Demonetisation: The Good, The Bad, And The Downright Hilarious

Mangalore Today News Network

Nov 29, 2016: With demonetisation on everyone’s lips these days, it’s certainly interesting and even amusing, to gauge the reactions of the Indian populace on a daily basis. From total support to outright derision, the demonetisation scheme seems to have split opinion around the country right down the middle, even among those waiting outside ATMs with their Debit Cards or among those sitting pretty at home with multiple Credit Cards. But, as always, amidst all the verbal bashing from both sides of the spectrum, there always seems to be something hilarious or downright ridiculous that pops up. This is India after all. The land where anything goes and the bizarre is just another facet of life.

We’ve put together five instances that seem to have brought out the best, the worst, and the most ingenious sides of our countrymen during these strange times.

I’ve Become Sonam

Nope, this has nothing to do with that godawful Linkin Park song. Early in 2016, an image of a battered 10 rupee note made its way onto the internet with the words ‘’Sonam Gupta bewafa hai’’ scribbled on it, which basically translates to ‘’Sonam Gupta is unfaithful’’.

Apparently, a jilted lover somewhere in the country decided to tell the world about Sonam and her adulterous ways. Jobless netizens all across the internet ensured that the image went viral, with memes and gifs pouring out of every corner. Anyway, the hoopla surrounding the note soon died down until a new Rs. 2,000 note recently surfaced once again bearing the same mark of Sonam’s infidelity, instantly turning every Sonam Gupta in the country into a spinster overnight. Ok, that last bit didn’t exactly happen, but if your name is Sonam and you’re wondering why you don’t have a date tonight, you probably have your answer by now.

Additional Reading: Tweet, Post And Bank Socially!

Magnetic Strip

Standing in long ATM queues can seriously be a massive pain in the a…nkles. Who really wants to stand for hours on end in the baking sun to get access to your own money? But, hey, there really isn’t much you can do about it unless you take matters into your own hands like a transgender person did recently in front of an ATM in Mayur Vihar in Delhi.

When news filtered through that the ATM ran out of money, people standing outside were absolutely livid. However, a transgender, who was also waiting in line, decided to get rid of her shirt in protest after alleging that she wasn’t allowed to stand in line by the rest of the people in the queue. Even though she was eventually taken to the Ghazipur Police Station, her story ended on a positive note as she was taken to the closest AXIS Bank ATM to withdraw the money she needed. However, we don’t encourage you to try the same thing, especially with those love handles dropping down your sides.

Additional Reading: No Cash At The ATM? Paytm Karo!

Rs. 2000. A Fake Odyssey

Even though the demonetisation scheme was rolled out to target counterfeiting and black money, it was certainly ironic when an onion merchant in Chikkamagaluru was conned by a customer who paid for his purchase with a fake Rs. 2,000 note. On closer inspection, the note was found to be a coloured photocopy of the brand new currency note. Or as they say in these parts, a ‘’cullar jerax’’.

Unfortunately, news of the incident spread like wildfire, resulting in vendors refusing to accept even legitimate Rs. 2,000 notes out of fear of being cheated. Traders and merchants alike refused to do business with the new currency citing failure on the government’s part to provide adequate information about the new notes and their security features.

Additional Reading: New Currency Notes With New Security Features

Lungi Dance

If you ever needed any more proof that Indians are the kings of ‘jugaad’, all you need to do is head down to Kerala to see how the locals there have been tackling long queues in front of ATMs. Instead of physically standing in line, customers place their lungis, slippers, or even their pass books on the ground to ‘keep their place’ in the queue. After all, who wants to stand in the blazing heat all day when you could lounge under a tree sipping on coconut water? Looks like Kerala sure is putting the ‘mone’ in demonetisation.

Additional Reading: A Must Read If You’re Headed To An ATM/Bank For Cash

Get Shorty

Some of us are just way too lazy to even stand in line to get our money out of an ATM, regardless of demonetisation or not. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if you could get someone to do it for? Well, looks like your prayers are about to be answered. A startup in Delhi called BookMyChotu is offering you the chance to hire their ‘chotus’ or temporary helpers to stand in line for you, while you continue to perfect your Jabba the Hut impersonation on the couch at home. You can book a ‘chotu’ for Rs. 90 an hour, going all the way up to Rs. 550 for an 8 hour wait. As with just about everything in India, if enough people face the same problem, you can be damn sure someone will come up with a makeshift solution in no time.

Additional Reading: Start Up India, Stand Up India

Barely two weeks have gone by since the demonetisation scheme was introduced, but the country seems to be coughing up amusing incidents every couple of days. One thing’s for sure; you can always trust Indians to find a way to tickle funny bones around the country even during times of adversity.

Courtesy: Yahoo.com