More than just a Joke

More than just a Joke

Here is a joke that came up on my WhatsApp in the morning. It was sent by a woman friend of mine and I found it both funny and thought-provoking. Let me copy the message first.

“Everyone is requested to soak 11 almonds every night from 04.09.23 to 29.09.23 and eat them on an empty stomach in the morning. By doing this the memory becomes sharp.  You will remember where the Rs 2000 notes are hidden. 30.09.23 is the last date for exchanging notes

Rs 40 thousand crore notes are still with the public

Issued in your interest!!!”

I am sure everyone would have a hearty laugh at this one. The unique way in which the key topic is approached, what with the need to eat almonds – that too, soaked overnight, to enrich your memory. And hence dig out the illegal notes that you hid because you never declared it, to evade tax, or for some, more nefarious reasons. It surely evokes a sense of comic relief and deserves a good laugh.

Obviously, the tax evasion part is for the commoners like you and me. However, there is a serious twist to this. Forty Thousand Crore rupees that need to be circulating in a vibrant economy are unaccounted for and all that can’t obviously be in the hidden trunk under the bed of some housewife. Or stuck in the old boot of the small businessman. It is unaccounted for because the people who hold on to it do not want it to be known that they have earned it……. through means unacceptable and/or illegal.

One of the easiest ways to destroy a nation, especially one on the rise is to curb its economy- or the growth of it. For any economy to grow it needs money to be in free circulation. Every Rupee, Dollar, Pound, or Ruble needs to be accounted for. There is no harm in saving or in frugality. But it should not be in a manner that stops the money from flowing, or markets from being the venue for exchange.

But even more important is the fact that this money is not in circulation owing to the fact that they are from questionable sources or an unacceptable transaction. From bribery to international terrorism, these hoarded caches are the brewing ground of national destruction or the attempts at that. This is why this rather funny joke, also needs to be the cause for some public thinking.

I appreciate the friend of mine who forwarded the message to me and thank her for the same.