Remembering One Year Of Demonetisation Through Art

From cartoons to stand up acts, here’s everything inspired by Notebandi.

A painting by an artist representing how PM Modi protecting mother India.

(Photo Courtesy: Instagram/subh_rawat1807)

8 November 2016

The shock, the confusion, the rush, the queues, and the debate... Phew! Has it been a year already?

Apart from the long queues and the papers full of contradictory headlines, what stands out over the one year since demonetisation happened is the amount of chatter the subject generated.

So here’s looking at demonetisation... through art.

Rs 100 Ki Keemat Tum Kya Jano

When your money is just a piece of paper...

In just one night, precious notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 became valueless. After the initial shock, what came next was the rush to procure as many Rs 100 notes as possible. When the ATMs ran out of money, people even ‘bought’ Rs 100 for more than its monetary value!

Brokers working extra hard to get your money ‘exchanged’Photo Courtesy: Facebook/nischal.jain.98

Ab Tera Kya Hoga Kaliya?

Surgical Strike on Black Money

Once people weathered the initial shock, the hows and whys was the next thing to be discussed. People wanted to believe that there was value to the hardship they were going through. That it was all for the greater good, and that became the promised impact of demonetisation on black money hoarders and tax evaders. Modi emerged as a hero for many, for taking such a major step against black money hoarders.

Mera Number Kab Ayega?

But our soldiers are also standing at the Border

As the cash crunch continued through November, the lines in front of the ATM didn’t show any signs of receding. The popular answer to whoever questioned the fruitfulness of the exercise was, ‘If our soldiers can stand at the border to protect us, we should be able to stand in the ATM line for our country.’

When AIB broke down the post demonetisation sentiments in this hilarious skit.

Pran Jaye Par Adarsh Na Jaye

100 Deaths And Counting

As demonetisation entered its fifth week, the number of deaths that were linked to it rose to a staggering amount.

Dekho 2000 Zamana Aa Gaya: Chutte Hai Kya?

And then came a time when the newly designed Rs 2,000 note was introduced in the market. Anticipation surrounding the new currency note was quite high, given the initial rumours that the specially designed notes would carry chips in it, that would make it impossible to be forged. Of course, those were just rumours.

The notes brought with itself a fresh problem: Hardly anybody had change for it.

All Is Well, Or is it?

Fresh reports suggest demonetisation has slowed down the country’s economic growth while failing to bring back all the black money into the economy.

While content around demonetisation continues to be generated, we are faced with newfound impacts of demonetisation, the best way to describe the general reaction to notebandi, when the dust had settled down, is probably this parody song by East India Comedy.

How did you express yourself after demonetisation? Write to us in the comments.