The duality of India

The relative calm in southern states, while the north of the country sees frequent protests should be a cause for concern

A visit to a few cities in two south Indian states a few days after demonetisation of November 8, 2016, was a significant reminder of how the south of India is different in many ways from its northern counterpart. There were hardly any queues outside banks to exchange old, demonetised currency notes in return of the new ones. Online transactions by credit or debit cards or through payment wallets were relatively easy, without shopkeepers insisting on shelling out cash in return of goods. Tour operators were even willing to accept old, demonetised currency notes without charging any premium. There was