'Passport Party'!

Bhaswati Bose (in blue) narrates how she got her passport

We do not require a reason to party. From celebrating birthdays and marriage anniversaries to observing religious festivals, announcing a newborn in the family, surviving outstation trips, buying a new pair of shoes, kids passing examinations… any reason is good reason for a party in Big Laaf.
So it came as no surprise when Kiran Prakash broke into the birthday song this morning, only that he was chanting “Happy Passport to You!” for a change. The target of his jubilation was obviously Bhaswati Bose, who reported having renewed her passport yesterday.
A couple of weeks earlier, Nahid Khan had received her passport and before that, Geeta Latte ‘celebrated’ getting her maiden passport.
So what’s the big deal about Bhaswati’s passport?
Just nothing, if you were to discount the fact that she did not bribe anyone to get the document in ‘record time’. She put in her application at the Malad passport office on Monday (12/6),

Party time with cake slices and tea

received a phone call from the local police station the same evening, was interviewed by a cop at home on Tuesday (13/6) and in an hour of submitting her photo at the cop station on Wednesday (14/6), she received her passport by speed post!
This was nothing short of a miracle for those of us who have been hearing only horror stories for long. Santosh Tyagi is not even applying for a passport out of fear of rejection.
Geeta had to seek political intervention (ref post of February 17) to get her papers through after being kept on hold for months on end. Yusuf Rassiwala even advised Bhaswati to be prepared to grease some palms to escape harassment. Nahid confessed to having to pay under the table after weeks of endless dilly-dallying…
Against this backdrop, to get a valid passport in 48 hours would seem a major accomplishment for Bhaswati. Although she had nothing to do with this, it did call for an impromptu celebration – even as it was no more than cake slices from a nearby store and hot tea.
Moral of the Story: Stay clean and do not ever pay a bribe, no matter what.
Bihari Milwani:
Bhaswati Bose had a reason to celebrate. Well, it was the birthday of Late Kanta Sharma today.
Karun Sharma:
Sometimes it is easier to extract a bigger treat if it is voluntary. Such celebrations are about togetherness.