As the city temperature threatened to rise on an otherwise normal day, I take my seat with a feeling of comfort. I suddenly notice that my internet is not working. Thinking the failure to be another normal breakdown I decide to wait. A few hours pass but the net would refuse to come back to life. Feelings lost in the world with no access to the world, I decide to dial 1504. Here starts my roller coaster ride with MTNL.
 

First the man at 1504 tries to help me reconfigure the internet settings. With no result, he suddenly discovers that it is disconnected DNP (Due to Non Payment). I protest. He advices me to contact the accounts department of MTNL. I manage to find a number of the accounts office (25722202). The lady on the other side politely suggests me to contact Madam Bedi, the Accounts Officer at 25726677. I dial this number. Busy. Again dial and keep dialing for a good 30 minutes. No response. I go back to talk to the lady at 25722202. She is again very polite and gives Madam Bedi\'s mobile number as 20609207. After a few attempts, I get her on line. I tell her my problem. She suggests me to contact Mr. Budh Sain at 25726677. I dial and redial and redial as the number is continuously busy. Another 30 minutes roll over. Finally, I win and manage to get Mr. Budh Sain\'s number. The lady at the other end informs me, as if, with pride that this is not Mr. Budh Sain\'s number. And she gives me another number as 25766262. I gulp down chilled water getting ready for the battle. The exercise goes on and on and I recall the axiom, try, try until you succeed. Yes, I too succeed. I feel elated and honoured as if I got through to talk to the Prime Minister. A polite Mr. Budh Sain listens to me with patience. He tells me to hold on. He comes back to me with new information. “You had another number three/four years ago and there is yet payment Rs.200 or so pending against you.” I am dumbstruck and lost unable to react at once. Gathering courage, I ask him how come the department failed to inform me all these years and now suddently my net is disconnected. Avoiding my question, he very comfortably suggests me to pay the bill and everything will be all right. I protest. “This is highhandedness.” He suggests me to talk to Mrs. Bedi for clarifications. I prepare myself with great difficulty to go through the rigmarole all over again.
 

I spend a good one hour trying to get Mrs. Bedi on her landline or mobile number with no success. Flustered, I ring up accounts office again and tell them that Mrs. Bedi is not reachable. The lady appears polite and asks my number and she tells me to wait for the call of Mrs. Bedi. Thirty minutes pass by. No call from Mrs. Bedi. I ring up the accounts office again and I get the lady after a few attempts. I inform her that I got no call from Mrs. Bedi. She is good enough to connect me to the Chief Accounts Officer, Mr. Dharam Pal. I tell him the story and very politely inform him how I am facing great difficulty in the absence of net and also tell him that I am journalist and need internet connection most of the time. I also tell him that I must invole RTI inquiry in my case. He listens to me and asks me my phone number. He tells me to hold on while he checks the details. Off the phone, I overhear him telling his colleague, amidst loud laughs, “look a press reporter threatens for RTI enquiry. What can RTI do to us? He comes back on phone with no information. I protest and suggest him to keep the phone mouthpiece covered while indulging in gossips. “He immediately flared up, “why should I cover the phone? I didn\'t speak anything harmful.”
 

I feel exhausted and leave my cabin in disgust to have a feel of the free air. Despite rising temperature, I felt pleasant under the open burning sky.
 

After about two hours, I get a call from the lady at the accounts office. “Sir, have you spoken to Mrs. Bedi?” My anger turned into a laughter thinking what to reply. Yet I manage to say no. “Sir, why don\'t you pay the bill and be comfortable,” she suggests me, politely of course. I faithfully follow her advice and pay the four-year-young bill. I dial the accounts department and inform the lady that I have done my job and ask what to do next. She suggests me, “Why do\'t you talk to Mr. Ratan Lal at 9868135857. A couple of attempts leave me disheartened. I never get Mr. Rattan Lal.
 

Gathering courage again, I manage to talk to Mr. Budh Sain and inform him that I have paid the bill and request him to kindly help me get my net back. He appears kind, assures me early action not before suggesting me to talk to Mr. Vishwanath at 57232321 with footnote “you can also try Mr. Bahrti at 23316040 0r 23359459, may be he can\'t help you, I never get connected to Mr. Vishwanath and Mr. Bharti. I choose to forget all and sit back - defeated and denounced.
 

Instantly I leave my office for the day thinking about the battery of people \'managing\' the affairs of the public sector organization at public expense.