There is a sense of déjà vu about our torment as we reel under the onslaught of the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. The queues to access public facilities, the calls to family and friends for assistance, the desperation in the eyes of daily-wagers unable to find work, the befuddlement at the world changing overnight – we have been through all these experiences that we, in our forgetfulness, mistake for completely new.

Really, when did we last experience such misfortunes?
Answer: In the weeks following November 8, 2016, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi invalidated old currency notes worth Rs 15.41 lakh crore. He ordered a person could draw only R24,000 a week from bank or ATM. Modi knew he was subjecting the nation to untold suffering, but it was, he said, a prerequisite to root out black money hoarders and terror financiers, and eliminate fake currency. “Let us join this festival of integrity and credibility,” Modi exhorted.