Aloos and Demonetization !

We are farmers, and belong to one of the dying breed where we actually toil with the vagaries of nature and its fury and the volatile market, and a zillion other reasons, that would not fit here and the ever fickle NRI that wants to earn his money here but will forever abuse India especially Punjab for being the worst, dirty state and so not nice! That is another story for another day. But, a surgical strike hit us by Modi ji whose intentions are honorable but he broke our backbone just when the seed potato season had started. The season just dried up where the farmer couldn’t pick up/ buy our seed and we couldn’t transport it.

How many farmers have credit cards, or have a cashless operation? In a country as vast as ours they don’t even speak the same language; so you can imagine my husband speaking a mix of Hindi- Punjabi trying to explain a farmer who is speaking non stop in Bangla that he should buy the seed and get the truck unloaded! He, a robust Jatt started explaining politely at first and then it just spiraled to a conversation that I swear could be heard from here to Midnapore. Where does Modi ji want us to sell our seed potato? How does he want us to survive? The other alternative is to offer potatoes for landfill!

He in fact, singlehandedly created panic in our labor (Bengali) who belong from an era where they are just concerned with solid work, day to night and our are most efficient team, they don’t loiter or waste time, like the Punjabis. They were scared, shattered as they don’t trust their contractor, nor did they understand RTGS. Sir, what do we do? Our electrician from Patti has to marry his sister, and the boy’s wala want a motorcycle as dowry. How should he tell them that Modi ji just changed all plans and he cannot withdraw his own money and they were facing a problem? Weddings and rishtas don’t wait, Mr. Prime Minister.

He told us something, which had me laughing; an old man whose daughter was getting married in a few days, just lay on the middle of the favor and decided to stay there till he didn’t get the money!

Sir, all you do is for us, but have you thought what the common man goes through?  Mothers get medical prescriptions but chemists do not give medicines on saved old notes, civil hospital ran dry in the first few day.

Then you gave us a break through that farmers could buy seeds with old notes, but where are we supposed to use them? The lines are longer than the basilisk of Jk Rowling’s memory; even the famous snake of the Vedas has been crossed. This Horcrux of black money will not be so easy to kill or eradicate .

I, in the mean while have been reduced to not getting new clothes this winter and have become fashionable by resurrecting an old demonetization look by wearing all black and adorning a shawl! Whatever hair I had left have  become whiter than white and did I mention as we cant afford junk food anymore , we are all living the life of a Patanjali saint .

Do you  see the larger sattvic picture ? Maybe this is a conspiracy that would make all of us healthier nation and who needs cash , we can all live on fresh air and love!