An
open letter to PM Sh. Narendra Modi
Sub: My tryst without currency
Dear Sir,
I was unable to see your televised
address on 8th November at 8pm and only heard about the shock news
that the currency notes of Rs 500 & Rs 1000 would no more be legal tender
starting a few hours from then. The news had indeed taken me and my colleagues,
who were still in office, by surprise.
About me - I am no economist not even
an arm chair variety. I am also not a politician nor am I affiliated with any
political party. I just like to keep myself informed of the happenings around
me and sometimes converse & comment on the current affairs only on merits
and not along party lines. I am a modest urban middle class tax paying citizen
who yearns to grow up the ladder by hard work and determination.
We tried to find more and realized
that we could deposit the money in the bank by 30th Dec and/ or
exchange the currency notes also till then.
A quick mental scan of the situation
as it lay before me suggested that all was under control. I had been getting my
salary in the bank, most of my spends are through credit cards and debit cards,
I pay for taxi rides through mobile wallets. I have invested in an additional
apartment and the tenant transfers money to the bank (post deducting TDS I may
add), and I pay municipal taxes, electricity bills etc online. I shopped for
weekly (or in some cases monthly) grocery provisions from the nearby department
store using the cards. Hence I seemed sorted for most of my transactions. But
yes, I needed cash to pay the shopkeepers near my house for sundry emergency
provisions like bread, veggies, ice creams & chips etc for my daughters and
similar stuff.
Sir, I realized that while I did not
go through any significant inconvenience, the maid who visited our house had been
feeling the crunch. I tried to help in my own way by simply opening up the
kitchen and refrigerator to her. We asked her to pick up whatever provisions
she wanted and she picked up some rice, some veggies, a bar of soap and some
random stuff, cost of which was insignificant to me, but a convenience which
was significant for her. Most of the neighbors I know did very well to support
people who needed help. One of my building inhabitants who I heard runs a small
factory made a list of provisions his workers wanted, purchased it from a
department store paying by card and handed the stuff over to his workers. One
of them walked to the bank to help them open a bank account and other such
stuff. The shops near our society were happily accepting 500 & 1000 Re
notes, a few quickly started accepting cards for small values also (something
they were reluctant to do, only a few days back), signed up for mobile wallets
or as a last resort, started offering credit to regular patrons.
In all of this, a visit to my local
barber summed up the ‘feelings’ of the common man (will refrain from saying aam aadmi). I had forgotten that I had
only Rs 60 apart from the now defunct notes of Rs 500 & Rs 100. He told me
‘Sir, aap pehli baar nahin aa rahe baal
katwane, aap nischint rahiye. Aaj jab desh mein accha kaam ho raha hai toh hone
do. Aap paise agli baar de dena”. This touched a chord somewhere.
Of course I saw that patronage to
restaurants had been lesser than normal. Home deliveries from restaurants had
virtually stopped, hawkers did lesser business than usual as there was no cash
to receive or give. In the middle of all this, we went to this restaurant where
we as a group of friends met for dinner and had to asked the captain to swipe
the card 7 times to split the bill. My inconvenience was limited to spending
more time to pay by card whereas in normal cases, one person would pay by card
and rest everyone would pay his share in cash.
While I have stood in the queue for
withdrawing money from the ATM and to deposit old currency notes in my account,
you could still accuse me of being an elitist urban citizen not in touch with rural
reality. True, I would readily agree as I am not aware of the problems of
farmers and other rural folks first hand. Though I hear that while the
discomfort has been high, the hopes for a better future are even higher.
Sir, I suspect that the government
machinery was not completely geared up for a handling a transformation of this
magnitude and has been faltering. At the same time I am happy that this step is
being taken and I am happier that the government is reviewing and monitoring
the situation so closely that course corrections are being done daily to ease
the inconvenience to citizens. Changing limits of withdrawals, accommodating
people having marriages in the family, not charging at toll booths and so many
other changes are being done. It’s quite a delight to note that governments can
be so efficient in observing issues, listening to citizens, taking quick
decisions and taking actions. I haven’t seen that in a while.
Sir, there is hope. There are already
talks of loan being eased up since the banks are flush with funds and other
such economic benefits. However, to me the benefits accruing are not so much
economic as are behavioral. Tomorrow if I am confronted with a situation where
a government officer asks me for a bribe, I will not pay up. I will not pay up
because I know this is not acceptable, this is not the norm, the higher
authorities will not tolerate it and hence action will be taken again against
him. And I will be emboldened to say that, knowing that the Prime Minister of
the country is against the practice. Sadly, with all the scams of the past, I
wasn’t sure if I had the support from the ‘higher ups’ – after all, if all the
netas and ministers took bribes, I would fear victimization if i was to speak
up. And despite one not liking it, one would most likely play along –
reluctantly.
My father had been a government
official and we had several friends and relatives from several ranks junior to
him (though not from the same organization) who had enjoyed lifestyles several
notches above what we enjoyed with our modest middle class existence. My
parents explained this dichotomy by saying that it’s because we are honest
people. I never understood it then, however its only when I grew up is when I
realized the meaning of ‘upar ki kamai’
and the perks that came with it. By then ‘honesty’ was a virtue that was deeply
ingrained in me – and rightly so. Of course, I am not unique, I am sure most of
our countrymen have had similar experiences and upbringing. And still most of
us at some time, have frustratingly paid bribes.
Sir, human beings are not born
dishonest, its only when you see the dishonest easily get away with the spoils,
only when you challenge the boundaries of law and derive thrill out of it, only
when you are not handed over a stern punishment the first time you cross the
line, that you would be tempted to stray fearlessly beyond the boundaries of
law. And this is exactly what is happening currently. Somewhere this fear has
vanished and that’s why you see lots of people right from a traffic policemen
to a high ranking babu openly seeking bribes. The biggest change that I hope to
see is in this behavior.
Sir, for once we are seeing the
advantage of being honest, for once honesty as a virtue is not making me feel deprived.
I’ve heard you rightfully use the phrase ‘Imandaari ka Utsav’ where honest tax
payers celebrate and the evaders have sleepless nights. For far too long, we
have seen dishonest people enjoying the fruits of their dishonesty. Its time,
not just to snatch their ‘fruits’,
but also punish them for what they are – dishonest bribe takers and dishonest
tax evaders.
Sir, people are bearing with this
temporary inconvenience with a hope that things will change hereon. However if
things don’t change and a government official demands a bribe, if prices rise
and inflation doesn’t stay in control or if people don’t see a tangible
difference in their lives after this ‘kadak
chai’ that you have served, then peoples anger would know no bounds. Honest
people will feel let down and the dishonest will rejoice. And then no PM will
even attempt a renaissance of this nature in a country of this size. We can’t
let that happen.
Sir, please don’t get distracted by
the people who tell you that similar such demonetization experiments have
failed in some other countries. All you need to tell these people is that most
of those countries like Russia, Myanmar, North Korea etc had taken to the
demonetization exercise with their people showing deep resentment and hostility
unlike here in India. Here as you can see, the move is being welcomed and cheered
by almost everyone. Sir, don’t lose focus when they tell yell at you in the
parliament or outside. Remember, the industry captains, the celebrities, most
foreign media and most importantly the public in general has hailed your move.
Finally sir, if Chanakya were to see what’s happening in
this country he would easily relate – “when
there is appreciation by the intellectuals, when there is upheaval in the enemy
camp, when there is unrest amongst the traitors, then you know that the king is
of good character & high morals and that the nation is on the path to
progress.”
This is our moment and we ought to
seize it, this is India’s moment of truth and this is your – our Prime
Ministers’ Blue Ocean Strategy for transformation and transition. We have to
make it work, we WILL make it work.
All the best sir, I stand by you. My
family stands by you!
Best wishes,
Sandeep
Bangia
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