Its, November 8th 2016, 9:00 PM IST
What I learnt in last few hours?
I was in Tirupati in a Vegetarian restaurant trying to feed my 2-year-old daughter some food while playing her favorite family videos around 9 pm, I received a call from my sister, I couldn’t attend because my daughter wouldn’t give me the phone, followed by that same happened when my brother called in a minute, then I see some message notifications from my sister saying
“From tomorrow on-wards 500 and 1000 Rupees notes are not valid”
Then a seconds before I process this
“Please get some hundreds for your emergency expenses during travel, tomorrow ATM and banks will be closed”
I was like … What ?
Then I used my cousin brother’s phone to call my sister she was telling about the announcement from Indian Prime Minister Modi, then I still couldn’t believe my ears and was thinking how it’s possible… And checked it on “The Hindu” online myself
Everybody was telling different information like it won’t last, they will get stay tomorrow etc.. etc..
I called my husband and he said he was not aware of that till then and have asked me to go to the ATM to get some money.
I went to an ATM and tried to get “900” it says “Only 500 denominations are available”
Then I took 5000₹ and turn there was like 20 people outside and a TV guy rushing in, I got out and we started heading to Chennai, when we saw every ATM crowded with people.
It got serious every minute, I was thinking why they have to implement something that affects all people, the we got to know all the Gold shops are getting filled .. That’s when we experienced the value of the last 3 hours is different for different category of people )
I see some people doesn’t accept 500s, some does accept. But through the travel I see all the ATM are busy and people are waiting sleepless.
This didn’t end in one night, the struggle to get enough cash continued for a while, I am partial here, since I don’t know what really happened on the other end, the people who had the plenty of currency in their storage. Except what I heard in news and rumors, I do not really had an opportunity to see that myself, like what I saw on my side of how a lower and middle class people everyday life was affected with this currency issue.
Did we really get any benefit? If yes what? And how it’s helping the people who were on the streets in rain and shine cooperating with the government order expecting it’s going to change something for them ?