P. Sainath

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The notice on the wall inside the Sri Lakshmi Bhavan Tiffin
Room – Chitradurga’s most famous eating place –  reads, in Kannada:

For customers’ attentionWe don’t have change for the Rs. 2,000 notes. Please tender exact change or transact with currency of smaller denomination

That notice went up in the first few days after the demonetisation of November 8, 2016. “It really hit us,” says S. Murali, the manager.  “First 3-4 months, we lost 50 per cent of our business. People would come here and then leave without eating. It was a bad time.”  And this was the fate of the best-known tiffin room in Chitradurga town, headquarters of the district of the same name in Karnataka. 


















But, we ask ,“The currency situation has eased, cash
is back, and it has been a year now –  so
why still carry the notice?”  Murali
smiles. “Yes, things are much better now, but I think we still prefer to retain
it.” The unspoken message: you never know… it might happen again. And who knows
what they’ll come up with next?I’m glad we had the appropriate denominations. The dosas here are incredible. Tourists visiting the famous Chitradurga Fort, and people from other nearby towns, come here for them. I’d recommend this tiffin room. Just don’t flash any Rs. 2,000 notes.

Striking the right notes on ‘demon’ anniversary

বিমুদ্ৰাকৰণৰ বৰ্ষপূৰ্তিয়ে সোঁৱৰাই দিয়া বিভীষিকাময় সময়ৰ কথাৰে

നോട്ടുനിരോധനത്തിന്റെ വാർഷികത്തിൽ പ്രസക്തമായ ഒരു 'നോട്ട്'

নোটবন্দির বর্ষপূর্তিতেও মুদ্রারাক্ষসের আতংক

பணமதிப்பிழப்பிற்கான ஆண்டுவிழாவில் சரியான குறிப்புகளை தட்டுதல்

ବିମୁଦ୍ରୀକରଣର ବର୍ଷକ ପରେ ସଠିକ୍‌

नोटाबंदीचं भूत - वर्ष झालं तरी मानगुटीवर

‘नोटबंदी’ के साल भर बाद भी जख्म हरे हैं

’نوٹ بندی‘ کے سال بھر بعد بھی زخم ہرے ہیں

Chitradurga

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Striking the right notes on ‘demon’ anniversary

A year after demonetisation hit them, small eating places in the Karnataka countryside still bear the scars

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