The
recent decree banning 500 and 1000 rupee notes has left everybody in a tizzy.
Everything is topsy- turvy all at once. Life now revolves round joining
serpentine queues at banks and ATMs for hours on end with the hope that one
will not be turned away empty handed. I will not dwell on the trials and
tribulations of the ordinary Indian citizen in these days of economic upheaval.
The journalists are doing their job enthusiastically in any case. Let me then
get to the point of this little piece, bypassing the immediate effects of what
appears to be, at face value at least, a highly whimsical and controversial
decision.

Let
us hope that the worst is now over and that we may expect a semblance of
normalcy by December end, as promised by  Modi. Hopefully, too, all the
hoarders of black money and fake money, holders of undeclared funds stacked up
in foreign lands and the promoters of terrorism have been caught on the back
foot, as the entire radical exercise in economic experimentation intended. I
have one question, however. Who’s to guarantee – given the ingenuity and
inventiveness of crooked and criminal minds – that all these evils will not
rise again, Phoenix-like from their ashes?

Having
said all this, however, I must admit that I am slowly getting used to the
current state of affairs. (They say that one can get used to anything!) Though
life is very different to what it was just a few days ago, I find myself
suddenly flipping the coin and viewing the whole picture from an entirely
different angle. Strangely, I find that I have learnt a few lessons from this
experience.

It’s
rather humbling and at the same time elevating to know that these past days
have been great social levellers of sorts. The ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’, the
prince and the pauper were all equal. For the beggar in the street, the
monetary muddle made no difference. For the really rich it was a case of
mountains of money but not a note to spend. For the middle class, for a few
days at least, we did realize what it means not to have enough to spend even on
real needs and not just wants.

Indeed,
I am indebted to Modi for making me realise and understand the difference
between a need and a want, a requirement and a desire, a necessity and a
luxury; the difference between the essential and the redundant. It has taken me
all these years to really understand the value of money and the price of things
and to balance this with the subtlety of the price of money and the value of
things. Mr. Modi’s economic measures have taught me to be disciplined in buying
and spending and –funnily enough – I find myself filled with a great sense of
freedom. A week has gone by and I have not noticed that there are so many
things I could have bought thoughtlessly but did not; so many totally
unnecessary shopping expeditions that I did not embark on; so many things I so
easily did without. There is also the film at the multiplex I did not see and
the visit to the tailor I did not make. Generally speaking, there is so little
in life we truly need. Getting rid of the physical clutter from our lives could
help a great deal in removing the clutter from our minds as well, perhaps
bringing with it a freshness and depth in our lives we did not know before.

And
the bank employees, the harassed men and women who have risen so magnificently
to the occasion, working under tremendous mental and physical pressure, have
taught me the importance of discharging one’s duties even against overwhelming
odds. A lady I know was so impressed and moved by their service and plight that
she visited her bank again, bringing sweets and snacks for the staff as a mark
of her appreciation. From her I learnt a lesson too in human interaction – in
the need to care and to share and to understand a situation putting oneself in
the shoes of others.

Of
course, what we are going through today are extraordinary circumstances; and
these random thoughts pertain to this special exigency. Normal life has to pick
up soon and we must revert to the usual routine as soon as possible. I have
been a housewife for nearly fifty years and know nothing of economics or of
economic policy. But I can guess that during this tumultuous week the losses
incurred by the nation must be stupendous.

 For any economy to grow, things have to be
produced, consumers have to buy; the wheels of supply and demand have to go
around. Perhaps the note ban exercise is something beyond my understanding.
Despite the negatives I see and read of, however, I am grateful to Modi for
what he has inadvertently taught me. I must confess that even at this age I had
not thought along these lines before.

–By
Nandita Chaudhuri