Times of India's blooper !!

The day was a Wednesday and I entered the Times of India office at Nandanam to collect the entry pass for the A R Rahman show with the leaflet which they had attached in their paper. There were quite a few waiting, obv with the Legend performing his first show in many yrs who wudnt want to be der. I waited with the rest of the crowd, leaflet in hand, till on the dot at 10 the lady-in-charge came out and started giving out the tickets with the announcement “Only one ticket per person”. It went smoothly till one person had 2 leaflets and that’s wen the drama started. She refused to give him the ticket and added, “Anyone who can come for the show can as well come and collect the tickets”. A lil harsh for someone who survives on the goodwill of its reader, she cud, wrong word, shud have been more polite. And isn’t that enough to flare up a person who’s already on the edge. He went on saying how he dint need to buy this paper, that he wasn’t cheap enough to have taken it from some paper lying on the streets, that after coming so far to get the tickets they shudnt treat him like dust. He had a point. If 5000 people buy the paper how can they expect the entire lot to come and collect the tickets. As if they want to have a one-on-one relationship with their clients…!! Anyhow, no matter wat one says, I expected a lil more from a newspaper which wanted to open base in Tamil Nadu for a long time but jus now got the opening. I walk out of the office and a guy stands there asking me weder I can collect the ticket for him since he has another leaflet. On the street I see another asking a passer-by if he can collect the ticket for him. One thing that shud be understood is everyone is taking off time from their busy lives and making it here to get the tickets. They wont be able to come again jus for that one extra ticket. It seemed all so sad. Wen u start in a new city ur supposd to understand the sentiments of the masses first. Especially when ur business thrives on their contribution. I’m not making predictions. I no the TOI is here to stay. Anyhow no one will even think abt this event later. But I thot i'll pen down that small incident wich made me smile in pity on the morning of 16th April.