Rusted Security

After a long time, I went to a government bank today. In my school days, during summer hols, I used to go banks for my father’s business work. At that time, most of the banks are government operated and hardly single numbered private ones existed. You can describe the Indian government offices like: shabby outlook, 1930's furniture, poverty stricken dressing, and don’t-care, some times arrogant attitude officers with crumbled official papers strewn all places. The same picture I can see now. Nothing changed. Perhaps, only positive note is attitude of the officers’ now went thru a tiny change like ripple caused in puddle of water by a big stone.

One thing I noticed that never changed over the years is the security guards’ gun in govt. banks. The security guard in almost all the govt. banks, carry the same old, unused, never fired, light years long rusted riffle. I wonder if any bullets are loaded in to it!!

I heard that some old British Raj rules still holding true now, without changing to the times. For example, in our Indian laws, if I recollect it correctly, it is allowed only couple of liquor bottles to store at home to serve guests and not more than that. You are eligible for prosecution if you have more bottles of liquor than allowed numbers!! This anarchic rules still existing in law books to date. Similarly I guess, the security guard have mandatory rule to have one or two bullets in their gun which I think will never be used. Imagine, only couple of bullets and a couple of tens of looters, poor guard and even poorer customers!! Even if security guard tries to use it in emergency situations, I guess he might have forgot to how to fire, or he might not able to fire, after getting confused whether bullet is loaded or not, or the gun might not fire at all, due to physics of prolonged rusting process.