B L Saraf
Jury is still out! Has the demonetization of high denomination currency notes been a boon, bane, or a game changer? Did it yield the desired result? Experts in the domain are on the job, but are yet to pronounce a verdict. Let them take their own time, no hurry. Certainly, for a common man it has brought about a qualitative and, probably, an indelible change in his Curricula Vitae (CV). The demonetization has consciously brought ‘ digitalization’ in the national narrative: and, that apart, has thrown up so many consequences , some intended and quite a few of them unintended.
In one of my frequent visits to the bank, necessitated thanks to the cash rationing, I had a chance to overhear an interesting conversation going on between the bank official and a prospective client. “What is your name and address,” inquisitive and diligent official enquired from the person. Pat came the answer, ” Forget about the name and address, Sir ji, ask me what is my Number, I have plenty of them.” Suddenly, the truth struck me as under;
Well said by the unnamed but sufficiently Numbered person. Presently, all of us have to go through a process, rolled in, where we are called to utter a Number for any transaction or a business – official or semi official. Name has receded into the background, and we have been reduced to a Number – at times to the Aadhaar , sometimes to PAN, often to Ration card and occasionally to the Driving License . Then, we flaunt ATMs, Debit / Credit Cards and Cell Numbers at the drop of a hat . In a poetic sense, Mr. A has become Mr. 1. By choice, we may not have metamorphosed from Name to Number but have, certainly, transformed from the past to the present to suit the wishes of the rulers – who may well have better thoughts on the subject . Truly, man has become a bundle of Cards.
So, what if, our Name has lost meaning and the purpose. Surely, there is no need to worry. After all “What is in the name “? Shakespeare said it long back. Soon, its disuse will erase name from the memory, making way for numerical and the digits. No doubt, our intelligence to hold the Numbers in mind and retain the ability to shoot out them on demand will be a daunting task. Even then there is nothing to lament, a positive side to it is also visible. A great sense of equality is writ large in the Number. Henceforth, nobody would be called Tom, Dick and Harry. And, to the much delight of Sam Goldwyn, “every Tom, Dick and Harry won’t be named Arthur.” Similarly, Barbara Bush would be happy that, in absence of the name, no road, building or a land mark will, ever, resurrect a dead politician. And, none will live with the ignominy of a tagged nickname.
There is another advantage of jumping from Name to Number. Name makes person a He or She, leaving no word for the in- between. Number will address the long standing issue by filling up the space between He and the She. The gender neutral trait inherent in the Number will prove handy to solve many, hitherto, unsolved problems. There is an added benefit: absence of Name from our identity will detach us from our forefathers, and we will get striped of our caste, creed and color trappings. Replaced by the caste/ religion neutral Number, these considerations will evaporate from the Electoral politics and we may have a political campaign shorn off these ills. That may, hopefully, herald in a genuine debate based on the issues of bread, butter, good life and wellness of the nation. Then, the word “His ” will become redundant in the Election laws and the courts will be saved from going into a hair- splitting exercise to interpret the word, as has been the case recently.
It could be one step travel from Name to Number but, collaterally, it is giant leap to the gender / caste neutral polity. Let the experts do their job and draw the verdict, demonetization along with its intended and unintended consequences will be a winner. Long live demonetization!
(The author is former Principal District & Sessions Judge)
feedbackexcelsior@gmail.com
Follow our WhatsApp channel