Deccan Chronicle; Govind Patil; Sunday, Aug 7, 2011.
I was officially dead. Since 1993, documents in the land records department have claimed that I was dead and my land was transferred to a person who claimed to be my sole surviving relative. But not only was I alive, I also had a wife and four children, to support. Strangely, nobody seemed to want to believe that I was alive, and that some miscreants had usurped my land by officially declaring me dead. Had it not been for the R.T.I. Act, it would have been impossible for me to do anything at all. As long as I can remember, my life has always been one of struggle. I was born in Vavdungi village in Raigad district, and I lost my mother when I was just 10 years old. My older brother and I almost became orphans as our father was deeply affected by her death. With her gone, and our father withdrawing from his familial duties, I was forced to leave our farm and take up a job in Mumbai to support my family. I got a job as a domestic servant. Days weren’t a problem, as I spent them working, but the nights were difficult. Memories of my mother tucking me into bed haunted me for a long time. I missed my life in the village, the joy of running wildly, collecting berries, taking a dip in the river, running around on our farm. With time, my mother’s image faded. I would send everything I earned to my uncle back in the village; initially he took care of household matters. I got married on March 16, 1965 and finally, that year, I got a proper job. After working for over a decade as a domestic servant, I joined Castle Mill in Thane as a packer. I took a flat on rent in Thane and brought my wife. It was only after we started raising children that I began to take an interest in property matters, as I realised that we needed something to fall back on a rainy day. In 1977, Castle Mill closed and I was fortunate to find a job at JK Files (Raymond). By now, after my years in the city, people back home considered me an outsider. It was in 1993, when I was attending a wedding ceremony in the village, that I was accosted by a villager who told me that he had bought a piece of land, which belonged to me, from another person. I was stunned, as I had not sold any property. I began to investigate. Then, I found out that I had been declared dead, and the land was transferred on that ground. But I had no proof. On weekends, I would head for my village to meet government officials, but all in vain. Over 20 years passed like this, where I kept trying to convince people that I wasn’t dead. Finally, I was directed to Nainesh Dolas, an R.T.I. proponent in Thane. He guided me, helped me file an R.T.I. application and slowly, we built our case. I collected documents to prove I was alive, and armed with these documents, I applied for the records to be rectified. To my utter surprise, my right to my land was restored. This took a matter of four months, and I had had the most harrowing time of my life for 20 years. Had it not been for the R.T.I. Act, I would still have been dead in official records. Maybe there is justice after all. I guess we just have to be patient. — As told to N. Ganesh
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