Aadhar card- The longest queue by Far!

What is Aadhar Card?

According to http://uidnumber.org/aadhaar/

"Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique identification (UID) number which the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is issuing for all Indian residents. The UID number is stored in a centralised database and linked to the basic demographics and biometric information – photograph, ten fingerprints and iris – of each individual"

Sounds nice eh!

Not so nice when you see the queue!!! Though the objective of the UID card is very good, the process itself is laborious and time consuming. According to the website, one needs a minimum of the passport, Voter's ID card, PAN card, Bank passbook and/or bank statements for verification. Online registrations are not so guaranteed as is with all governmental registrations.

I got a letter from my bank as the proof of address. Now the challenge was to get the young guys and girls( who were hired for verification at these centres) to get them to understand that any letter from the Bank in the bank letter head with the signature and seal of the bank employee is valid, as valid as any account statement/ passbook. But finally managed to do so after much deliberation.

So when my turn came for actual registration, it was another ball game altogether.

The personnel (A young boy with basic computer knowledge) started typing & after 25 or odd corrections (which one has to check, lest Debarati Nandee comes out as "Deberathi Nanadee" in the final ID and you have to make another 3 rounds to their office to get it corrected), it was finally done.

While getting the Iris scanned, you have to open your eyes as big as possible (The final product looks like a close up shot from a zombie movie), your fingerprint scanned (four fingers of the left hand first, then four fingers of the right and finally the two thumbs). Finally the horror of the photograph taken from their prehistoric web camera. It pains my heart to look at it. But finally I got the registration done after 2.5 hours of waiting. Now comes the real waiting, to get the actual card which some say 3 months but am sure will be longer.

Now do you really have to get that card, I would say, YES. Its a bit of a that extra bureaucratic work that you have to do but hopefully you'll have an unique identity that would surely be helpful in the future. So watch out for that space in your local newspaper!