100 rooba nottu*..

I was typing away furiously on the laptop when mom came up to me and asked if I could spare 200 bucks. She was about to go out on an errand and needed some change. I knew I had a few hundreds in my purse. Now that’s a rarity in itself. People who know me.. know my wallet.. its ragged condition and how it almost never is loaded. The maximum I would have at any given time would be 50 bucks.. Remember this incident » yes yes you know what I am talking about..

Coming back.. I fished into my handbag.. fetched the famed wallet and bought out a couple of notes. At that moment.. mom was inside taking some bag or something.. So I ended up fiddling the notes.. taking a good long look at them and eventually wondering about the transformation – in form and value – these blue notes have undergone over the years… That’s when the thought struck me.. Its been a looooooooooooong time since I held currency of any kind in my hands…

Wherever we go.. more often than not.. MP handles the cash dealings.. and almost always its a credit or debit card transaction. Going one step further its online shopping that seems to be filling up my credit card bills..

One thought led to another and soon I was happily reminiscing the wonder years when we used eagerly await festivals.. dress up in our best and go on a “falling-on-the-feet” spree.. Later sit back at the end of the day and total up the collections.. make elaborate plans on how the money is to be spent or stashed away.. only to be told by parents that it would be safer with them.. and helplessly hand it over to them.. bah!

And all those times when we used to visit our maternal grandparents during holiday.. During the blessing seeking ritual while leaving.. in front of everyone patti would give 50 rubeess and then whisk me away to the kitchen secretly.. and thrust a 100-rupee note that had lain hidden in the horlicks bottle on the top most kitchen shelf.

Another bulb flashed.. I have preserved one such note for posterity too.. In one of my umpteen lairs..

Gone are those days when pocket-money was so hard to come by.. Today all it takes is a swipe of the card or entering a few numbers on the screen.. No wondering what dad or mom will say.. There is an inherent self-assurance that they will trust our judgement. Will genNext ever know what it is like to receive the much-loved kaineettam?? Only time will tell..

Yes yes my brain clicks non-stop and in the 5 minutes it took mom to fish out the bags that she was looking for.. I went on this trip down the memory lane and was back in time too!

PS: Yes yes I know my birthday post should be here.. Believe me when I say I have typed over 2000 words and I am still not done with the prologue. If I can.. I will get it published as a 50 page book.. Lol.. I will try to cut out stuff and make it crisp and then post it here.. Deal??

Or better still.. How bout this poll?

Help me ok?

* A 100 rupee note.

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