#Demonetization is the most trending topic these days all over India and since 09/11 the heat has been sweeping the country. Inarguably this is one of the most significant development the country has seen post Independence, probably after the 2 major Indo Pak Wars and the period of Emergency. Now before I dwell further onto the topic, I would like to make a few declarations to shun the prejudist tag.
1) I am not a Modi Bhakt or an ardent fan of the PM, neither a supporter of BJP
2) My support is case specific and I will not hesitate to criticise or laud a party or a leader if his/her decision is apt and makes sense.
3) I belong to the middle class, importantly an income tax payer though not very happily and one who feels that we are being taxed for more what we deserve while the big fishes are set free in the open.
4) My opinions are formed using my own logics rather than going with the majority.
While this supreme decision was being made, I was enjoying the ISL match live at the stadium along with a crowd close to 50,000. There was a shift in focus from the match and it was all praises for the move everyone lauding the decision and sharing it on social media. After the initial round of applause, it made way to thoughts of the imminent repercussions. That night around 10 Pm while driving back home I could see people running frantically towards ATM counters , and the channel guys running around to get their catch. I was least bothered then changing my old currency notes of 1000 & 500 and reassured myself looking at my wallet which had a few 100 notes and change.
I was going gaga over this move and was feeling proud as a citizen of this country for such a revolutionary move. I was relaxed too owing to two reasons
1) I haven’t visited bank more than 5-6 times over the last 10 years or so, that too for some home loan purpose. Ironically I have never visited my parent bank at Trivandrum ever in my life. ATMs/Net banking/Credit Debit Cards/Mobile banking has been my companions so far and I made sure that I stay fully updated with the changing trends and never felt a hitch.
2) My wife working with a bank which I thought would do away with the hassles of changing money and deposit though I was proved wrong here.
For the first couple of days, the PM was the hero all around, the whole country sounded positive and the opposition parties were all taken by surprise didn’t have words to oppose except for the ever sensible and smart Financial Minister of kerala who made some remarks which doesn’t seem to have made any sense even to himself.
The cash crunch has started in the next few days and there was total chaos….which had inflicted new life to the other political parties who gradually started raising voice of dissent and protest …the days progressed situation got worse…more voices this time , louder and stronger. Polarisation followed (religious angle too) and finally we have reached a situation where it is all politics. The party in power Vs all the rest and this is getting worse day by day.
For the past few weeks I am tired seeing the digital war on social, print and visual media , allegations, counter arguments, photoshop at its best , fake messages, hoax and what not….but I must admit that I enjoyed most of the #trolls especially by my fella keralites whose sense of humor and creativity is par excellence.
My family has somehow managed the situation pretty well though there were inconveniences and despite being non supporters of the ruling party we have seen it in the larger picture of National interest and hence able to cope up with it.
There were a few situations where we got stranded but since we have seen even worst situations it wasn’t beyond our tolerance levels.
I would also like to recall a funny incident when I had some 100 Rs in my wallet as change and had to buy some eggs for home that night. The tempting smell of hot street food shop made me spent three quarters of it unknowingly and I was feeling relaxed seeing the nearby ATM counter ( realised it was empty only at a later stage). A momentary lapse left me with some 20 odd rupees and eggs were a distant dream by then. Finally I went to my car, searched thoroughly and pulled out handful of coins worth 14 Ruppes and bought some 6 eggs though short by 2 rupees but the Bengali guy selling the egg accepted it with smile which said never mind. He was aptly compensated with a bigger purchase the very next day.
Ok coming back to the topic, I would like to pen down a few of my observations which may sound stupid to many but seriously I don’t care and as I said these are MY views and I stand by it.
• To me this was a decision taken with good intentions and undoubtedly towards the betterment of the nation’s economy …and no one can ever question that. Please accept that before we proceed to the next else you may leave right here.
• While I say it was a decision with good intention, I don’t appreciate the way the crisis management was planned and executed. After a few days the machinery was somewhat clueless of the damage control and things started going haywire. There was inconvenience to people especially the poor who knew only one card viz the Ration card , ATM/ Debit/Credit cards please excuse.
• The country need to slowly come out of the Cash centric economy and get onto the online /plastic money track. Let us spare the lower end and I am not referring to them for their basic needs are to be addressed first. But there is a vast population who just don’t want to use the bank /online transaction but has all the time and energy in the world to forward all sorts of messages on whatsapp and even play candy crush saga.
• There is a lot of black unaccounted money in the society amassed by evading taxes and through multiple sources some clean and some not so clean which needs to be digged out and this would certainly help in achieving this to a good extent and also will create a fear in the mind of the ones keeping stock of it.
• Counterfeit currencies are a threat to the nation and there is a parallel economy running and the GDP growth we boast about doesn’t have any value when so much of fake currency is in circulation and this move would help the cause for sure.
• Inconvenience caused to the poor is a concern. The people selling stuff on the streets, finding hard to make a living will all get affected in a bad way. But one should realise that this is not the only problem they are facing and till now how many political parties have shown interest in their upliftment and the sudden sympathy towards them is a political stunt.
• Anyone who supports the move is invariably termed as a #Sanghi or a #ModiBhakti without a second thought and anyone who opposes this is termed as #Antinational and both are totally wrong. There should be freedom of expression and there should be constructive debates and criticism.
• Being from the tourism fraternity I must admit that the foreign tourists on tour have suffered badly and I feel sorry for them too. They have suffered worse with missed flights, terror attacks, landslides, Tsunami and political turmoil and this is a one off case.
The situation will continue for a few more days and as always happened in the past we will come to terms with this and the country has to move forward.
It is indeed sad to see that a decision meant to strengthen the country’s economy is criticized for the wrong reasons. The execution had its own failures but as responsible citizens we should bear the heat for a while, weather it and move together to come out of it instead of creating a havoc and making the situation worse by adding more fuel into burning fire and, if you don’t think on those lines, I am sorry you too are nothing less but an anti-national in your own little way. Criticize, Suggest and ask for clarifications but stay within the track and help the country progress and not try to derail it.
The crocodile tears of politicians including the ruling party has been seen by us many a times and let us not make it a yardstick for measuring their integrity and commitment towards the nation. The very same people have disrupted our daily lives on many occasions mercilessly and have made us hostages for their power show off.
Come to Kerala and experience the #Harthal ( almost a monthly routine) and then we will understand how they make life treacherous for the common man and the prime motto seems to be how to restrict people from doing things "what they need to do on that particular day". And what is the implication to the state exchequer? The same people talk big about loss of states money and suffering to poor. Hypocrisy at it’s best !!
Frankly , how many of my dear friends making such hue and cry over the cash crisis has been affected seriously by this ( I am not referring to the politically charged lot..you better stay out of this). Did any of you had to stay hungry, cancel your travel, missed a family function, didn’t get your treatment at hospital, missed watching your favourite movie, said no to your daily evening drink?? We are a special creed who are tuned to survive the worst of situations. And if the feeling towards a suffering fellow citizen is your concern , I would like to see it always, and not just during time of #demonetization.
On the threshold of one more Nation wide strike on the 28th of NOV #BharatBandh #Harthal or #Strike whatever name you call it, the nation will be losing thousands of crores on a single day, more people would be stranded on the streets , more starving tummies, deaths, wounded, damage to public and private properties.
Will this do any better for the crisis than making it more worse.
Time for a self introspection guys..should we be the puppets in the hands of a handful of people who are worried about their political mileage and survival at the cost of National interest?
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