I am not sure if change is the only constant in the world, but in my house, ‘change’ is the only constant. I am referring to the ‘change’ as in currency of lower denominations, rather coins. Even before I returned to Chennai, I used to use my trips to Chennai for using the ‘change’ that my mother accumulates. I don’t think she is a numismatist but may be sense of sound of coins gives her security. As long as one is not penny wise and pound foolish, it is fine. Only ‘as long as’ :(
Bengaluru ‘demonetized’ the usage of 25 paise coins quite some years ago. None of the shop keepers or even bus conductors accept 25 paisa coins. I guess I would have been thrown out of the bus if I gave the ‘hard earned’ 5, 10 and 20 paisa coins that my mother accumulated with such panache :D Maybe Chennai always catches the bug the last and I saw on TV a couple of days ago that 25 paisa coins are going to be ‘declared invalid’ from June 2011! I don’t know whether I saw it coming long back that I started this changing the 'change' into notes/bus tickets long back. Bad news is that I am not still done :( Earlier I could relax if I missed an opportunity but now with this timeline in mind, I have to ensure that I wrap this job before say April 2011. For once, I think I will do it. Even before I saw the announcement on TV, I had used the coins to a great extent in the ever reliable (at least as far as change is concerned) Chennai buses. Maybe if I lived in South Chennai, I would not have been able to do that. Thankfully I am in ‘Central Chennai’ (at least according to me). So I can change the change ;)
Update: 20 Jan 2011, 10:30 hrs IST
Well, I underestimated my mother :( I was glad at accomplishing the task much earlier on 15 Jan 2011. I was exposed to some more 'treasure' today morning and have to see how soon I 'change' that. Heard of 'akshayapatra'? :( The treasure trove of 5,10 and 20 paise coins have to be dumped, so I thought. My mother says she collected those to put it in the collection boxes in temples! Nice place indeed. Worthless go to the worthless. Do you know what is 'divine intervention'? That means, God came down from heaven and took all those worthless coins. With due regards to Quentin Tarantino, Samuel Jackson, John Travolta and Pulp Fiction.
Update: 24 Jan 2011, 9:50 hrs IST
Well, I did it! Barring the 5,10,20 paise coins, I did the 'impossible', thanks to Chennai buses ;) 5,10,20 paise coins that I see as of now amount to Rs.5.40/- in total. My mother has already sounded the warning that there is more waiting to be uncovered :( Maybe that will be 'discovered' some other day while searching for something else. By then, usage of coins itself would have been deprecated! I found it strange that even the banks refused to take coins of lower denomination. If not banks, then who else? RBI? :( My father was saying that I should go to RBI, which I think is in Parrys or nearby. Going there to change this currency will be meaningless for even the bus fare will be more than that ;)
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