And the countdown begins for a better India?

“Your work will be looked after Sir, you just have to pay some of your extra pennies… for the file to proceed”- the common old line that many must have come across.  And years after years the unsought, untamed heinous modus operandi of making money out of money, unflinchingly sustained in its business with its host of crooked expertise. On one hand , it is the money sucked out quite scornfully from the hard earned  fellow doers ,who out of peer pressure backed by their saddened helpless situations  have to pour the hefty currencies  into the unknown pockets, just for the sake of converting a plain paper  to a legitimize platform for making it justified. Although initially, the modest ones stay firm on their ground resisting hard to get de-magnetized from the web of bribe and corruption, but their efforts eventually droop in vain. After  waiting for days, some for weeks and sometimes for months or even years , where time no more does justice to what they lawfully deserve , they  make  no delay to pump into those filthy pockets beyond the eyes of law.

Like an age old ceremony, such malevolence has been sweeping across the country which is quite known yet unheard and acted upon blindly by the people. Unaware of its brutal consequences that how indulgence and repetitiveness is another factor that has always sincerely attributed to conversion of the white money in an amenable way to the category of black/the unaccounted money.  Today it is because of this care-free unabashed attitude that has led to the paradigm shift making the rich merrier and richer and deteriorating the state of the impoverished section of the society. On the other hand, the spiral racket of such pooling of money gets aggravated when some handful of  powerful  business doers or the hooted bureaucrats with not a tinge of regret in breaking their business ethics and laws, indulge in being the money hawkers to be at their  heights of avarice. Or it can also be the other way round, where they happily get involved competing in their hoarding capacity outlandishly utilizing their power of political wrath and freedom of injustice. With time it got so rooted that media once took no less a time unearthing the bold headlines that said ‘stacks of black money account holders in the Swiss accounts outside the country’. What a shame?

India, a country despite rich in many cultural spheres always scored at its low when it comes to brutal corruption say in sports, education, profit/not-for profit organizations, academics and not even they spared the health sector. As such, corruption went viral, so viral that in no less time, the circulation of the so called black money got a ruckus in the entire country. From a corruption index of 38^th position in 2015, India somehow managed with a sheepish improvement occupying the 75^th position. The spread of this corruption virus backed by unleashed stack of black money have much before got aggravated and today have reached at its pinnacle of destructing India. Such consequences deepened not only because of our fragile punishment acts followed by lenient income tax slabs but also because of the constant cooperation of some of the impatient masses mostly belonging to the high profile public fraternity . Despite the untiring slogans and the unstoppable breathless speeches of the political party leaders to fight corruption with the common age-old taboo “fight for anti-corruption” the evil yet ruled and may be still ruling. As such, not much change has been witnessed in fighting corruption and combating the presence of black money.

 So today, in my blog I would like to ask whether really this story would go on or there is a sheer hope of a turning point making India a corrupt free and a better happy India?  I wish definitely the latter sustains. But is it something that Modi has already planned out? I guess so. I am talking about the truckloads of news that has already flooded our minds, the media channels both domestic and international with the most striking news ever for the first time in the Indian history. Yes, I am talking about the epic step taken by our honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi  declaring currency ban as popularly known by the word ‘Demonetization’.  As I say demonetization, quickly I can recall that very night on 8^th November, 2016 when like a swarm of bees people panicked, rushed every to and fro, tensed and anxious to get changes of their old currencies at the mentioned junctions in their respective places. Public gatherings in huge masses were witnessed holding currencies openly for the first time queuing late nights that were mostly highlighted in front the petrol pumps. Who doesn’t remember the picture? Yes the picture was grim with the aam aadmis being the worst sufferers. Sufferings were not just witnessed for that very night or a day. It went on for more than a month with people apprehensive enough of the new move, of the new saga of fighting corruption. The long queues in front of the banks across the country, the death news of a few out of the panic attacks , parents concerned of their children residing outside their home, fainting of some old- aged men and women due to hours standing under the unbearable heat in such long queues and that’s how the news of disaster kept flashing in all media channels, magazines, and newspapers that imprinted quite bold and thought provoking indeed.

On one hand media didn’t stop playing Modi’s speeches pleading people- the ‘janata’ to cooperate and communicate and bear the pain convincing that it would not last long. While on the other hand the same media channels broadcasting with no stone unturned the angst and agonies of the citizens complaining their woes out of note ban. In fact, the introduction of the highly weighted currency note of 2000, that immediately followed after note ban have added fuel to the fire. Although, the ‘dear’ 2000 notes have made its place in ATMs and people’s pockets but yet, I guess, has not been successful enough making its place in transactions. More complex it has become for the aam aadmis once he holds the mighty 2000 as neither it gets easily breakable nor easily acceptable. Never-ending debates by the intellectuals, stinging criticisms by the economists , constant bullies and slams from the Oppositions, and public hue and cry were all that reigned for more than a month almost in every place and yet continued quite noticeably with the same uproar. Apart from these plaintive wails, the situation got more perplexing when demonetization was backed streamlining India into cashless digitalized economy. A country feeding its population through daily cash transactions now has to revert its daily routine through cashless transactions. ‘Could be a success or a complete messy deadlock?’, is what mostly all are apprehensive about. Quite yes, to all the grim consequences, that seem more like a punishable picture testing the tolerance limit of the citizens all because of the sudden brunt of the traumatized note-ban. It actually depicted a Hitler approach rather an economic reform policy which as per Modi is the significant step to combat black money, tax evasion and extremism.

 So, really an unavoidable plethora of circumstances and consequences Modi Ji! Here, in line with what the sources outlined, I too being one among the fellow citizens would like to mark on the thought and wonder that in a country like India where rural masses form the majority, where in many areas dilapidated infrastructure still poses a great threat to development, shortage of electronic payment systems despite many with their debit cards and smart phones, where problems like unemployment are ameliorating , where ratio of manpower to accounting way shrinking, where there are no stringent punishing laws for the law-breakers, no fines, no rigorous income tax slabs, where 98% consumers  as sources said deal through transactions in cashes, where still in many parts of the country villages survive without proper electricity and  no education then how come a country like India can outgrow a model cashless digitalized nation ? Will all these loopholes be compensated at the earliest genuinely and not just by raising digital campaigns, the digi dhan melas and shouting slogans for ‘acche din’? Yes, India has got several potholes which have been rising at a steady rate.  So, amid such potholes, can India really outgrow with what Modi has in his vision today?  Can entire India be turned into a cashless digitalized economy? Will the tea-tribes and the masses of the far-flung rural India be able to adapt to this new payment system? Is it really for the interest of the Indian citizens or a move taken for the party’s political interest? And the questions go on that more or less ends up reflecting an apprehensive response regarding note ban policy followed by foreseeing India as a cashless economy.

But today, I think, the aam janata can really give it a chance cornering the skeptic approach and allowing demonetization go hand in hand with unity in diversity. Of course, results are already witnessed when millions of people who despite their agonies arising out of note ban have supported whole-heartedly in the new black money eradication mission, and have abided as asked so far.  So, it’s public participation, their cooperation, faith and awareness regarding anti-corruption thereby combating the black money dwellers. The drudgeries may continue for some more time but in the long run it shall sooth the economy. Not forgetting about the successful Jan dhan  mission, the LPG scheme and the recent Income declaration scheme , the citizens shall give time for the mess to get stable as great things really need time to happen. I believe! But Mr. Modi, your dream of a better India and providing peaceful sleep to the entire country can really be a possibility if the potholes (as mentioned above) are not ignored. They need to be bandaged sooner or else demonetization may evolve as a conundrum with all efforts in vain. It is mercy for what the honest citizens of your country are asking for. And being the humble citizens of the country, I believe, today, we shall not let it go off rather shall give a chance to support the new move of democratic India, no matter how harsh the routes be as it is high time for combating the evil corruption and combat black money.  Long Live a happy India.