You are certified

Right from the time a person is born to the day life ends, all he does is run after a piece of paper. At the time of birth, the parents of the child are made to run from pillar to post to get a small inked chit called the birth certificate. Now, this is no ordinary chit of paper. For this small inked chit of paper is one that is needed at every important juncture in one's life.

The birth parents cannot take their own child home without getting this little paper. Nor can the child get admission to a school without it. And to put matters in perspective, neither can the person get married without this little chit.

So, after carefully preserving this little chit of paper, the hunt for another series of chits begins. When you pass out of school there is the Leaving certificate that becomes the singular most important piece of paper that you must guard with your life. No college will let you cross its sacrosanct gates without this little stamped chit of paper.

And once you're in college, they put a dog tag around your neck that defines who you are. Without this tag, you stand a chance of never completing your education.

With two of the most important chits under the belt begins the quest for more little chits. There is a driving licence, a PAN card, a Voter's ID, domicile certificate, a passport, a ration card and field of other permits that you need to survive in this civilised world.

Then comes that all sweet marriage certificate that is needed to certify that you can now reproduce legally. However if you try the illegal route the divorce certificate is not far behind.

Come to think of it each person has over a dozen chits of paper that are needed to certify their existence. Like if you were to ask for a bank loan the authorities will happily reject your application if your birth certificate is missing. Doesn't matter if you are standing in front of them in flesh and blood, without the certificate you do not exist!

After grappling around for all these chits of paper when life finally comes to its logical conclusion the relatives of the person have to toil for that last set of chits. Firstly, a death certificate, then a post-mortem clearance, then a hospital bill and finally the Municipal permit to complete the final rites. And thus the journey from one chit of paper to the last stamped chit of paper comes to an end.