Journey of a teacher-engineer

I came back to India in 1981 and joined IIT Madras as a faculty member. I wanted a telephone for my home. I had to wait for eight years in a waiting-list to get the telephone. I went to purchase a two-wheeler, a Bajaj Chetak Scooter, and paid for it; only to be told that I have been put in a queue and may have to wait for three to four years. I went to book an LPG gas cylinder for cooking; by then, I was prepared for a waiting list. When I asked the clerk at the booking counter to register for the wait-list, the old man told me, while entering my name and address, that I was unlikely to get it in my life-time, but I should still put the name as my children would benefit.