What Is Currency?

Our relationship with currency continues throughout our lives but both currency and we change and evolve.

- Guru Prasad Makam

When I talk about currency, you would relate to me, irrespective of your age, profession or business or if you are a homemaker. You would identify with my musings if you are playing with your grandchildren or if you are searching for a new purpose post-retirement. Currency communicates in any language, caste, and nationality. Currency communicates to a Mahatma or a criminal.

Today's teens might not understand the cricket matches of yesteryears. Decades ago, when we were kids, cricket matches would be played for pencils. We used to be proud of collecting pencils won in a cricket match. The losing team paid for the loss in pencils; assorted colours would adorn our lives. At that stage, a pencil won or lost was our currency.

Thereafter, the piggy bank came in, and the tinkle of the coin gave us such a sense of joy, and to see the huge pile of coins when the mud piggy bank was broken open gave us a sense of abundance. I still remember the sight of a few coins, shining, coppery, which formed a pile and this pile was my biggest material ownership. As soon as we grew up, the piggy bank concept died.