Modi's demonetisation has hit the urban poor, millennial worst
A few months ago, I read this article about a phenomenon called “urban poverty”. For those who haven’t read the article in question, or the hundreds of op-eds and think pieces around it, urban poverty has got absolutely nothing to do with people who reside in cities but fall below the poverty line. Nope. In fact, it was about upper-class millennials who are really shit at managing their money and hence end up going hungry for a few days, before their paycheques arrive (which they consequently spend on venti pumpkin-spice chai-tea lattes from Starbucks).
To clear things out, if urban poor was a real term, I do fall into that category from the 22nd of any given month till pay day, but even I have to admit: it’s a load of horse manure because these people (me included) are not as poor as you'd like us to be to really be poor. It’s not that they don’t have money. They have their priorities all wrong. But if you ignore the horrendous appropriation of the word poverty with bad spending habits, you can probably admit to the fact that it’s still a thing that exists (whether or not you choose to be empathetic to the urban poor, is totally up to you).
This happened in May. Fast-forward six months though, and you kind of see that despite all its flaws, the article was possibly premonitory.
Yeah. The government of India, in a completely planned-out and well executed move, surgically struck on the common public black money. A week ago, the currency notes for Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 were made defunct. I was pretty chill about it, at first. I had withdrawn about Rs 2,000 (the ATM had magically ejaculated Rs 100 notes for the whole amount) the announcement happened, and I was confident that with more cash that was lying somewhere at home, things would be just fine.
I rejoiced way too soon it seems. By the time I left work, the ATMs were already more crowded than Rajiv Chowk on a Monday morning. My mom was panicking because all she had were Rs 500 notes and my brother was cursing himself for not having had the foresight to withdraw money on his way home.
 |
| Photo: Indiatoday.in |
Again, like the calm individual I am, I asked them all to take a chill pill. For the time being, I had enough cash to cover for all of them and once the banks opened a day later, and the ATMs in a couple of days, all our woes would come to an end. There have been times that I have been wrong. That day was the most wrong I have ever been in my entire life so far. Not only did Hillary Clinton lose to Donald Trump the next day (I was so bloody sure that she’d win), but the money problems just got worse and worse.
Jump to day four after this apocalyptic decision was made; I had around Rs 200 left with me after doling out cash to other family members. Mom had spent half a day in the bank line to no avail. I owed the cigarette shop owner outside my office Rs 380 and he was done with providing credit to his customers. I couldn’t buy anything from the office canteens because I had to ration cash. I had to be stingy about transportation; taking a bus, instead of an autorickshaw to work because there just wasn’t enough cash in my wallet.
I had money but I couldn’t use it because it wasn’t physical cash. This rather Kafkaesque situation suddenly reminded me of the “urban poor” article. Yeah. I was urban poor. I had to give up on coffees and sandwiches and auto rides because suddenly, all my money had become as good as Monopoly money (ironically the new currency notes do resemble them).
But this wasn’t because of shitty decisions I made money-wise. No. This was because suddenly, thank you so much Modi ji, everyone realised just how important the Rs 100 note is and everyone ran to get some more. Yes, I was lazy enough to not stand in the ATM queue that very evening when the announcement was made. But that really shouldn’t mean I suffer so much.
And it’s not just me, in case you think I’m a self-centred idiot. It’s everyone around me. I know the lower classes are suffering, but somehow, the middle and the upper middle-class’ problems have suddenly become first-world rants and have been one of the first casualties of the "greater good" argument. You know the BJP fanboys and fangirls - all modern-day Marie Antoinettes with their stupendous suggestions: If they don't have cash, let them use Paytm. Plastic in more ways than one, right?
But hello! I am not one of them! Pray tell me how am I supposed to pay the momo vendor in our area with Paytm karo? Yeah. It’s a minor inconvenience you’d say. A hiccup in the praanayam that is the collective nationalist queuing we are all undertaking at present. Tell that to my harrowed colleagues who have had to endure the yucky coffee-machine swill for a week now, in a bid to save ten bucks. It’s a minor inconvenience? Tell that to the nicotine-starved addicts who have had to deal with paying Rs15 per stick on Paytm because or paan-shop guy suddenly wisened up and went cashless like a pro. Inconvenience in C Minor, still, eh? Diet inconvenience, huh? Low calorie alternative to serving at Siachen? The choco-truffle with my now-offlimits venti pumpkin-spice chai-tea latte from Starbucks? Go away!
Maybe this demonetisation drive will bring back picometric portions of black money into the government coffers, Mr Modi. But you have, in this attempt disrupted the lives of millions. Some day you shall pay for your sins, sir. You have the curses of the thousands of the noeveau poor - like me for instance - who you have deprived of their mandatory entitlements.
And, no photo-ops with your mummy dearest will make that right!