What does Modi’s resounding victory mean to India?

Modi’s landslide victory in the general election means the unflinching belief of 1.3 billion people, on a 68-year-old man who has no personal ambitions but a common goal to take the country in a better path of prosperity. The other tags that people tend to associate him with, such as Hindutva, communalism, divisive, etc. is a clear sign of political conflicts with him or their vested interests not being met. The victory is also a sign that there is hardly any misconduct, corruption, favor or similar tags against Modi. Those who tried hard to prove their facts failed miserably and were thoroughly exposed. Such a victory is also a sign that a person, who truly puts the nation first on his agenda, would not have to testify these allegations again and again.

Now let’s reflect on some of the developments across the country that involves individuals, parties and their thought processes-

1. People are coming of age from the Caste based politics that were once a success mantra and a greater narrative of some so-called leaders who were pulling people into the cattle class. Now, the voters seem to have rejected such adventurism and there is a huge depletion of some non-performers like RJD, SP, BSP, NCP, etc. One could argue Mahagatbandhan in UP improved their numbers, compared to last time but the statement may be perceived on a larger context.
2. It has been proved by the mass that the dictum of rising intolerance is rather a hoax or rather a word coined by the Modi haters- who wanted to garner short time media attention and stay in focus. Such dictum has been overruled and people like Prakash Raj have “conceded the slap on their face.”
3. I would like to be neutral in my assessment and must admit that there exist still a lot of corrupt people within BJP, such as Yeduyurappa who still play their part of caste-based politics at a different level. I sincerely hope that such people will be shown the door in the coming days, in an effort to make a better India.
4. Some section of India still fails to find an alternative, where only corrupt people exist in the electoral system, independent of their political affiliation, such as Tamil Nadu. Some people like Kamal Hassan make statements only in air and are strongly dismissed by the voters.
5. People like Deve Gowda family has been convincingly uprooted by voters with a clear message that “you can’t fool around us, forever”. 
6. In Odisha, somewhere it is difficult to comprehend why people like Baijayant Jay Panda, despite being a leader of mass, failed to make a cut, while switching side to BJP. Sometimes the voter response is hard to decode, but the democracy has to be respected.
7. The fact that Gambhir with no direct experience in politics could still make it from Delhi makes us believe that there was a lack of formidable opposition.
8. Smriti Irani finally proved that the words could still have an impact along with some Vikas work, compared to just hanging on to the constituency and making the money talk for Rahul Gandhi. There is no charm left with Rahul that pulls the audience and makes them believe him. People go to listen to him for a sheer pleasure so that they can mock him later on.
9. Rahul is never a born leader, Congress should carefully pass the baton to someone else than writing its own epitaph, steadily. 
10. Jumping into the fray at a wrong time and without a definite agenda proved fatal for Priyanka Gandhi as she lost the momentum completely and failed to be banked upon as a future leader too. Every cloud has a silver lining, so the hope doesn’t die as long as BJP doesn’t do things that are not forgivable by the voters.
11. Congress’ plan not to induct new, fresh, dynamic faces and not retiring the old guard, despite them proving too expensive for the party, is bad for the health of the party. Clear markers are – Digvijay Singh, Sheila Dixit, Natabar Singh, etc. The same applies to Congress’ strategy of embracing all the discarded people from BJP, like Shatrughan Sinha, Siddhu and few others, who obviously have been discarded for non-performance. There is clearly no ideology basis there!
12. Vijender Singh- being such an emphatic role model for the youth, lost a cause by choosing a wrong party. Everyone knows Congress has no value nor ideology. Rather than boarding the sinking ship, he could easily be part of BJP for a progressive cause.
13. The secularism card has failed to woo the voters any more. 2019 election was an eye opener in the sense that there was a good amount of educated mass that voted, who understand the good and bad of those, they were voting for!
14. It is better the political parties stop crying foul over the EVMs, which is a hardwired calculator without any internet connectivity, hence doesn’t offer to be cracked! It just shows the literal ignorance than accepting their own fate!
15. Mamata Banerjee tried all possible means to stay on top of “alternative PM race” by being vocal against Modi literally as well as by her own acts. She herself acted as a Hitler and really tested the patience of BJP by inciting the violence through her party workers. The voters would now sincerely hope that she meets the fate of CPI(M) in coming decades and as a precursor to that BJP already eroded significant space of her in West Bengal.
16. BJP retained the heartland, marched into northeast and East and west. It can be said that the party is at its helm and should maintain the good work as victories normally come with the arrogance that should be under check under the Modi rule.
17. BJP got the youngest MP in the parliament in the form of Tejasvi Surya from Bangalore, who leveraged the digital platform to his benefit. Being an ABVP active member, he proved dynasty does not have to play a role, nor the plethora of experience to win a prestigious seat like South Bangalore. All it needs is sheer dedication and the real intention to connect with people.

A clear majority in the lower house means that Modi won’t have to worry about the opposition, on his agenda for India, for the next five years. He will hopefully strengthen India’s position in South-East Asia and the world. This will also give the opposition, room to contemplate and behave themselves than posing weaker and weaker over every election.

BJP has now got the formula that the nation wants at the moment, namely– collective development, empowerment of women and poor, rising above caste-based politics, technology superiority in space programs, making India shine again- bringing a respectable stature in the global map, leapfrogging in solar and renewable targets, emission control and a clean India. The opposition seems to have missed this message, whereas the voters got those messages, by becoming beneficiaries, in different segments.

Finally, Modi’s achievements are not handful for a five-year timeframe. This article is not about highlighting them. But the point to make here is that Modi is a risk taker, may it be about displeasing 60000 pundits’ votes in his own constituency Varanasi to move them from the heart of the city for a cleaner Kashi [see the link] or about a surgical strike, where the stake of the success could cost him the top post and the credibility. Therefore he deserved another term and got it awarded.

The whole world needs a healthy and shining Modi for a healthy and prosperous India.

Jai Hind!

Fashion for peace campaign- an essential step for sustainability

It is always fascinating to watch Sadhguru, as he has a lot of wisdom to distribute and has been assigned in a lot of socio-scientific project by Indian government. The latest statement he has been making in New York is to battle for the natural fiber based clothing, which has been derided by synthetic, micro fiber based fashion industry.

 Why such a movement has to start from US is because an average American throws 25 kgs of clothes (please note they are thrown, not recycled, which means its shelf life is finished), compared to 1.6 kgs for an average Indian (we Indians have the traditions of using a shirt as a car or room cleaning wipe after its expected life :).
 The amount of synthetic fiber has many adverse impact that not only affects the skin that embraces it, but also contaminates the ground and ocean water due to the carcinogenic material it produces, every time it is cleaned through washing machine or any other means! The impact on mind, disability, neurological parts of the body is being studied and extensively reported in literature, especially for kids.

Historically India has been making fashion statements, when rest of the world was still defining civilisation, that is echoed 6000 years ago, in the Mahabharata by the way the clothings were used. In modern history, India exported 85% of textile to the world, 300 years ago. Between 1800-1860, the process was systematically killed by the British that ceased an entire two generation of weavers, who had to switch profession to farming for survival. In the process 1.7 million weavers died due to 98% drop in revenue and 6300% drop in business for the once flourished profession! The farming on the other hand is always defined only for perishable items (read food), whereas growing cotton instead has a more longevity, provided there is a market and incentive to do so. That is precisely Sadhguru is trying to encompass under government initiative to bring back a more respectful job of weaver, which is a dying profession in India. He is a carrying a delegation of 136 distinct weave to US, who have specialities, quite uniquely positioned. This can be revived if the big fashion industries pick up raw material from these micro players.

Good news is that in India, Wills Lifestyle (part of ITC Ltd.) has announced to switch to 100% natural fiber and Raymods is also moving in similar direction. Various state governments are making it a point that the school uniform in government schools be made fiber cotton based! India has 130 million school going children!   Fashion industry produces 10% green house gas emissions, which is more than the emissions produced by the flights and marine industries, put together! By forming a farmer producers organisation, India is moving in the right direction to create awareness and hopefully some sustainable job prospects for the farmers. 


Watch this candid interaction of Sadhguru with Imran Amed, the chief editor of The Business Fashion.
You Tube link

Comments solicited.

The Himalayan Experience

Experiencing the "MODI" in Sweden- a proud moment

Narendra Modi, the man with a mission, made a humble rise from a chaiwala (as he is gracefully acknowledged as) to become the prime minister of India, the largest democracy on earth, representing 1.25 billion people. India has witnessed several prime ministers before him but to be the true people’s leader is a feat which has hardly been achieved by anyone in the past. There has hardly been any leader whose lone intention was to make India a better country to live in, with better future to aspire for and if you stay abroad, you could say yourself as an Indian with dignity!

Well, this special status became a need, thanks to series of bad governance in the past by various democratic leaders, still under the roof a one-family business trying to rule the country. The equation changed in 2014 and Indians got lucky enough to find someone who would go on to serve the country than ruling it! Modi is the first statesman in Sweden after Barack Obama to address a Nordic summit and visited as Indian premier 30 years after his predecessor did so. The bi-lateral relation means a lot to a small country like Sweden (compared to the size of geography and population of India), but extremely rich in technological heritage. Sweden has a huge participation in India with 170 odd global companies headquartered in Sweden that are operating in India, as well as promoting technological cooperation and employment in India (Swedish export stands in excess of one billion USD). So, being able to host the summit in Stockholm, the Swedish prime minister Stefan Löfven also managed an additional score over his Nordic counterparts.

Coming back to the topic of this blog, I was privileged enough to meet Modi (not on one-on-one basis though), while he addressed the Indian diaspora of 1500 people of Indian origin in Stockholm university on 17^th April 2018. It was indeed a historic moment with Indians visiting from north to South of Sweden to meet Modi. A splendid spring afternoon with 15 degrees welcomed Modi for his day-long visit with a packed schedule to promote multi-lateral business propositions as well as strategic discussions, alongside meeting the royal family. The diaspora was the last thing in the evening before Modi was scheduled to depart for London. The audience had a graceful waiting in a 95% filled auditorium that was packed with nothing but patriotic sentiments. This is perhaps the effect of relentless hard work that Modi and his team have been putting forth that just does not go unnoticed by any Indian that stays connected with the developments. The audience was seen to be genuinely convinced by the Modi wave and aura, appreciating the change he is able to bring about India, on the global map.

Modi’s address largely centered around those facts and figures that his government is keen on pursuing the betterment of people, on as many fronts as possible. He spoke at length about both inward and outward relation and strategy of the country that is helping India’s prospects of being considered as a trusted partner from a tiny country to the mighty ones across the globe. His mandate in 2014 was “the biggest strength” that he has been able to ride upon, applying ordinance on critical decisions for the country, if such was called for! He boasted of Indian space program which has reached technological prowess alongside economic advantage, to be approached by many countries, who are not running their own space program. Its satellite programs are helping education as well as ecosystem even for the neighboring countries.

In terms of governance, he reiterated that the BJP Government has redefined the scenario such that “reaching out to the government is no more a privilege, but (is) becoming (more of) a practice,” he said. India has reduced bureaucracy to jump 42 positions to reach within the list of top 100 countries for doing business in. According to him, we are witnessing a transformed India with largest ever initiatives such as the health and wellness program called “Ayushman Bharat” that benefits intended target group of 40% people who live on poverty lines, assuring a health cover of INR 5 lakhs (500k). His pledge for clean technology by organizing international solar alliance summit where 60 countries participated is a sign of thought leadership that is expected of India by the world.

Modi appealed fellow Indians not just to stay emotionally connected but use the respective richness to invest in India physically, economically and intellectually. Following his visit, Sweden has already allocated 50M SEK (equivalent to 6MUSD) to Swedish research agency Vinnova for smart city program, through an innovation partnership agreement. I am sure, more engagements are to follow, especially under the Make in India effort.

In his 25 odd minutes speech, Modi filled the auditorium with an atmosphere of integrity, sincerity, love, and compassion for the country that just remains exemplary. Modi is one of its kind, a leader that the modern history has probably witnessed in recent times. He remains selfless and I believe that he would not do a personal favor to anyone, as he has no materialistic attachment compelling him to do so. So, all his favors to countries or individuals are in national interest. Let’s do a favor in supporting the causes he has been driving for, wishing him all the health and prosperity of life, not just for the wellness of India, Indians but for the whole world.

Long live MODI that stands for MODest Indian.

The Code of living

Barely, the sudden loss of million’s heartthrob Sridevi had fizzled out from the minds of people that the whole world is gripped again with despair, anguish, and intellectual vacuum with the passing away of the iconic Stephen Hawking. Luminaries in their field of endeavor, they had touched the lives and souls of many…in subtle and extraordinary way….and now, the whole world has come together to remember and commemorate their lives. That’s “life” that comes live after death!

Thanks to the proliferation of social media that gives a chance to everyone to express their feelings, to pour their hearts out before millions! Leave aside celebrities, it’s not an uncommon sight at any common man’s memorials to witness making an idol of the deceased with tributes, dotted with praises. But, what about the person who has left this world to God’s abode? S/he does not even register all these praises, eulogy and goodwill! My request to god would be to give some time to each one of us so that we can be cherished of our presence by others’ endorsement before we leave this universe. Perhaps a couple of days, as a dying individual, is fair enough to reassess our own deeds when we are on the verge of leaving this universe. Probably, very fewer people will talk against a person’s negativities, who is all set to leave this world anyway, still holding onto the dictum that ‘Don’t speak ill of the dead.’. But, the process will certainly give individuals a boost and leave the world on a high note for themselves. Bereavement is a process and the near ones must live with it anyway. And maybe the god or the caretaker of the lives can also choose to be flexible on how many days can be assigned to each individual before their scheduled final voyage, based on their merits served on the earth!

The attainment of superstardom, celebrity status, the endless number of patents, publication, honors and so on, still has a materialistic value attached to it, even though it has helped transforming mankind technologically, socially, economically etc. In reality, such assessment at the end of the journey is not so much about specific materialistic accomplishments but how consciously a human committed and dedicated self towards serving a need beyond the personal desires; something larger than self. These are the small things in life, that make someone great.

Not necessarily every one of us needs to strive for such a massive success but we can count our fans to at least more than one, who could be proud of our presence on the earth!

The lines by Voltaire may ring a bell in the minds of many…"To the living we owe respect, but to the dead, we owe only the truth."

So, my appeal to all those who are reading this is to “do something good” for “someone” and hopefully that “someone” is different every time and expectantly the “doing good” is not at someone else’s expense. Then only, we can build a better world with one world family- “Vasudhaiv kutumbakam.”

I could not be more accurate to express my present sentiments than through the words of poet C.J. Heck:

Picture Courtesy: Queryhome GK

“….I want to know, without a doubt,

I've left something of me behind,

something that's good,

not regret,

for never making a difference.

When I close my eyes

for the very last time,

 I would like

 someone to remember

 ... I was here.”

RIP Stephen and Sridevi.

Amen.

Thanks J for the edit.

© Subrat

Parenting: A paradigm shift

No other topic on the earth could generate a tsunami of opinion, arguments, stance as the topic of parenting, given the emotion and values attached to it. Questioning any decision on the right parenting has the potential to open never-ending debates, while the opinions can change stride as the plot thickens.

When I compare today’s parenting to that of ours, say a generation ago, I see a sea change. The way parenting was imparted on us, versus the way we impart on to the next generation is entirely different. Being raised in a patriarchal family structure, embedded with rigid value systems, beliefs, ideologies, our life decisions were largely influenced by elders, without the preferred independence we would have wanted or been aware of. Many a times, career decisions were taken much against our wishes and much to the creed of our parent and extended family’s competence on the topic. The Bollywood movie “Three idiots” was a clear example of this mess reasoned in our generation. Digging deeper, the parents were also quite nonchalant and oftentimes oblivious of the psycho-social behavior of their children, coming out of adolescence. Needless to mention, the peer pressure to achieve academic, non-academic excellence was at its helm. An advice of wisdom with compassion of a friend was almost missing from the parents, as the kids were considered as a property to be invested in, without the rights to exercise self-assessment. This generation of kids also suffered the melancholic attitude of their parents that extended even to the Indian marriage system. The reflections were enormous on all of the above accounts, when kids were asked to psychologically compete with their counterparts in the western world, where children of such ages were exercising rather a stress-free life, less controlled by parents, unless otherwise called for.

In retrospect, we could probably excuse such behavioral disposition of our parents to their lack of competence on specific parenting areas or alleged inaccessibility to inputs drawing importance (of parental involvement) in the psychological and social wellbeing of children; I feel and would have appreciated, had they personally come closer and check on our mental status to make us feel more inclusive. This perhaps never crossed the mind of majority of parents in that cohort, who kind of used to get into irrational exuberance in academic accomplishments of their kids in the social gatherings; that was used to pamper their ego regarding their upbringing skills but ultimately denigrating the fellow child rather terribly! If the whole scenario is observed from their perspectives, without being judgmental, I tend to draw some optimism. This is due to the fact that despite the parents being insouciant to our emotional wellbeing and having the expectation from us to be exceptional and not run-of the mills; they prepared us for our future, to become self-sufficient and become what we are today. We must thank them for that.

Now, when I look around, I find the situations to be improving, filling up the gaps partly because we as a generation are becoming more aware of our kids’ needs; thanks to the plethora of research and life hacks on parenting, emerging technologies to make parenting easy and above all the initiatives on the part of the parents to better understand their kids by trying to fit themselves in their shoes. It may be an offshoot of the guilt consciousness that the parents feel for not being able to give enough time to their kids in this alleged “digitally-connected” and “Emotionally-fragmented” era that they try giving a perspective to their kids’ situations and help them overcome any kind of trauma or anxiety that they might be undergoing. Of course, we get biased in our judgement, when it comes to situations that needs serious and independent introspections. But world is colorful not black and white, so its ok to get derided with the perceptions about people and things. What is important is to give a quality time to the kids, sharing their joy and sorrow, being compassionate to their feelings and giving them a sense of belongingness so that they won’t sideline your importance growing further. This would certainly reduce the teenager anxieties, trauma, emotional outburst leading to suicidal tendencies. Even though selective, kids will still be compelled to share their secrets, problems to a large extent with their family. It is important to remember that it is an investment we make towards our future, much larger and a riskier one, compared to the earned money put in risky funds.

If we make our choices wise and right, the dividends are probably an Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerburg or Bill Gates or even a Sunder Pichai, Kalpana Chawla, a Ratan Tata. I read somewhere that some institutions in US are teaching the children how to become billionaires by impounding management lessons quite early on, than becoming inventors, socialists, creative musician, artists or performers! To me personally, it is counterproductive since nudging kids beyond their realistic potential can do more harm than good. Hope, we become more sensible, conscious and take decisions that is healthy in terms of societal benefits still helping us personally.

Happy parenting to all my friends J

Thanks J for all the editing advice.

Demonetization, a firsthand experience

Demonetization- a term not so-well known till November 8, 2016 to a common citizen of India, is now a household word in India. By definition, it means the notes seize the opportunity to be used as a legal tender. The move is the latest attempt of the Indian prime minister to curb the corruption, which is so deep rooted in every possible aspect of the Indian system.

Modi along with the majority of the mass, who earns their daily bread in an honest way feel that it is indeed a way, as it brings in the accountability for the stashed money since last four decades (the last couple of times demonetization in India happened in 1946 and 1978). This money has been used for destabilizing the prosperity in terms of spreading fake currency, sponsoring terrorism, rising inflation and more importantly promoting corruption.

This was a bold step by any government around the world and it was obviously expected to attract more uneasiness than welcoming note. The momentary quake was not easy to digest and some people even suffered strokes. Some deaths were purposely delayed to call them as a suffering due to inconvenience (caused by demonetization) and political parties tried to draw a mileage in the process! Some irresponsible political figures took the drama to the next level. Even some section of media reported that people were paid to stand in queues and the lines were diminishing instantly after 10 am! Notwithstanding the above facts and non-facts, common people did suffer a lot of inconvenience due to lack of adequate funds to cater to 1.3 billion people. Situations were at times artificial as few corrupt bank staff in some places passed on the cash to wealthy people back door and getting a commission in the process, thus denying people long standing in queue of their necessities. Many private and public sector banks have been reprimanded due to their acts, Axis bank reaching the top of the list! I personally think this could not have been planned in a better way, considering the secrecy maintained by the Government to make the landmark announcement not leaked to section of people. The government and in particular Modi must be commended for its act.

As per RBI estimate, the total amount of currency held by public is 16,000 billlion rupees, out of which 86% is contributed by 500 and 1000 rupee notes, which is less than 14000 billion. World bank estimates the amount of black money to be 23.2% of the GDP. Combining these two parts together, the total amount expected to be injected in the system was 17000 billion rupees. In a weeks’ time after demonetization, the amount of deposited cash by public was 4000 billion rupees, which is a quarter of this estimate and the number increased to a third of total amount by 18 Nov, i.e. ten days. As per the latest report on 28^th December, the amount deposited, touched 14 billion rupees, which also means that people within a fifty days' window, found a means to convert their money from unaccounted to accounted transactions. The intention of the government was however to provide safety to the household incomes at the cost of some taxation that never saw the inclusion into the banking system. Coming back to my share of experience, when all these changes were having a global media coverage, here goes a firsthand experience.

We landed in India exactly after a month, where the shock had been absorbed to a good extent, the ordeals caused to the daily wage workers, common people due to lack of cash in various forms was both gathering media attention and dust at the same time, depending on the sentiments and places of choice. We were aware of such a situation and were bracing ourselves to face what was to come on our way. With 4000 INR in cash (with notes that were to be defunct for everyone except the banks) in our hands and a working ATM card, we landed in Bangalore, the IT capital of India around 0100 AM in the morning. After immigration clearance and collecting the baggage, we were to face the world of demonetization in reality than what media was reporting.

A cab was to be booked to reach our local destination. Though, I was aware of the existence and sprouting cashless entities, which offer monetary services in a digital way such as paytm, freecharge, e-wallet from almost every nationalized banks, many startups to mid-sized companies, mostly used for paying services and utility bills including smooth operation of the taxi services such as ola cabs, uber cabs, airtel recharge etc. However, NRIs and people living outside India are a very small size of customers for such companies, who they are never worried of. Hence, most of the companies expect their customers to have an Indian mobile number for being able to avail their services. Unfortunately, we did not have that choice at the moment, we landed on the Indian soil (this is for the reader being aware of the fact that Jugaad is an essential component of Indian life and one can obtain a Indian mobile sim card without much hassles in a very short span of time- that is not the subject of discussion here :)). So basically we had no money and telephone but still boarded a cab, trying to get integrated into Modi’s digital, demonetized India.

Our friend arranged us a local sim, which enabled us an instant paytm customer. I downloaded Uber, Olacabs and Paytm app in my phone instantly to make myself one of the adopters. The rest was history, I instantly was cashless (not cash starved) as uber was in my doorsteps in 2 mins, every time I wanted to step out even within 2 kms radius without having to head for bargains or even for changes. Paytm worked seamlessly for the recharged amount through netbanking and allowed me to cover all small expenses such as airtel charge, movie tickets and taxi payments such as Uber or Ola. That was bingo, I was enjoying the rides since I used to get out of the car in my destinations and just say thanks to the driver (no cash exchange nor bargains). I mustered myself “say no to autos, and yes to Uber.” Olacabs fared quite poor compared to Uber. Even if I mind the former as an Indian company with inclinations towards it, I felt in this space, make in India was not working, as it failed to embrace the customer delight and even grievances. Nevertheless, Paytm was found to be a useful piece of app, sometimes offering discounts with different vendors since it channelized further transactions for these vendors. I gathered that the company has become enough rich even to sponsor a cash rich BCCI test match that is supposed to be ad revenue sucker (better word). To summarize, the experience was like – digital India was working.

The next step was to see how the world was getting affected by Modi’s changes in first hand. We went to an SBI, where we hold the account to withdraw some cash. Well by 9^th December, there was no option of exchanging the old currency for new one (upto 2000 INR), so the only choice was to withdraw cash from the bank with a maximum of 24000 INR (per week). The que after a month was not so long, could be as big as 10 people in a row. Before my turn arrived, I witnessed some heated exchange of words between the bank staff and the customer about giving small currency instead of 2000, which hits hard for those who need to transact in 100’s not 1000’s. The old rule book also played a role while some bank employees took advantage of the dressing sense of its customers to deal with them.

Upon my turn, the first question I was asked was do I hold the account in that bank? That apparently sets precedence or at least prioritize the customers. I was audacious to ask for 23000 INR so that I could get a change of 1000 rupees in denomination of 100 J. That’s the maximum of change you receive since most of the ATMs were dried up without cash or lack of calibration (for dispensing new notes) or there were long queues like this. I experienced that notes of 2000 were aplenty, whereas 500’s were still scarce. It took us good one week to have a glimpse of our first 500 note, as sort of prized possession. Armed with some cash we started our epic tour of rest of our trip.

Every tiny to big shops had a similar picture as below at cash counters as if people push it on them! There were hesitations to release any 100’s even if we shopped upto 1500 rupees against an exchange of 2000. We received bundles of 10’s and 20’s in some places since 100’s seemed to be a precious possession that the shop owners did not want to part with. 20’s and 50’s were the new kings in the absence of 500’s and 1000’s. Our wallets started swelling, thanks to the additions of 10’s and 20’s and few 2000 notes. This was a funny experience since my wife would always release a few 20’s from a bundle, she was handed over by some shops few times. It even made sense to carry the vanity bag with vanity J

 Coming back to the experience and some tittle-tattles, Rahul Gandhi has been dreaming of a new currency, once he hits the cabinet and reintroducing Rs. 20 denominations like this. Congress just had guts to discard 25 paises and hence Rahul might be interested in reintroducing this.

Some even rumoured this!

I heard some and sometimes a lot of displeasure about the inconvenience created but the honest people and mostly poor voiced the move was welcoming, especially assuming that it is meant to punish the rich and crooked (not the only ones in Trump’s world).

Back in my hometown, I heard that in Odisha the ATM queues were shorter. The chief minister was the first one to support Modi on this and then joined Nitish Kumar. Even a small village in Puri district went completely cashless and made history by introducing e-wallet even in the betel shop. This village called Nuagaon with 300 odd population was the first to introduce digital India campaign in completion in Odisha.

There is a lot of advertisement campaigns both for shop owners as well as customers, suggesting government incentives, being aired both by state and central government. A lot of awareness is being created. Though there has been fringe elements shedding crocodile tears (for the loss of all the unaccounted money) in the veil that it created larger inconvenience to common man. This includes ArvindKejriwal, Rahul Gandhi and Mamta Banerjee. Some people like Mayawati, Samajwadi Party leaders had to drink the poison and accepting the fact that this is an irreversible process. They tried to associate all deaths during this period to ordeals caused by demonetization and made a political furor in this process. Raga even tried mentioning some earthquakes he was to unveil but ended up being trolled yet another time.

Some corrupt officers in UP still managed to convert their black (unaccounted) money to white with help of middlemen. The Government and IT department cannot stop all these. At least it is a welcoming step to curb it in parts, if not fully. At the same time, there were some gentlemen like Naveen Patnaik, Nitish Kumar who showed some commitment by accepting the move made by the central government as a welcoming one.

The steps at least brought in good amount of taxes in government treasury, which was hogging the beds and bathrooms of the rich. The ordeals have not ended and will continue for a while. But, I do believe that it is a step towards a better India. In the process, Government is managing to push for digital India more as a necessity than as a wish list for the commoners. My father is still a cash person and believes that he will survive without having to adopt to the cashless India but I hope that he would embrace the change, when it becomes inevitable. At least things are becoming streamlined, transparent. Sixty years of legacy of corruption would take time to get away but would happen, if those don’t like it have a will to change it. I pretty much liked this picture. I am in for it.