Why dont we feel passionate about our work?

Yeah I know its a controversial question. After all it got you interested, didnt it? But honestly for the past couple of days this thought has been coming to my mind continously - we as Indians are we really passionate about the work we do? Let me narate a few incidents which have triggered this thinking.
I have a new apartment. The electric meter had to be transferred to my name. I and some other fellow residents got together and hired an agent to do the running around of the BESCOM office and get this work done. We all pooled in Rs.750 each and paid to this fellow. We gave all the required documents and thought with the money we have paid we would get the meter transferred without us running around. Sadly money cant buy everything - it cant buy the person doing his job well. After numerous running around, the very thing which I wanted to avoid, I got my meter transferred. The latest electricity bill was received this month and lo behold the name on it was Chandra Reddy and not yours sincerely. So I again run around to find this person and talk to him to be told that his job was to get the transfer done but if the transfer was not recorded in the BESCOM system its not his problem. Finally I went to the office and spent 3 hours to get Chandra Reddy erased and my name entered in the system.
The other day I went to get a photocopy done of a document. The person refused to make a copy since I had Rs. 10 with me and he wanted precise Re. 1. I returned with the required change and again requested for the service to be delivered since I was ready to pay. The machine operator was kind of enough to oblige me. I had 2 documents stapled together. He made the copy of the first one and without removing the staple started to make the copy of the second one. Now this was obviously not working out. I asked him to separate the documents and try. According to him it was a waste of time but he was coming out with bad copies one after another. I got exasperated, removed the staple and handed him the documents. This hurt his ego which he satisfied by charging me another Re.1 for the wasted staple for which he asked me to get another coin as change.
I got a new passport and since the police verification was not done I decided to go myself to the Police station. Early morning I was at the local station and mentioned that I was there for the verification so that they dont have to worry about it. I was told to wait since the policemen were having breakfast in the room where the relevant file was kept. So I waited and waited and waited. After 30 mins. I decided to check again and got to know that the concerned official had gone for his morning coffee. Can you believe it? I was asked to wait again which ofcourse I didnt.
People, I am not complaining. The point is that we always view our politicians as incompetent, our officials as incompetent, the system as incompetent but didnt somebody mention that a person gets what a person deserves. Somewhere I get the feeling that the "chalta hai" atttitude which we have as a country pervades in everything we do or dont do. Maybe our general lives have been so difficult and jobs are at such a premium we just look at work as the means to get roti, daal and not as something which we can be passionate about. There is this minority who believe work is worship and believe me they are a frustrated lot.

Xchange Anybody?

The other day I saw this interesting ad in the paper "Anything for Anything" offer from one of the leading kitchen appliances' manufacturer. I jumped at seeing it. Now I didnt jump because I saw anything red in the ad but because I found the opportunity to get rid of the junk I called utensils. So immediately I got my big bag out and put the "pressure cooker" which I got handed down to me from three other flatmates centuries ago, a "kadai" benefit another friend who didnt want to see his newly wed wife see what he cooked in, couple of "chai pots" which looked worse than the ones vendors have and a "tava" which was from before when java was discovered and trooped to the shop. Three hours later I came a proud owner of a brand new iodized cooker, non stick "kadai", non stick "tava", non stick oven compliant "chai pot" and a host of wooden ladels and spoons. Wow! didnt even notice the 3000 bucks it had burnt into my credit card - I had overcome the urge to store something.
Well, its not remarkable that I got new utensils but the point I am trying to make is that barter system is back big time these days. It is one of the mechanisms the marketeers have come up with to keep the engine of our economy running.
The fact is that I have this issue with me - I just cant let go. I still have the miniature cars which I collected when I was a kid, still have my old cricket bat, still have all my old books, still have a host of things which I dont even remember about in a host of old boxes. Is there anybody out there who can relate to it? If yes you know exactly what I am talking about.
Thus the exchange schemes have come as a boon for me. I strongly believe some intelligent folks in the Whartons, Harvards, IIMs of the world did a study and realized that if they can get all hoarders like me to get rid of their hoarded junk they can make money and presto exchange schemes were born. Now I want to find out which was the first exchange scheme of the modern times. In the meantime the local gadget store has offered me another offer - give me your 29" CRT TV and take a brand new LCD HD crystal panel - hmmmmm...interesting!