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Indian Bureaucracy: The DEO, DPEP, MRO, MEO and the MRPs.


Today we faced the Indian bureaucracy, again. This is a picture of where paperwork goes to die. I also took a picture of the file clerk; he was not pleased. Kalpana was rightfully embarrased by all this picture taking. I said they would remember the crazy American lady and you should pose by the sign to the DEO's office. We were visiting Ms. Mallamma (the DEO, District Education Officer, for those of you keeping track). We needed her signature on the paper saying we have permission to start construction on the new school. She was in a meeting, all day. In typical Kalpana style, we busted into her office, left her an "Urgent!" note with the paper on the middle of her desk, then snuck off while the cleaning lady yelled at us. We told her we cleared it with Sirinivas. [Everyone is named Laxmi (for girls) or Sirinivas (for boys), so we thought we'd get away with it.] We did eventually run into a Sirinivas who worked as the assistant to the assistant to Ms. Mallamma, but Kalpana thought he wasn't "all there."

We got word tonight that Ms. Mallamma never came to the office after the meeting and that we have to go back in the morning. They may lock her door after what we did today, so I'll bring my jaws of life. Ah, here is the picture of the file clerk. I think his name was...Sirinivas.

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