Me’ will get his marriage registered and a marriage certificate. Now ‘Me’ can ‘legally’ touch his wife eh?
