Tales from the Island of Serendip 4 4

[Flex Mentallo]

[Flex Mentallo]

[Flex Mentallo]

[Flex Mentallo]

The children and I will get back to you later...

 

[sacentaur]

Go Michael!

 

Just curious, what percentage of these kids would you say speaks English?

[Flex Mentallo]

Go Michael!

 

Just curious, what percentage of these kids would you say speaks English?

 

Thanks for the percipient question Steve.

 

Purnabha is right here so I just asked him. He reckons about 5% to 10%. That feels about right from my relatively brief interaction to date. It's actually higher than I had expected.

 

Purnabha has a great idea to harness social capital - that is, get his friends and colleagues to volunteer their time and skills to help Roshni. Only today he told me that two of his friends have agreed to offer English and art tuition. If they can sustain this commitment, it will be a significant development.

 

I'm keeping an open mind.

 

What is also happening is that now I'm actually here, we are firing off ideas at each other on a daily basis.Momentum is building with Roshni as well. The TV crew came back to report on the soccer for example. So lots more to report on when I get back at the end of the month, if not before...

[Flex Mentallo]

Sidenote: After shock referendum and election results in the UK and USA, India decided to outdo us all in the 'let's turn the world upside down' stakes by demonetizing their major currency notes. [There's a demon in the sky, Billy!]

 

The Rs500 and Rs1000 notes were withdrawn in a shock move by the Indian Government on 10th November - the very day I landed at Kolkata Airport:

 

Just seven days and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s massive demonetisation exercise has snowballed into an unprecedented financial emergency in Asia’s third-largest economy.

On Nov. 08,

 

Modi announced that all notes in denominations of Rs500 ($7.40) and Rs1,000 ($14.70) would be illegal in the country. These were the highest and most popular currency denominations in India, forming 86% of the currency in circulation by value. Indians have until Dec. 30 to deposit all the notes in banks and post offices to get them replaced.

 

Modi’s decision was to tackle the corruption, black money, and fake currency that often finance terror. But Indians are panicking. There are long queues outside banks and ATMs, and the poor, unbanked section of the population is not really sure what it should do with these notes.

 

It’s not all bad news, though.

 

The good

While consumers could be cash-strapped for the next few weeks, which could hit spending, the move is a boost to India’s image and economic prospects in the long term. For one, Modi’s masterstroke would mean more people disclose their real incomes and pay taxes, which is good for the government’s coffers. (Only about 1% of the country’s population pays income tax currently). Brokerages have estimated that the clampdown on unaccounted cash could bring in as much as $45 billion for the government. This unprecedented stash of cash could help Modi spend more on education, health, and housing.

 

India’s banking sector, which is fighting toxic loans and liquidity problems, should also bring in benefits. Some Rs1.5 lakh crore ($22 billion) in deposits have been collected by banks since the demonetisation announcement, the Times of India reported on Nov. 14. Banks can use these funds to address their liquidity requirements. Meanwhile, those with no bank accounts would now be forced to open one in order to deposit the now-illegal notes, in turn helping Modi’s Jan Dhan Yojana (people’s wealth program),

 

India’s internet startups are cashing in on the opportunity, too. For instance, ride-hailing startup Ola—Uber’s competitor in India—and Paytm, a mobile wallet firm, have seen a surge in new registrations as people move from cash to digital payments. Within 15 hours of Modi’s announcement, Ola saw an increase of 15 times in recharge volumes on its e-wallet. Cash-on-delivery transactions, costly and time-consuming for e-commerce retailers, should drop at least temporarily.

The bad

 

As the supply of money dries up, small and medium-size business are finding it difficult to pay daily wages and raw material costs, among other expenses. (Indian small businesses typically rely heavily on cash for their day-to-day operations.) While the government on Nov. 14 tweaked certain rules and increased withdrawal and deposit caps, it should still be a tough few weeks.

 

Some critics say not enough measures were taken to handle the deposits and withdrawals that were expected following the announcement. Others question the timing of the move and allege political motivations, particularly with key states preparing for elections. It is important for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to win them if it is to continue to show its strength in the country.

 

Some Indians have devised workarounds to use up the banned notes. Certain government services such as the railways still accept these notes. So those with the now-invalid notes book expensive train tickets, cancel them, and get refunded in new notes. So the Indian Railways had to stop refunding in cash.

 

Gold prices in India are up as many people with undeclared income rushed to buy gold soon after the announcement.

 

Weddings are getting postponed as bills to wedding halls, florists, and caterers are typically paid in cash across India.

 

 

The ugly

 

For some, the long queues turned fatal. There have been suicides reported, too. In the state of West Bengal, a man allegedly murdered his wife after she returned home from the ATM with no money; reports indicated that he expected her to wait in the queue longer.

 

There have been reports of doctors denying treatment because patients had only Rs500 and Rs1,000 notes on them. Some hospitals have refused to admit even critically ill patients. In Patna, Bihar, the family of a three-year-old rape victim reportedly had trouble getting an ambulance driver to take her to the hospital as he allegedly refused to accept the banned currency.

[Flex Mentallo]

Foreign tourists have not been able to exchange currency owing to the critical shortage of newly printed replacement notes, and foreign cards have been blocked on ATMS with many visitors unable to pay even for food. Some have apparently been helped by local hoteliers and market stall vendors. I'm lucky to be staying with friends, but will come unstuck if the situation does not improve before we are due to travel to Darjeeling.

 

 

 

Only in India!

[VintageComics]

Is there any signigicant chance of protest or retaliation to their continued progress?

 

Quite difficult to assess but I should have a better idea following my imminent visit.

From what I've learned, the home is the battlefield, where domestic violence is commonplace. For a girl to oppose this takes extraordinary resilience - such is Shahina, who has had to fight every step of the way, just to be able to go outside without having to cover up in a burka. According to her, there are girls who live and die in these tiny homes (an entire family may live in a space smaller than the average bathroom).

 

I did not observe any public hostility when I was there in March - but the visit was very brief and the men may have been on their best behavior simply because I was a foreigner.

 

What did strike me then as now is that these young women are very determined, and willing to put themselves on the line every day to effect lasting change.

 

As for retaliation, I think there is every possibility of it. For example, acid attacks on young women are currently widespread in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran and elsewhere.

 

19-year-old Reshma Qureshi, from Mumbai, was left with severe facial scars and lost an eye after her brother-in-law and a group of men attacked her throwing acid in her face in Mumbai in 2014.

 

Teaming up with the organisation Make Love Not Scars, Qureshi opened Indian designer Archana Kochhar and FTL Moda's show during New York Fashion Week in September of this year to raise awareness of the issue.

 

As she walked down the catwalk, she was met with cheers and applause from the audience.

 

 

Michael, always appreciate the updates.

 

Those acid attacks are just horrific.

 

This was my biggest fear as I read about the women's progress. Growing up in a very strict, religious environment myself where women were not allowed to do everything that men were allowed, I know personally how dangerous it can be to oppose the status quo.

 

Hopefully the rest of the world comes to understand how much progress needs to be made in parts of the world like India when it comes to women's rights and comes to their aid in some way.

[VintageComics]

Foreign tourists have not been able to exchange currency owing to the critical shortage of newly printed replacement notes, and foreign cards have been blocked on ATMS with many visitors unable to pay even for food. Some have apparently been helped by local hoteliers and market stall vendors. I'm lucky to be staying with friends, but will come unstuck if the situation does not improve before we are due to travel to Darjeeling.

 

 

 

Only in India!

 

I was curious as to how this would play out after reading about the government's plans.

 

Will retailers accept any other currencies (for example UK pounds or $US)?

 

I know when the Yugoslav dinar became extremely devalued 20 years ago they were all too happy to accept $US, Euros, German Marks or UK pounds.

[Flex Mentallo]

Foreign tourists have not been able to exchange currency owing to the critical shortage of newly printed replacement notes, and foreign cards have been blocked on ATMS with many visitors unable to pay even for food. Some have apparently been helped by local hoteliers and market stall vendors. I'm lucky to be staying with friends, but will come unstuck if the situation does not improve before we are due to travel to Darjeeling.

 

 

 

Only in India!

 

I was curious as to how this would play out after reading about the government's plans.

 

Will retailers accept any other currencies (for example UK pounds or $US)?

 

I know when the Yugoslav dinar became extremely devalued 20 years ago they were all too happy to accept $US, Euros, German Marks or UK pounds.

 

There are some stories of vendors accepting limited amounts of foreign currency to begin with but it was not sustainable. Indians are having to stand in line at ATM's literally all day just to get a few rupees, and there is no indication that matters will normalize soon.

 

I haven't needed to get any currency since the airport. Let's see what happens tomorrow when I go to Thomas Cook!

[Flex Mentallo]

Is there any signigicant chance of protest or retaliation to their continued progress?

 

Quite difficult to assess but I should have a better idea following my imminent visit.

From what I've learned, the home is the battlefield, where domestic violence is commonplace. For a girl to oppose this takes extraordinary resilience - such is Shahina, who has had to fight every step of the way, just to be able to go outside without having to cover up in a burka. According to her, there are girls who live and die in these tiny homes (an entire family may live in a space smaller than the average bathroom).

 

I did not observe any public hostility when I was there in March - but the visit was very brief and the men may have been on their best behavior simply because I was a foreigner.

 

What did strike me then as now is that these young women are very determined, and willing to put themselves on the line every day to effect lasting change.

 

As for retaliation, I think there is every possibility of it. For example, acid attacks on young women are currently widespread in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran and elsewhere.

 

19-year-old Reshma Qureshi, from Mumbai, was left with severe facial scars and lost an eye after her brother-in-law and a group of men attacked her throwing acid in her face in Mumbai in 2014.

 

Teaming up with the organisation Make Love Not Scars, Qureshi opened Indian designer Archana Kochhar and FTL Moda's show during New York Fashion Week in September of this year to raise awareness of the issue.

 

As she walked down the catwalk, she was met with cheers and applause from the audience.

 

 

Michael, always appreciate the updates.

 

Those acid attacks are just horrific.

 

This was my biggest fear as I read about the women's progress. Growing up in a very strict, religious environment myself where women were not allowed to do everything that men were allowed, I know personally how dangerous it can be to oppose the status quo.

 

Hopefully the rest of the world comes to understand how much progress needs to be made in parts of the world like India when it comes to women's rights and comes to their aid in some way.

 

I'm still in the delicate process of establishing what level of risk they are actually encountering. On Friday I will be going into the most densely crowded areas and may get a better feel for the difficulties. So far my impression is that the older generation are fairly tolerant - at least in public.

[Flex Mentallo]

Roshni organized a food festival in Rajabazaar yesterday which was attended by some heavyweight local politicians. I was also able to see that there are in fact local men supporting their work, which I found reassuring. Also Sahina's mother and father are directly involved in every event, which I think is hugely significant.

 

Lucina said to me today " If your family is with you, you are invulnerable."

 

I decided to come out and make a personal but very public statement about women being obliged to wear the hijab. Warning: the following images may damage your health!

 

 

 

[Flex Mentallo]

Edited December 23, 2016 by Flex Mentallo

[Flex Mentallo]

[Flex Mentallo]

Edited December 23, 2016 by Flex Mentallo

[Flex Mentallo]

[Flex Mentallo]

[Flex Mentallo]

Lucina then told them I can sing in Bengali. I'll get my revenge on her next time!

 

 

 

[Flex Mentallo]

Edited December 23, 2016 by Flex Mentallo