One day, I went to Nepal Rastra Bank to deposit some of the foreign currencies collected from our customers. Many of them were returned by NRB and you might have guessed the reasons. Many of them were either written over, soggy or mutilated.
Likewise, currency notes play significant roles in all rituals and festivals in our lives from birth to death. During puja we offer notes to gods, temples, monasteries and to relatives as part of blessings too. During these occasions, notes are often covered by tika, water/oil , wet flowers thereby reducing their texture and crispiness. Further, in Buddhist culture, notes are folded in a certain way to place them in mandal/mendal. Also, during marriage and funeral ceremony notes are sewed to make garlands too.
We cannot comment or discourage people of using notes in such manner during occasions, as it definitely harms the religious tolerance and particularly where people have deep faith towards gods and their religion, numerous other activities have really been a growing concern in Nepalese societies these days.
While globalization has made a huge impact in Nepalese economy, fellow countrymen are huge followers of western culture and traditions creating a very materialistic societies where economy is very slow or in a negative direction. One morning, a young customer asked me fresh notes of 500 rupees, reason only for making a flower bouquet. Now, where did this thing originate from and why are social media influencers promoting such culture? There are enough flowers for making beautiful bouquet but our people have been displaying their wealth and fake affection by exchanging flower bouquet made up of 500 and 1000 rupee notes.
Sometimes, it triggers me more that our stale minds have become hyper active to only practise and learn cultures that have zero productivity in our lives. Our human tendency or maybe huge unemployment has led us flow ourselves into fake emotions and extravagant splurge of money.
In a country where we worship Laxmi puja every year, avoid ourselves from stamping our foot on currency notes, we have lost far behind in understanding the core value of money and notes. Our behavioural pattern has not only cost our country's economy but our own social norms and values.
This year, Nepal Rastra Bank has declared that they won't be distributing fresh notes but only clean notes, the happiest people are the ones who have understood the reason behind it. The comment sections are often flooded by people blaming this action as a motive to deplete Sanatan dharma. But I'm hopeful that people would gradually immerse into spiritual awakening to identify good and bad and choose be wise to celebrate our rich culture and traditions. Happy Festivities.
