On Yogi Nagar Road, the Laburnum (Cassia fistula), has signed the muster in flowers on time. Sufficient they be on the parent tree, not be plucked for Vishu, April 14. At six in the morning, stood under the tree, toting three lemon yellow bunches on air. For me Vishu is on. Rama is searching for elavan, chakka, chena, snake gourd, raw mangoes, Guruvayur pappadams, banana and jackfruit chips; she will arrange them at the altar to her Guruvayurappan, in front of a mirror with some gold ornaments and manjadi in a uruli. Early morning April 14 ahead of the sun and koyal calls, she will light diyas and pray to her Guruvayurappan; every year, every same day, every same time. Today, Rama is in trouble as she has no loose cash to offer Guruvayurappan in a silver plate. With every banker and every banking editor turning Wordsworthian on a revolutionary cashless economy, me read up pages and pages of columns and reports on what Dr. Raghuram Rajan styles a revolution. The Quick Edit at Mint reports Dr. Rajan mentioning revolution twice. Important observation. Me has heard and read of revolutions --- Lenin, Mao, Fidel Castro and me dear own Charu Mazumdar and Samar Sen of Frontier; but Dr. Rajan's revolution does not belong to that disgusting genre. Stepped into Corporation Bank to get loose change against a one hundred rupee note; being a public sector bank the clerk at the counter did not offer a seat nor a good morning; just a gruff, 'nahin hai; app kijiye aur cashless payment kijiye; change ka jarurat nahin hai.' Stepped out into a 10 a.m. April Mumbai sun, trudged to Raju, the coconut seller, pleading on bowed feet for change. The gentleman smiled.....'Vishu nallakki ...illiya.' and offered Rs 5 and Rs.10 coins against Rama's hundred rupee note. Grateful, ordered a nariyal pani, Rs.35 a coconut; some relief from cash, cashless economy and Rajan revolution. With clients scarce, got to talking the revolution of cashless economy with Raju and a bhaiya, who had paused his auto for a coconut water; they did not know what me was talking; well, nor did me know; to make it worse, me explained about the mobile for all buying and selling, no banks, no nothing; the new Brahmastra, Made in India at RBI Towers; just press a button and release a nuclear weapon. 'Saheb, mere ko kuch samajh mein nahin ata hai (Do not understand anything),' said the auto bhaiya and added, 'chutta nahin milta aur savari jhugda karte hain. (without loose change get into fights with passengers). He pulled out a pile of currency from his pocket, paid Raju, went his auto way; Raju added the cash to his pile in his dirty shirt pocket. Dr. Rajan revolution has not reached the streets; it will one day after the rich of Malabar Hill get used to it and misuse it. Maybe some revolutions bypass the commoner. They are that way. With the heavy coin pile, me walked home happy, holding cash is divine. Rama, in glee, usurped the monetary treasure, poured it at the feet of her Lord Guruvayurappan. On April 14, she will dip into the cash pile and offer them to her grand-daughters, Chinnu and Chiyu..... this day no counting, an unlimited offering; the vegetables will become sambhar and avial with paruppu wada, pappadpoms and Aam ras from Jain Dughdhalay....Revolutions will or will not be. Vishu will be forever. Happy Vishu. Happy Laburnums.
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Vishu Laburnums
On Yogi Nagar Road, the Laburnum (Cassia fistula), has signed the muster in flowers on time. Sufficient they be on the parent tree, not be plucked for Vishu, April 14. At six in the morning, stood under the tree, toting three lemon yellow bunches on air. For me Vishu is on. Rama is searching for elavan, chakka, chena, snake gourd, raw mangoes, Guruvayur pappadams, banana and jackfruit chips; she will arrange them at the altar to her Guruvayurappan, in front of a mirror with some gold ornaments and manjadi in a uruli. Early morning April 14 ahead of the sun and koyal calls, she will light diyas and pray to her Guruvayurappan; every year, every same day, every same time. Today, Rama is in trouble as she has no loose cash to offer Guruvayurappan in a silver plate. With every banker and every banking editor turning Wordsworthian on a revolutionary cashless economy, me read up pages and pages of columns and reports on what Dr. Raghuram Rajan styles a revolution. The Quick Edit at Mint reports Dr. Rajan mentioning revolution twice. Important observation. Me has heard and read of revolutions --- Lenin, Mao, Fidel Castro and me dear own Charu Mazumdar and Samar Sen of Frontier; but Dr. Rajan's revolution does not belong to that disgusting genre. Stepped into Corporation Bank to get loose change against a one hundred rupee note; being a public sector bank the clerk at the counter did not offer a seat nor a good morning; just a gruff, 'nahin hai; app kijiye aur cashless payment kijiye; change ka jarurat nahin hai.' Stepped out into a 10 a.m. April Mumbai sun, trudged to Raju, the coconut seller, pleading on bowed feet for change. The gentleman smiled.....'Vishu nallakki ...illiya.' and offered Rs 5 and Rs.10 coins against Rama's hundred rupee note. Grateful, ordered a nariyal pani, Rs.35 a coconut; some relief from cash, cashless economy and Rajan revolution. With clients scarce, got to talking the revolution of cashless economy with Raju and a bhaiya, who had paused his auto for a coconut water; they did not know what me was talking; well, nor did me know; to make it worse, me explained about the mobile for all buying and selling, no banks, no nothing; the new Brahmastra, Made in India at RBI Towers; just press a button and release a nuclear weapon. 'Saheb, mere ko kuch samajh mein nahin ata hai (Do not understand anything),' said the auto bhaiya and added, 'chutta nahin milta aur savari jhugda karte hain. (without loose change get into fights with passengers). He pulled out a pile of currency from his pocket, paid Raju, went his auto way; Raju added the cash to his pile in his dirty shirt pocket. Dr. Rajan revolution has not reached the streets; it will one day after the rich of Malabar Hill get used to it and misuse it. Maybe some revolutions bypass the commoner. They are that way. With the heavy coin pile, me walked home happy, holding cash is divine. Rama, in glee, usurped the monetary treasure, poured it at the feet of her Lord Guruvayurappan. On April 14, she will dip into the cash pile and offer them to her grand-daughters, Chinnu and Chiyu..... this day no counting, an unlimited offering; the vegetables will become sambhar and avial with paruppu wada, pappadpoms and Aam ras from Jain Dughdhalay....Revolutions will or will not be. Vishu will be forever. Happy Vishu. Happy Laburnums.
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