Memorable money day

By RK Rishikesh Sinha

What would you do? You swipe your ATM card, and you find unexpected sum of money in your account.

All hell breaks loose. Isn’t ?

It happened with me on 5^th July yesterday. I didn’t believe my eyes, I was continuously swiping my ATM Card and it was pouring out hare hare Rs 500 aur Rs 100 ke note.

Things unfurled like this on 5^th July.

In the morning, I deposited a cheque of amount Rs 2632 to my nearby private sector bank (I am holding the name of the bank).  At the evening, when I checked at the ATM whether the amount has been credited to my account or not; and took the mini statement, and went through the balance. I was awed, was in surprise, and confused to find this sum of money. I cannot believe my eyes. Then what a mortal like me will do? Check and validate it.

I started continuously swiping the ATM Card, punching my ATM PIN and withdrawing stream of money.  My small purse was failing to hold this sum of money. I was in hurry with lot of thoughts crossing over my mind. I saw a person waiting for me to come out. I stopped my activity. And allowed him to enter the ATM. Soon, he went out. Again, I get to my work, uninterruptedly, in the silence of darkness.

While busy in my work, a thought cross my mind. In such moments, mind works very fast with a lightning speed! I stopped my activity and came straight to home to check the source of money. I found, the bank official has wrongly entered the actual amount Rs 2632.

Gruesome mistake on the part of bank, the bank on which we all bestow our faith, and put our hard earned money.

At midnight, chintan manthan started with my wife after narrating the whole incident. I went back to all my past incidents where similar free money I got from roadside, in buses, and my relationship with such money.

One incident from the past came straight in front of my eyes. I was riding along with my friends from BSF campus to Air Force campus in Guwahati. It was a rainy season, and we three boys found a Rs 10 note.  We were happy that it will pay the cost of three cup of tea. We paddled few metre, again we found lot of Rs 10 note in the either side of road. All total we accumulated above Rs 500. This was big sum for three of us. We divided it among ourselves and went straight to hotel gulping all our favourite dishes. Result: I fell ill for three days.

However, my relationship with such money doesn’t allow me to hold it. I decided to handover the cash that I had withdrawn from the ATM the very next day to the bank. I also intimated the account holder by email from whose account, the amount has been transferred erroneously.

Today morning I visited the bank where I have my account and narrated the whole story. They were bewildered. I paid cash all the money that I had withdrawn and to their instruction, I withdraw more cash, gave it to them, and made a self cheque. 

In between, something cemented my belief: duniya gol hein. The executive who had done the mistake, came out to be the same person about whom I complained to the bank headquarter long back for not opening my bank account (of course for incompetency in banking rules).  Though the bank had to open my account. Again today, the person was in front of me. His job was in stake, and reputation of the bank was in stake.

Nonetheless, I refunded the amount. The story didn't end here as the account holder was reluctant to adhere to the modus operandi that the bank officials were willing to do. For that also, I was requested by the same executive to persuade the account holder on my personal terms.  I kept his request. Finally, it was done with no more fuss.

End of the long story. I am happy; there is no free money with me.  The bank definitely is in a jubilant state; after all they saved their face. And the person got back his money.

The bank person called me showered all in-the-name-of-humanity sentences and assured me any banking help. 

I will never forget this day. After all, such incidents happen once in a blue moon.