A Morning at the GST Office: A Lesson in Changing My Own Mindset

Some weeks ago, I walked into the GST office in Pune — hesitant, cautious, and admittedly a bit anxious. Like many of us, I carried the usual apprehensions that often accompany a visit to a government office.
The issue seemed simple on the surface. My Chartered Accountant had been trying, for over a week, to reset our company’s GST login password. Despite several attempts, no OTPs came through — neither to our registered email nor to our phone. After multiple failed tries, the only way forward was to meet the concerned officer in person.
Before heading there, I was advised — as people often are — to “carry some cash, just in case.” The implication was clear: things move faster when palms are greased. I was uncomfortable, but the filing deadline was looming — October 22nd, right in the middle of the Diwali break — so I braced myself for the worst and decided to go.

When I entered the GST Bhavan, the first thing that struck me was how clean and orderly the premises looked — a small but significant shift from my past experiences. At the helpdesk, a polite lady guided me to meet Ms. Smita Dongre, the officer under whose jurisdiction my case fell.
I climbed to the third floor and found her office. Another gentleman was finishing up his discussion, and I waited — perhaps half a minute — still wary that it was 1:15 p.m., close to lunchtime.
To my surprise, Smitaji smiled, welcomed me in, and asked me to sit. There was no irritation, no hurry — just quiet attentiveness. I explained the problem and showed her the printed application and GST certificate. She asked for a scanned copy. When I hesitantly offered to scan it on my phone, she nodded, “That’s fine.” Within minutes, she received the documents, updated the system, and requested an alternate email and mobile number to complete the process. I quickly added them to the form, scanned, and sent it back.
Even before she finished saying, “You’ll get an email shortly,” my phone pinged. The reset email had arrived. I laughed — partly in relief, partly in disbelief — and confessed how nervous I’d been before coming. She smiled again, wished me a Happy Diwali, and went back to her work.

As I walked out, a quiet realization dawned on me. The system hadn’t just changed — I had to change the way I looked at it.

For years, we’ve carried stories about inefficiency, corruption, and indifference in government offices. Many of them are real, yes. But what we rarely acknowledge are the quiet professionals who show up every day — people like Smita Dongre — who do their jobs with dignity, courtesy, and competence.

She didn’t just reset a password; she reset a stereotype.

That short, courteous encounter reminded me that transformation in governance isn’t only about technology or policy — it’s about people. And sometimes, it begins with one person choosing to serve with humanity.

I left the office that day with gratitude — and a little humility.

• Systems evolve. Sometimes faster than our perceptions. We owe it to progress to update our mindset as much as we expect systems to update theirs.
• Service is leadership. The best leaders — in government, business, or anywhere — are those who serve with quiet integrity, not noise.
• Respect is reciprocal. When we walk in expecting the worst, we close the door to the best in others.

That morning wasn’t just a bureaucratic errand — it became a reminder that change happens one interaction at a time.

To Ms. Smita Dongre, and to every government officer who chooses efficiency over excuses, service over cynicism — thank you. You are changing the narrative.

And to the rest of us — perhaps it’s time we, too, reset our own internal passwords: from suspicion to trust, from complaint to appreciation.

Because when we change the way we see, the system itself starts to look different.