Have you held a crisp 1000 rupee currency note in your palm and felt the excitement of touching a clean currency note? Or even a neat and fairly 'new' 100 rupee note? Of course with the 'onslaught' of the ATM centers, we do get to see lovely,crisp and clean notes and have almost overcome the frustration of those 'ancient manuscripts' in the form of five rupee notes and the worst of the lot. 'The infamous two rupee note!'

That really does not make up for the many times we have grumbled about these torn and 'shrivelled' two rupee notes which would have gone past billions and trillions of hands in zillions of 'places' not necessarily in the same period of time....maybe, there are coins and notes that are in circulation for the last 25 years.

But did you know that Bangalore has been kindest in it's treatment towards these 'sorry leaves of paper'. People from other states of India, not to mention that odd frustrated tourist, have wondered at the Bangaloreans for using such old, worn out currency... we have been so persistent in our effort to keep them 'going' that we find a note pieced together by a thick cellotape running all across it. The weight of the small note ends up weighing a couple of pounds heavier!!

And don't ask me to describe the color of the note after it's long journey everywhere in the country. You have no idea what it looked like when it first saw the light of day! The average bus conductor in the city is the most optimistic person when it comes to these two rupee or five rupee notes. You fear being chided in front of a crowded bus; instead he takes your money only too willingly after which he passes it on to another passenger to settle his bus fare. And with equal enthusiasm.

All said and done, hasn't it been a nuisance having to deal with such torn, grubby,unrecognizable archaic versions of the Indian currency? I used to think the jingle-jangle of coins were a bother and that notes were more preferred but not anymore seeing the sorry plight of the currency notes.

Maybe, the Government can hold a contest of sorts to award the person who comes out with most number of soiled two rupee currency notes or do something equally ridiculous to bring an end to an otherwise long life of the widely travelled two rupee note!!!

Drop your opinions in the 'Banging it out Board' on Communiqué.