The Rise of Neo-elitists

In this hue and cry of de-monetization if you feel patriotic, that means you belong to that neo-elitist groups, who believe India belongs to them. Only to them.

Let me explain. I was eclectic when heard PM’s announcement, felt charged and positive. I called few friends, discussed it and then opened my purse, found only a hundred rupee note (rest was of five hundreds). I ran to ATMs and after forty minutes of struggling, I got eighteen hundred rupee notes, and found around thirty people behind me. Nobody complained. Nobody yelled at each-other. As if it was a magic.

Next day when I was in metro, and then in bus, and then in office, every-freaking-where discussions were going on regarding Modi’s decision, near universal praise for him and his masterstroke. It felt good indeed. It felt that something concrete had been done. No small talk. No non-sense. The whole day I spent as a new-bhakt of Modi, read social media inputs, and discussed them. And then as the night approached and I read more and more of them - the comments, the posts, the criticisms I found a weird trend. Rise of Neo-elitism.

They have typical characteristics as elite guys. Such as they are self-centered (I avoided ‘solipsism’), information-rich (or they think so) and vastly snob. They buy from online retail shops, they possess credit cards or debit cards and recharge online, they install apps in their smartphones and with a single swipe can book a cab and pay them cashless and they term others, who cannot do these as idiots or ignorant or non-Indians.

They argue with you, when you show them the fact that 85% people of India do cash transactions, not because they’re corrupt, but because 60% of them are poor or old and non-smart-phoned. They play deaf, when you show them that the real India lies in rural areas, where even after 67 years of Independence, banking and insurance are considered luxury, not because the rural folks are ignorant and un-willing to come to mainstream, but for the sheer non-cooperation of Govt. agencies. They attack you with cliché nationalism weapon, when you try to point out that by taking this drastic step, our government actually lost the battle as their agencies, which were paid by the honest taxpayers for years, are proved to be utterly incapable to flush out the unaccounted money piled by some few bad citizens. The new-elite guys termed themselves as collateral damage. Fuck. They have plastic cards and apps, they have access to banks and ATMs, they have friends who can help them anytime. And they’re collateral damages??? Some posts describe the ‘posters’ even as martyrs, as they’re sacrificing for the country like army men. Some suggest others go cashless and stop corruption. And fucking nobody, even our 56” chested Prime Minister talk about those 60%, who don’t know what to do.

Today I read, an elderly woman farmer did commit suicide when she heard the news that her hard-earned money was soil now. She sold a land and was planning to buy some and she kept the cash in her home. And then I read, in Baster like regions, where Banks and post offices are miles away, the tribals stand all day without foods and water to change their money. Dudes, these are the collateral damages. They are mostly feared and panicked and worried about their lives. Their futures. They are skipping their oneday labor or for twodays’ just to comply the Government’s decision.

And a request to PM. Identify the Government Officials, specially appointed and paid high to do their jobs to find and flush out the black money and just sack them for their incompetency. And then let us chant the patriotism wrapped collateral damage talk. All day.