Finally, at last, after years of waiting, i landed up in a job which involves traveling and talking to people. I joined in a NGO which works on Right to Information Act.
My job involves, going to remote districts and conducting a sample survey on selected offices regarding implementation of RTI Act. The job description might sound boring, but for a guy like me, its fun.
Its not a public survey, where i can move to next idle person who wants to talk. I have list of a specific officers to talk. I had to interview, panchayat secretaries , superintendents at MPDO office and MROs.
I am not a journalist, which gives them publicity, i am not from
Information Commission who will threten them to pour red ink on their
service books. I am just from a NGO which will submit the report to
govt. I dont have a carrot or a stick to make them talk to me out of
their "busy" schedule.
I have decided to be the "ear" who listen to them, a shoulder for them to cry and promise that i would become the hand which will wipe their tears. And it worked.
Village secretaries are usually docile and talk a lot. Superintendents
friendly and offer hot beverages. And MROs, once started, hard to stop.
And my tactic to make them give an interview to me , is to let them
indulge in self-pitying, of course, most of them already in it and they
just need an ear, and some must be pushed.
First and most important task is to show my face to them. I tried call to request an interview with them but, they would say they are busy with municipal election and ask me to come after ten days, in a tone we shoo the salesmen selling Tupperware.
1. Dont walk to the face of the interviewee. They are bureaucrats, and that too head of the respective offices, they should be approached through subordinates. Though i can read MRO is sitting in his chair, with a big name plate on the wall behind him, i would ask some one, if he is available. Lower staff respond well to words like "Delhi", "Indian Institute of " , " Administration " . ( My NGO got the project from Indian Institute of public administration, Delhi). A man from Delhi, will be treated like a man from Moon. Now, he would take me to game.
2. Patience and Manners. Locals, barge in to the room and start talking not minding if the officer is on phone or counting letters in paper before him. But, man from Delhi , is well mannered and well educated. Dont sit, no leaning on the wall, no checking mobile.
3. After introduction , and purpose of arrival and purpose of the survey, i listed out few problems of them and pity them to show them the path of self-pitying. This technique is rarely used and not need mostly, as they are ready to burst out. However, it worked great with hard-core bureaucrats who wish to be look busy. Sadly, it took me some time to realize this technique.
4. Pay attention, and scribe something on the paper if the officer tells something in the tone of a philosopher, though its not related to the survey.
5. When he wish to upgrade my status from an interviewer to some NGO, to guest, i never denied it. I drank every tea or coffee which is offered to me.
6. Ask open ended questions, though in questionnaire its a closed ended one. Let them open up and talk.
7. Indulging in small talk in between the interview is actually a good practice.
Its fun to observe, the body language of officers. More the rank, more the ego is what i guessed, but i was wrong in many cases.
