Tight-rope walk-back artist and his physics

A tight-rope walker uses a long curved pole, the curve facing down (weighed heavily at the ends).

It was in my school days I learned that the pole curving downwards helps the walker balance himself. I do not know whether the explanation offered then is correct. But, let me assume it is.

Then, what happens if one tries to walk back on a tight rope? For the cause of symmetry, I believe the pole should be held curved upwards, despite the loaded ends.

Donald J Trump could not get himself to test this out. That is why he never “walked back” anything he said. If pressed, he just walked forward more, asserting the lies he had said earlier; like crowds in New Jersey celebrating 9/11.

Not so Narendra Modi, the intrepid and indefatigable Indian prime minister. He walked, boldly and almost alone, along the tight rope of demonetization of two high-end currency notes of Rs. 500/- and Rs. 1,000. He believed in the physics he learned. If you cycle faster, you have less chance of losing balance. So, he did it overnight; was in a hurry to reach the other end – Make India Digital, For the First Time (that resonates with his kin Trump’s Make America Great Again).

But, there in the middle, Modi found out he had to walk back. This is where the physics he learned has not come to his rescue.

The original claim, plug the faucet that feeds fund for terrorists. Of late, nobody claims this as justification for the effort. But, to be honest, Modi is not walking back on this. He is staying put, not the way Trump would have done. The physics is not yet settled on this issue.

Modi said that the rich are spending sleepless nights. However, as per reports, the poor are the ones who avoid sleeping, fearing nightmares, as they do not know where and with what currency note they can buy their next meal. Again, no walking back on this.

Black money will come out in the open is another forward step. And, it ain’t happening. Indeed, rich Indians appear to be more adept at turning white money – the newly minted notes of Rs. 2,000 denominations are being hoarded, in due time to become black.

Modi, to be sure, is not still. He is letting others do the forward march on his behalf. His lead acolyte Arun Jaitley is doing verbal tightrope walking. The next in line is the bureaucrat Shaktikanta Das. Suddenly, after what seemed eternity, the RBI governor Urjit Patel found his voice, all in the service of Narendra Modi.

The constant refrain is there is adequate cash, in tenderable currency and coins, in the economy. Tell that to the bank teller in front of whom you are lining up to cash a cheque for Rs. 2,500/-. No, you take back your cheque and waste another leaf, write another one for Rs. 2,000/- and take whatever the teller gives you. Tenderable notes, you say? Only in multiples of 2,000. No walking back on this, by NaMo (it has been a long time since I heard that), Jaitley, Das or Patel. But, note, all of them except the first are walking forward.

ATMs will start working yesterday, we are told. Well, this morning I checked and they have also joined Narendra Modi, sitting there motionless like the sidewalk Ganapathy idol.

None is walking back.

Blame physics for that. The uncertainty of the pole curving up or down when you walk back.

Raghuram Ekambaram