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The Story Of One Rupee Note Bundles

What Comes Around Goes Around

By Anu SundaramPublished 2 years ago 4 min read
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Scene from a local bank

I am sure all of us know of people who have found their calling - Artists who draw lovely art as a hobby. Writers who win first prize in vocal.media for 'just putting their thoughts on paper.' Managers who have a way with people. Well, my Dad has a calling too, and it is money. To be more specific, playing with money. If things had been different in his childhood, he would have become a fantastic investment banker or a trader. But as destiny would have it - he joined a government bank in India at the tender age of eighteen. And he grew up the ranks from a clerk to an accountant to a manager - finally managed the switch into technology as a general manager of the disaster recovery site.

An Image of what the bank might have looked like

A little bit about the government banks of those days. First of all, you are transferred a lot, that means every two years or less you are in a different city with a different group of people. The bank is like a family - a small world in itself. You keep bumping into people you worked with or know somebody you worked with. And as kids, my brother and I thought of the bank as our second home. Over the weekend, we would go into the office with my Dad and open drawers, play with printer paper, and have fun with stationery - anyways, I digress.

My Dad spent some lovely time with three other bank fellows in a small town in south India called Gulbarga in Karnataka. At that time, it was a small town with only horse carriages (called Tonga) as the main mode of transport. The town was a village cluster with mud and thatch dwellings. The bank was the only concrete building and hence a major establishment. And the bank employees are somewhat of a celebrity in the town. And with little to do in the town, the four chap's lives revolved around the bank. And given they were the only employees in the bank, they pretty much ran the bank how they wanted - like storing their lunch in the safe to keep it cool on the hot summer days. Closing up the bank early so that they could watch a movie.

An Old Image Of a Tonga Wallah

As you can imagine, life was pretty good, except that there was one thing bothering the bank employees, including my Dad. They had an abundance of one rupee notes. They were the lowest denominator in rupees and hence made accounting cumbersome. My Dad and his friends were looking for a way to get rid of them. And lady luck decided to shine on them one day, and suddenly, a bunch of farmers showed up at their doorstep wanting loans.

Farmers needed money, and my Dad had bundles of one rupee notes neatly stacked. So they decided to proceed with the exchange. The farmers grumbled a bit about all these rupee notes, but they did not have a choice. So the farmers went away with loans carrying bags of cash, and my Dad's bank was a lot lighter without the one rupee notes.

For a few days, life in the bank was pretty joyous. The fan on the ceiling, usually creaking, seemed to sing a melody. Tea which was burnt or too sweet was just perfect. This was the time before computers, so all of the work was manual - employees were happy as they did not have to deal with the administration around managing one rupee note.

We all know that change is the only impermanent thing and the bank employees, along with my Dad, were about to find that out. About two weeks after handing in the loans, they realized that the one rupee notes were making their way back into the bank. And in the identical bundles as before. It became clear to my Dad that since the farmers, their families, and shopkeepers all live in the area - and have an account in the bank, whatever they spent ended up back in the bank.

My Dad and his friends had the same problem as before, except as per bank policies, they had to count it again. So, the four young friends in the concrete bank building with fan and tea ended up unwrapping all the one rupee bundles to only count and wrap them again.

It is a true story that my Dad loves to tell us again. And the joy on his face, while he is recounting his time in Gulbarga, makes it for the repeated hearing.

Recently one of my Dad's friends' daughters was getting married, and they all had a little reunion. And I was able to be present and watch them reunite. It was like no time had passed, and it gave me a glimpse into my Dad's life when he wasn't a dad or a husband but a young adult making his way in life. They regaled each other with stories, mourned over lost friends, complained about bosses and were transported back in time for a short time.

To finish the story about my Dad - he has Scrooge has his screensaver, and he prays to Kuber - the god of wealth in India. And post-retirement, his hobby is day-trading. And he continuously amazes his family with how every conversation can be made to revolve around money.

My Dad's Favorite Cartoon Character

This blog is dedicated to my Dad and his passion for playing with money.

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About the Creator

Anu Sundaram

My vision in life is to be a Better Version Of Myself Every Day. And my purpose in life is ‘Learn, Grow, Inspire and Contribute’.

Everything that I do ties into this vision - including my writing. Check out anumorris.com for more info!

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