This story is about a bank. I had a saving account there, and some funds in term deposit. The account was in joint names of my wife and I. The bank had no photograph of my wife. So I submitted a photograph there.
"This photograph will not do" the bank fellow told me, after having asked his manager.
"Why not" I asked.
"It is best you ask the manager" he said. So I asked, because the bank was far from my residence, and I did not have another print.
"It is grainy" the manager said.
"It looks like her" I said. "Another branch has accepted this photograph. Please see if it can be accepted. I stay far and have taken leave today to do this work."
"It will not do" he said.
I went back to the first fellow and asked him if I could do any work on that account.
"You can do anything only when the photograph is submitted" he answered.
So I went home, collected another photograph, and went back after one and half hour. The fellow took the photograph and said "this is fine."
Then I gave him a letter requesting the bank to close the account permanently.
"But now all formalities are over" he said. "Now why do you want to close the account?"
"Because I do not like the service and treatment given by the bank officials" I said. He went to the manager, explained the situation got his signature on my letter, and gave me a token for collecting the balance amount. I sat down on a bench and waited. I kept listening to the announcements, checking if they called my token number.
"Token 72... token 72"
Mine was 71, so I continued to wait. After 5 minutes, the announcer shouted again "token 72 ... token 72" No one went to claim the money. After a minute, the announcer shouted my name. So I went to the counter.
"Are you Mr Parulekar?" one of the two women behind the counter asked me.
"Yes" I said.
"Then why do you not come when I called your token number. I have been calling token number 72 for last 5 minutes" she said rudely.
"That is because my token number is 71 while you have been calling 72" I said quietly. She looked at my token to confirm that I was right, shut her open mouth with an almost audible snap, and grabbed the token I offered.
"Now do you understand why I want to close my account?" I asked the fellow who had asked me the reason for closing my account. He was right behind her. She refused to look up from the counter top in front of her, he tried to show some expression on his face, but filed because he was confused about which expression to show.
This happened fifteen years ago. I get upset every time I think about it.
