While many in India stand in queues to grab some cash in exchange for their old 1,000 and 500 rupee notes, have Bangaloreans been able to avoid the queues and survive the cash crunch thanks to technology?
Mobile wallets, digital payments, online booking and orders have long been a way of life for tech-savvy Bangaloreans. During the current cash crisis, small-time shopkeepers, hawkers, auto drivers and neo-tech literates are all trying to adopt new ways to replace cash transactions with digital payments.
Mohammed Osama, 30, had seen no cash since morning when I visited him at his garment shop at commercial street. Customer footfall has been unusually low. Whatever little business he is getting is through cards or mobile apps.
To pay through this app you need to scan the bar code of the product. Once the customer approves the transaction, I get money in my mobile wallet. We installed this app four months ago, when the company’s staff came to us. Now this seems to be the only help available.
Manish Prajapathi a samosa vendor at Commercial Street, explained why people like him are embracing technology.
Most people these days don’t like to carry cash. Everything is done on the internet. I adopted Patym since I didn’t want to lose customers. You have to give them all the options to pay if you don’t want to lose business.
Bangaloreans have long lived by this motto: There are some things money can't buy. For everything else, there’s a mobile app! Penetration of technology has re-defined day to day life in Bengaluru. As the cash crunch hits India, Bangaloreans from different cross-sections seem to be adopting new ways to survive.
For many, however, ATM and bank queues are still the last resort, since 'digital' is yet to reach the 'real' India.
Video Editor: Mohd Irshad Alam
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