A masterclass in the art of petition-writing Premium

Chitra helps illiterate individuals fill out government forms for a fee, navigating the bureaucratic process efficiently and effectively.

“Sir, ungaluku manu ezhudhanuma?” (Sir, do you want to write out a petition?) is a call that you hear frequently while passing a government office. Usually, about 10 writers would wait in front of government offices to help a person fill up applications or write out a petition. They would charge ₹100-₹150.

It takes M. Chitra less than five minutes to fill up a four-page application for a client. “Most people who come to us are illiterate. They do not know whom to approach. Officers can be unfriendly when they try to navigate the process,” she says.

She asks his client his age, but calculates it from his Aadhaar card as it varies and fills up the other details. She hands the customer his application before stapling his passport-size photo on it and asks him to bring a photocopy of his documents, from income certificate to bank passbook.

She also asks him to have some cash in his bank account as only then will the process run smoothly. Otherwise, he’ll have to keep visiting the office. She then sets up his profile on the online system from his phone. “You’ll get a letter of consent and then, maybe, a house,” she informs him.

Chitra has been doing this for the past two-and-a-half years. “I was a salesperson. But they don’t recruit you after a certain age. I had two options: either go in for housework or this one. I don’t know how to do the housework,” she says.

Armed with a bunch of pens, a writing pad, staplers, and a phone, she sets up her workplace outside the office on the pavement. She arrives from Thiruvanmiyur at 11 a.m. and leaves at 5 p.m. when the office closes. “The server has been down all day. All these people will have to return on Monday to fill up the details online and submit their forms. The helpline is also of no use.”

At the end of 2021, Chitra began her work near the Secretariat. “There were 20 of us. Slowly, as more departments required petitions and applications, we split. Some of us came here. It is very competitive. We run on word of mouth and our ability to get a client,” she says, buying a cup of tea. “We all have our respective tea suppliers, we don’t encroach on the territory of others.”