A few days ago, I wrote a letter to the Prime Minister of India.
It was not a complaint. It was not political. It was not emotional.
I simply asked for guidance.
I asked three things. What direction should I work towards in the future? What kind of people should I connect with? What kind of daily discipline or routine should I follow?
I wrote the entire letter in Gujarati. It felt natural, considering the Prime Minister is from Gujarat and understands the language well.
Today at noon, I received a call.
The caller introduced herself as someone speaking from the Prime Minister’s Office on behalf of CPGRAMS. She asked whether my complaint had been resolved.
For a moment, I was confused.
Complaint?
Then she mentioned that I was from Kashmir.
That is when I realized something had clearly gone wrong in the process. I had written that I am from Karnavati, the older name for Ahmedabad. Somewhere along the way, the context shifted, and my letter asking for guidance was categorized as a grievance.
I calmly clarified that it was not a complaint and that I am from Ahmedabad. The conversation remained professional and respectful.
After the call ended, I found the situation more interesting than frustrating.
It showed me how large systems function. Every letter likely goes through categorization processes. If it does not fit a predefined box, it gets placed in the closest available one. In my case, guidance became complaint.
Next time, I will clearly mention that the letter is a request for guidance and not a grievance under CPGRAMS.
The entire experience was unexpected, slightly ironic, and educational.
Sometimes the system does not misunderstand you because it is careless. It misunderstands you because it is structured.