How I realized India is still an offline country

Photo credit: Devanath.

I was among many Indians who had the opportunity to work in Silicon Valley. But working in the mecca of startups for more than a decade can distort your sense of reality. Remember Steve Job’s reality distortion field? It is still alive and kicking in the Valley long after the man passed. After relocating to the US, I discovered that the grass is greener (or should I say browner) on the other side! (You can read about my experience here.)

Let’s fast forward to November 8, 2016, when all hell broke loose as the Indian prime minister announced the demonetization plan. While the world will continue to debate about its pros and cons (and we may never know whether the plan will really work), the entire episode taught me a lesson.

But that’s not all that happened. Just when I thought I was trapped in a surreal dream, cyclone Vardah took aim at my hometown and reinforced that lesson.

These two events made me realize something profound. If you are a farmer you probably know about it, but for people who have always dealt with virtual things, you will need a solid knock on your head to bring you back to earth, literally and figuratively.

Demonetization: An introvert’s worst nightmare

I am an introvert by nature and I designed my business operations to suit me like a glove. Seven days a week, I work from home and hardly see anyone from the outside world. Every now and then, I marvel at what I have pulled off. I have created an introvert’s paradise designed to keep human interaction to the bare minimum.

After the demonetization announcement, I found myself doing the very thing I dreaded—mingling with people. I was standing in a queue with hundreds of other Indians trying to exchange a bunch of 500 and 1,000 Rupee notes with smaller denominations for day-to-day expenses. I was drawn into awkward conversations about the pros and cons of the scheme, fending off conspiracy theories about why the government wanted us to hand over high-denomination cash, and expressing my satisfaction that those who evaded taxes are now staring at huge losses.

Looking back on that eventful day, I wonder how people like me are far removed from the reality of India. The country is a very offline country yet has a booming online economy.

But when push comes to shove, the reality of India will bring you down to earth pretty quickly. After all, I couldn’t upload my old currency notes and download new ones—at least not yet. Demonetization was a man-made event of epic proportions that made us Indians realize how dependent we still are on an ancient invention to run commerce.

Kindness and generosity: The currency of cyclones and floods

I had barely recovered from the shock of having to deal with people after November 8 when cyclone Vardah hit Chennai. I hadn’t seen such fierce winds in my lifetime and for a moment I felt very vulnerable.

After the storm worked its way through the city, there was an eerie calm. Along with the thousands of trees that had fallen across Chennai was my online world which had also crashed down. I had a panic attack as I was completely cut from everything I needed to run my online business. I just had to hunker down and hope that the cyclone did not wash away all the hard work I had put in.

After enduring a couple of days of no power and water rations, I was forced to venture out to buy milk and some provisions. It was a surreal experience to climb through fallen trees as I tried to weave a path that would lead me out of my now blocked street.

The stores were all closed and the only thing I could buy were some fruits from a lady with a pushcart. As you might expect, I was carrying just a credit card and some coins. I rounded up the coins and asked for a couple of bananas. She took my coins and gave me a dozen bananas instead! Her rationale for giving away the fruits was that they’re going to go to waste anyways so why not just put it to good use.

At this, I was thanking God that I ran into this generous street vendor. I guessed I wasn’t an introvert after all. Even during the last days of epic floods in Chennai, strangers banded together to lend a helping hand.

I learned my lesson