Mismatch
Arjun only went to the Aadhaar centre to change his phone number. Ten minutes, he thought. Fifteen at most.
He put his thumb on the scanner. The machine beeped twice, an angry beep.
The operator frowned at her screen. "Sir, these fingerprints are already registered."
"Of course they are," Arjun said. "To me."
"No, sir. To a new enrolment." She turned the screen so he could see. "Arjun Singh. Same name, same date of birth, same address. Registered here, at this centre, fourteen days ago."
Arjun leaned in.
The photo on the screen was him. His face, his hair, the small scar on his chin. He was wearing his blue checked shirt, the one he couldn't find for the last two weeks.
But the man in the photo was smiling. A wide, careful smile, with too many teeth showing.
Arjun had never smiled like that in his life.
"I never came here fourteen days ago," he said. He tried to laugh. It had to be a computer mistake. The operator didn't laugh with him.
The operator shrugged. "The system says you did. Two records with the same fingerprints is not allowed, sir. One of them will be cancelled automatically." She checked something. "The older one. Yours. In fifteen days. You'll have to sort it out with the head office."