What's with the change situation in Bombay? No one, but no one seems to have change. OK, maana ki if you give a 100-rupee note, it might be difficult for the other person to give you Rs87 back. A little awkward.
But come on. The fare is Rs17 and when I give him a 20-rupee note, the taxiwala asks if I don't have change. What, am I supposed to have Rs17 exactly or is HE supposed to have three? And the Shopper's Stop checkout girl was the limit. The bill was for 1850 and when I handed over two 1,000-rupee notes, she - you guessed right - wonders if I have change. How does a chain of stores grow so big in spite of asking for change in every bloody transaction?
And what do they do with all the change they extort from helpless customers, all these taxiwalas and shopkeepers? Do they stash it away buried in a little corner of their building compound and go forth looking for more change?
I was in the bus one day, and it was nearing the end of the route. The conductor was seated near me, sorting all the money in his satchel. He then waved a bunch of ten-rupee notes and said, "Would anyone like change for a hundred?" I'm sure all the people who reached for their wallets/purses would have hugged him if they could. They must have felt such a sense of relief receiving the change, thinking how they could probably scrape through tomorrow at least.
Yup, that's how the good citizens of Bombay live - a little change at a time.
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