FIFTY days, that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked of the people, were completed but with no signs of abatement of hardships. These fifty days have brought to light umpteen stories of hardships that the people had to suffer in order to access their hard earned money. These fifty days also witnessed the goalposts of demonetisation shifting continuously. First it started as a measure to combat black money and terrorism. Later it was championed as a necessary step for transition towards a 'cashless society', which yet again was subtly modified to a 'less cash society'.

A FARMER in Tamil Nadu's Thiruvarur district, sowed paddy hoping the Cauvery waters would irrigate his four-acre field. But the saplings he had planted began dying as the water released from the reservoir of Mettur Dam did not reach the tail end areas where his farm was located. Unable to repay a loan of Rs. 50,000, the farmer killed himself consuming pesticide, his family says. He was found dead near his field. His son said, "With no rain and no water, we are in debt too. My father was under stress seeing the fields.

SWATI Chaturvedi's book I am a Troll, released a few days back, blows the lid off BJP's systematic trolling of its opponents. We have always known that the trolling on the internet we see on a daily basis was an organised effort of the BJP. We now learn that there is a team, directly controlled by the RSS and BJP leadership that is at the centre of this trolling. This was the team that fed the lies, the “drip of hate”, vicious attacks on women including threats of rape, to a larger troll army.

OVER the ages, people with disabilities have been subjected to discrimination, stigmatised, segregated and condemned to the margins. The disabled were abandoned at temple gates, driven out of homes and in some cases left to die or even killed. Disability, in popular perception, continues to be considered a punishment for sins committed in the past life. This is internalised by both the disabled and their families, who view it as a curse not only on themselves but also on those whom they are dependent on. The cultural antipathy to persons with disabilities is deep rooted.

WE are seeing in India at present a remarkable inversion of reason. The more the common people suffer from the impact of Modi’s demonetisation, the more he is lauded for the “courage” shown by him in undertaking it. An economic measure should be, and normally is, judged on the basis of how it benefits the people, and any measure that brings distress to the people is derided for that reason. What we find in the present case however is just the opposite: the more demonetisation brings distress to the people, the more it is applauded for its wisdom and courage.