The Typist

There is a man named Anil whose life depends upon the Pakistan Embassy in India. If the Pakistan Embassy gets its act together and builds a website, any website at all, to represent its presence in India, Anil will lose his job. Anil, you see, is a typist. As in, he makes words on a typewriter. And while he doesn’t work for the Pakistani Embassy in New Delhi, he works very close to it. Rain or shine, Anil sits outside the Embassy, has been for 30 years, and helps travelers battle the bureaucracy within the Embassy’s run down offices.

You see, visa applicants are required to turn in their forms TYPED. Why? Because the Embassy doesn't have a website, they don't have forms that you can access online and print out before you show up. They supply the forms you need at Gate 1. They don't want to have to read your messy handwriting. So, they must be typed. And who has a typewriter handy on Shantipath Chanyakumari Road in New Delhi? I’ll tell you who.

Anil is Indian, but he doesn’t seem to have any problem with the fact that his life’s work is dependent upon his country’s arch-enemy. People will go to Pakistan, and when they do, they will need forms, and when those forms need to be typed, Anil will help. Incidentally, Anil also provides, free of charge, advice on how to fill in the forms. Having been privy to visa rejections over the years, he knows what will and won’t fly.

So, like a leech on a bleeding wound, Anil drinks up. And Pakistan’s Embassy survives another day without technology.