In the weeks since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced demonetisation, Hema, who considers herself a technologically-challenged person, has had to learn three things: net banking, using mobile wallet apps and how to be cashless yet survive.
When the announcement was made to scrap old notes, Hema’s husband Tanveer, a documentary film-maker who travels for weeks at a stretch, was in Siliguri.
Finding herself in a spot, Hema called up her husband who told her to use net banking and install mobile-wallet apps to deal with the situation. With no other option, she opened her computer to do some net banking.
Trial and error
An account holder with ICICI bank, Hema tried to log-in but when the website asked for her net banking password, she closed the window. “I tried calling my husband to ask about it, but he was busy with his shoot”.
“Actually, it is a mental block, especially among women. They think they are not ‘smart enough’ to use technology,” says Hema, a counsellor with an NGO.
Three days later, she searched online about net banking password.
“I thought when I can create my profile on Facebook and manage it, this can’t be so difficult.”
She checked all the documents that she was given when she had opened her account in 2012 but it didn’t have any details about her net banking password. But Hema persevered, she went back to the bank’s website and managed to generate another password.
“I didn’t have any urgent need for money as people in Okhla are surviving on credit. We had enough ration at home and didn’t have to pay anyone. But I had to learn it as later I will need it,” says Hema.
Perseverance
She first tried by transferring Rs.100 to her sister’s account, but it was unsuccessful. Seeing terms like IFSC code, NEFT and RTGS, Hema logged-out thinking that it was all very technical. Another hurdle was understanding the procedure: adding a payee to the list before transferring money.
“I didn’t know that I had to first add the payee and then only I can proceed to transfer money”.
Success
After five unsuccessful attempts and much searching on the internet, she was able to transfer money to her sister’s account. “I called my sister to check if she got the money. She did. It might be a small thing but it is empowering, especially when you learn it on your own”.
