As told by Ayushi to Zen Citizen

Hi, I’m Ayushi. I’m a freelancer with an events company, where I support artists in building their brands. My work involves managing operations and building new partnerships. I found Zen Citizen through a Reddit post on r/bangalore seeking volunteers. I want to be part of an impact-driven initiative, and contributing to the process from the ground up excites me. I’m also excited about collaborating with like-minded people. 

Zen Citizen set up a call with me to give an overview of the initiative and our journey so far. Since I expressed interest in creating content, she asked if I was open to fieldwork – not just secondary research. They explained that fieldwork involves heading to government offices, battling traffic, waiting for hours, and dealing with uncooperative staff and language barriers since I do not know how to speak Kannada. I was up for the challenge.

My first assignment was to visit a local BESCOM office to follow up on some unanswered questions for a guide on transferring a BESCOM connection that was recently published. ZC said I could either approach the clerks in the local office or try to track down a higher official who might help. I decided to start with the local office.

Visit to BESCOM

I arrived around 2 PM on a weekday at the BESCOM office in BTM. The place was nearly empty, as the staff were on their lunch break. The watchman suggested I take a picture of the bulletin board with the contact information of officers who could help. However, I was determined to meet someone in person, so I waited. Around 2:45 PM, one staff member returned. There was a language barrier – I don’t speak Kannada, and he couldn’t or wouldn’t communicate in Hindi or English. Luckily, a fellow citizen at the office helped translate.

The clerk’s first question was about where I lived, and I mentioned Bannerghatta; he said I was at the wrong location and asked me to go to the BESCOM office in Banaswadi. However, I persisted and explained that while I would apply in Bannerghatta, I would be grateful if he could answer my questions. I also mentioned I was new to the city hoping he would be more helpful. Specifically, I asked him what documents are required to transfer the electricity bill into my name as a renter.

In addition to the information already included in the guide, he pointed out that I would need a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the property owner, signed on stamp paper. Our secondary research suggested that a copy of the rental agreement or rent receipt (likely notarized) would be sufficient. Thinking about it, the requirement for an NOC makes sense; it ensures consent from the property owner. I understood why fieldwork is so crucial to Zen Citizen; had we relied solely on secondary research, renters might have had to make an extra trip to submit the NOC.

As I kept pressing for answers, the staff member bluntly told me that handling the process myself would mean making multiple visits. He even shared the contact details of an agent who could get it done for ₹3,000. When I kept pushing for more information, he looked at me irritatedly. Frustrated, I left the office.

Lessons from the fieldwork

It’s better to visit the office in the morning, before lunch. If asked where you live, it’s best to say you’re within the office’s jurisdiction and avoid mentioning that you’re new to the city. Also, if you have someone with you who knows Kannada, it’ll save you a lot of headaches.

I’m now working on building Zen Citizen’s presence on Instagram. I’ll be collaborating with Bangalore-based local pages to post about Zen Citizen, which is also in line with my professional expertise!

Key Takeaway

Fieldwork really is the backbone of Zen Citizen – without it, we’d miss out on so much vital info, like the NOC requirement, which would have left renters running around unnecessarily.