LIC needs an Insurance themselves

LIC stands for Life Insurance Corporation of India

I could have spent time writing my biography. Instead, I am typing this post out. I am a LIC policy holder for the past 3 years. It so happened that the agent who had registered me, Anwar- DO-1, 9810609743, some 3 years back; didn’t pay the commission that was supposed to come to me. Nevermind.

I had approached him several times to update my address. He had kept insisting that the amount that comes as an interest after few years, would automatically go to my Bank Account. All he would talk about is I should settle down- asap. The last time I had talked to him some 2 years back and shut him off for good, he was more keen on showing me the pictures of prospective grooms. Since he was introduced through a common link, I couldn’t scream on him. Not that any was left of that.

Well, as it was ordained to happen; the cheque had gone back from my earlier residential address. Not a big deal- is it? He could always collect it and leave that at that common link’s place or me to re-collect.

Here’s the big deal.

I had tried to register with the LIC website today. The site takes practically ages to open up.

Opening..

Registered..

I wanted to change my address. Note how “Change Address” is above the Profile Information!!

Note how the "address change" box is above "update profile"

Clicking on “Address Change”, gives me a huge message saying this:

Address Change allows you to change the addresses of your policies. No detail is being seen because,

1) you might not have enrolled any policies.

2) the enrolled policies are yet to be VALIDATED or there is mismatch in Policy Date of Birth with Profile Date of Birth.

If you have not submitted the enrollment form to a branch office for verification, please do so.

• REALLY..??

Don’t miss out on my Gender Information as uploaded on the website

My name, address and gender was already filled in. I am a woman. I had gladly started updating my profile. I had the option to over- ride my address there too..!!

No Single Names Please

There- again I am stuck up. The website doesn’t allow anyone to register with Single Name.. This is after I am a Policy Holder (as the jargon goes). If I am a Policy Holder with my Single Name itself; then how come, I am restricted to open up an account with the same name? For “who-ever’s” sake, I have submitted supporting documents reflecting my Single name.

User ID and Address have been "whitened". Note my Gender and an * at the Last Name field

LIC Offices are unreachable

I contacted all the numbers given on their website for Delhi. They either “don’t exist” or are “temporarily out of Service”.

Click on the Image for a Bigger Scale

Mumbai numbers are even better

• 022-26766221.
• After making you punch all your details and hold for 5 minutes on music..
• Holding..
• The IVR says that the information against my Policy Numbers isn’t available. Press 1 for any other a/c; 2 for no more account..
• 2..
• Thank You for calling (says the IVR and you are hung up)
• @#$#^%#@#$$%

No help from anywhere

I call up Just Dial- 22222222; they give me a number of Zonal Office- 011-028844159. I call up the numbers provided. The man who answered the call was too hesitant to speak up. He was of no help; neither could he provide any other number.

I redial 8 times 2. 2 cell- numbers were provided-

• 9210209904- No Response to Bell
• 9811135393- Rajinder- Marketing Manager. He “suggested” that I call Just Dial and take Mumbai numbers. He didn’t have any. I had asked him if he knew how shameless he was- BLANK. I disconnected on him.

I have failed to talk to the LIC officers whereby they guarantee Insurances.. Just who would insure them against their malfunctions?

Anyone listening..?

“Relationship” re- Defined

Being involved sexually with someone doesn’t make that a relationship.

There has to be atleast some amount of emotional attachment too. Actually a great amount. Some say it to be Love (or whatever) A great sense of inter- dependence, unfailing understanding and a huge realization of one’s OWN responsibility.

The jargons are being harped upon only since the last 5 years or so..

Growing up; I have made my own observations. I defined the “terms” as I witnessed them. I didn’t accept what was being “told” as being “acceptable”. Though the latter term is often never talked about. It’s damn well understood. What’s preached by elders and the society is the only “acceptable” norm. Bullsh*t.

Glad, the world is changing now.. atleast while talking. Also, in the glossy magazines. Maybe with time, it will get well versed with the logic too.

Marriage/Commitment are synonymous

So are affairs and open relationships. Ask anyone who is into “living together” or “live-in”; he/she would tell you how much of themselves they lose into that relationship to keep it going. So, how’s marriage different then?

What I am saying is; we need to understand the logics first instead of clutching to the tags (marriage/affair/living in/relationship). We so love to sashay the tag and toss the “understanding” of the essence way back while walking towards the arrangement..!!

All relationships are arrangements

A Relationship of convenience. Once again- it’s great.. As long as one understands his/her partner and respects the guidelines or the essence; it’s an achievement.

Just how many times it works, since it’s tagged as Marriage? If whirling around the Fire guaranteed any sustenance or even anything else; Sita won’t have been sent to exile– again and forever.

Expecting too much/Being Demanding/Taking for granted; more or less overlap each other in their meanings

Taking the other one for granted has been since ages. Always. Till the time the other one gracefully accepts that as his/her responsibility, it goes good. No sooner does the other one say- “why me?”; the relationship sags. The issue of taking the other one for granted comes along, then. Your involvement in the arrangement decides the choice of words to define the type of relationship.

As long as it’s suited to both of them; it works well. The problem arises; when the other one feels left out. Because he/she

• May not have defined his/her priorities.
• Didn’t care to maintain his/her own Identity.
• Has been a little too dependent on the other one.
• Had handed his/her reins to the other one.

Like a poet once said that a bird would always love to fly in open. No matter whether she does not get her food and water. She prefers to be left in bewilderment rather than sitting inside even one Gold Cage.

Likewise, we, the women don’t wish to be clipped or stringed or even strapped or leashed. We wish to live and breathe and survive; the way we wish to. We know what it is. We know what it takes. Just don’t cage us- anymore.

We are exhibiting our polygamous nature

It is so natural that we are now coming out with more separations than the number of years or even days spent in one relationship.

It’s no longer an inter- dependent relationship. Women have stepped out to work. They have gained financial security. They don’t wish to bow anymore. Why should they- now that they have become self- dependent? We don’t look upto anyone for any support- anymore.

Why we used to..? Reasons:

• Gender Binary System and its “Off- Springs”
• They are the fragile and vulnerable of all sexes.
• They were considered to be the “should be protected”

Society is the Biggest cage

Even though that we live in a Society and that it supposedly consists of us; the truth is far from it. We are all en-caged- within obsolete rulings. By the over- ruled guidelines. We are confined within the biases. Religions, castes, creed.. draw walls to segregate people within cells. We live contrary to our thoughts, ourselves and our contentments. Since, it’s we who make a Society.. and also define the rules.

Let’s not force “our” opinions on “others”. Where does Morality say to exert upon others’ mental sanity?

Aren’t the states and countries enough to create distances and confines?

Result: The relationships suffer..

The more the number of dispositions; the more conditional it becomes.

Isn’t the increasing number and trend of Gigolos, a definite clue of the changing times?

Great India’s Greatest Epic

• Lets see what Mahabharata- the World’s Geatest Epic, has to say

Yudhishthir had placed Draupadi as his Bet in Chauparh (a game), when he had lost himself in the previous betting.

Would it be safe to call him a loser then? He acted like one for sure. How on earth a lost man could place any of his belongings in bet?? Was Draupadi, his wife was an object? More so, Draupadi being the Rani, could and should have used her powers to object to be played in his hands.

She was actually treated as an object instead of a woman or Human. She was mistreated too. The Courtyard had sat still and let that happen. Her own father-in-law, mother-in-law and others had sat there as an audience. Oh, they were both visually impaired- sorry, they could not see.

• Where did their eldership & maryadas disappear?
• Did they have any?
• Or may be the Definitions at least?

Do you know that she also had to spend years with her “husbands” because her brother-in-law wanted it that way?

• What did all of her 5 husbands do? Well, she was on her Menstruation days when she was dragged into the Court in attempt to strip her down. Practically Duryodhan may have failed to (as we know of it); but was anything left of it?

Well, is “submission to men” of greater significance and that no one else can (or has the right to object) and STOP it?

Lets go back a little in the story.

• Pandav due to a curse could not conjugate, to take his family further. What did he do?
• He INSTRUCTED (and the WIVES obliged him) to give him children from other men; as in they were made to sleep with other Devatas to bear children.
• According to him, some mention of some Rule somewhere does say that that was permissible. So Draupadi wasn’t the only one..
• We do know about Marital Rape, what category would one want to put that in?
• Madri & Kunti; why didn’t they move on and not become the victims?
• They were the ones who set up benchmarks for such evils as wife swapping.

Why do we marry in the 1^st place & then also agree to get intimate with other men too?

• Why do men dictate & decide upon everything about us?
• And, why do we let them to?

It’s the women that they are born out of, and not the other way round-YET.

Maharishi Ved- Vyas agreed upon to father Pandu, Dhritarashtra & Vidur. Hold on, Mahagyani Vidur was never given much respect & was only restricted to be a minister alone; for his mother was only a Daasi. “SELECTIVE DISCRIMINATION” here too. Getting an heir from the Dasi was fine; however, he can’t be and wasn’t made a king.

And wait, Dhritashashtra was visually impaired, for who ever’s sake, did Gandhari blindfold herself? Shouldn’t she then have become an active supporter?? Oh yes, she did become one- and joined him in his disability.

Listen, I am in ditch, please join me, I reserve all my rights to climb back whenever I so desire- you need to stay in- perhaps that is because you chose to join me.

Why do we read History?

• We are not to sit on the throne and address our Subjects, we even don’t have to run our horses to the battlefield?
• Is it to learn about our Culture & Traditions; then what has been our Culture & Tradition?
• Why do we still say “Hey Ram”? Shouldn’t it be “Hai Hai Ram”?
• What does the Greatest Epic teach?
• Practices that should have been declared inhuman and obsolete are still being practiced like some Goddamn Religion.

No, its not any fancy Write about violence towards women, it’s a heartfelt trial to depict the agony we still are undergoing. It’s not practically possible to make anyone understand how it feels to be a victim of such and even heinous crimes. The language & words are for communication purpose alone & do not express any feelings; they can’t be expressed; only felt & understood.

If I were to tell you that I was stabbed, thrice, I bled & then was brutally whatever- would anybody feel it? Would you feel the pain that I may have undergone? For everyone’s benefit, the answer is and would remain a blatant “NO”.

We horribly need to move on from what has been the trend in the Pauranic Society. When I tried telling my thoughts about Rama to one of my friends, he said these are radical and that they were far off understanding of an average human being.

So, I understand that I may be asking for something extraordinary or beyond capacity; in other words being non- violent towards woman, is practically an un-attainable state? Oh no, I am not being judgemental about him here, we have had more than one discussions about this. There isn’t any scope of my mis- understanding since it has been counter checked with him.

Go back and read the epic again- carefully.. No one has been God. Neither the man or the woman. The Man has been the Superlative case and women, a passive statement.

And more often than not, it is the woman herself who has done that to us.