'Connect me to I Connect'

   

It was a  well deferred visit to one of the reputable Banks. I would have preferred not visiting the bank, but it was inevitable. A few years back when we moved from Nigdi to Chinchwad, we were asked to change the address of all the important documents. An address proof is asked almost everywhere. This bank was one of the places where I had not updated the address, and as luck would be the last leaf of the cheque book had to be utilised after moving to the new address.  At the moment, I needed a new cheque book, but kept the visit awaiting owing to the numerous chores which occupied my consideration. One sunny day, I visited the bank and requested the fair young gentleman at the counter to issue a new cheque book. He told me that a cheque book would be delivered at my house address. I quickly reminded him that the postal address had changed. He asked me to submit the necessary documents to provide a  proof of residence. I  got busy with the other chores and kept delaying the trip to the bank. 
   

I visited the bank a six months later. The man at the counter had changed and now there sat a man in spectacles. There was a new person, a girl wearing a jacket sporting the bank’s name with a message on top saying “May I help you”.  With a beaming smile she welcomed people and solved everyone’s problems. She was young, short, fair with a joyful smile and raised eyebrows which helped people reach her. The man in spectacles told me that there was no need to submit  the documents for an address proof as all the accounts were now connected through internet.  He said that I needed to log into the personal banking  website  of their bank with my login Id and change the address. I could  then send a message via my mobile to the bank requesting for a cheque book and the bank would post the cheque book to the given address. I could use the debit card to pay  bills, and get online statements  that would  relieve me of the visits to the bank. I looked at the man and said that I would like to carry out transactions by coming to the bank, but was happy to be connected  through internet banking.

As soon as I went home, I tried logging in with all the details that  I had preserved sincerely, but the 'Iconnect' refused to connect. I tried saying forgot the password, it readily asked me a series of details, and when I used the pin number it kept refusing to accept. I got annoyed and pressed the number several times, I saw the screen come alive with red lettered words all over. The phone screeched and there was a message saying ‘you have tried using the wrong pin number so the ATM card is blocked till 21.30’. Exasperated, I left the page and did not bother for a couple of weeks.

One day, it was cloudy and it rained, the weather was inviting enough to go out. I quickly reached the bank. I searched for the man in spectacles, but there sat another man. Thankfully the young ‘May I help you’ girl came ahead. I asked her about the man in spectacles, she said he had been promoted and transferred to another branch. I told her that my ATM card was blocked for a few hours, a few weeks back and I wanted to change the address to get a cheque book but was unable to login to ‘I connect’. The ‘help you’ lady took me to a computer that was vacant and started filling the information, I took out all the details that I had and laid it on the table and began observing people around. She then kept me busy saying give the ATM card. I said I have just a debit card. She looked at me in disappointment and said that’s the ATM card too. I looked at her  in disbelief and asked her whether  it was the same one, but the SBI gives different ones. She looked aside shocked, pushed the keyboard towards me and asked me to type a password. I  asked  her ceremoniously, ‘any specifications’, she said it should include all types. I smiled and used an upper case, a special character and a numerical. She then tried to submit it, but failed to do so. By this time, many more approached her so she sent me to another counter. I found a chair and relaxed in front of the young looking man who was thoroughly busy on a computer. There was something in a tabular column resembling a monthly EMI (Equated monthly Instalment) in front of him. He kept looking at me  periodically and excused himself for a minute as he completed the work. I said that I had all the time in the world that day and would not mind waiting. He then told me with a smile that my account was active and not dormant as the ‘Help you’ lady had mentioned. I wondered what a dormant account was, a seed dormancy was something I knew. He then asked me to join a pension scheme. I replied to his query with my memorised sentence, ‘please help me with Iconnect banking’, I added that I could join a pension scheme when I had sufficient income to spare some. He now pleaded, but I now looked aside at a lady sitting next to him, I moved there and asked her whether she could help me. I said I have the details, the transaction password, the normal password and so on. She said, 'these are very old madam, you change these'. I said that I was  unable to. She called the ‘Help you’ lady who gave all the details, she then told her that the password did not work. The lady created a password and wrote it down for me and said it was done. I saw she had logged in successfully. I thanked her, took her visiting card and  wished to go home, but the’ Help you’ lady whisked me into the ATM booth and said 'change the pin of the ATM card for security reasons'. She then taught me how to change the pin number as I stood foolishly. She also asked me whether I had  a credit card, why I feared using the debit card? I said I was using it occasionally, I had surrendered the credit card because of the accumulated interest. She then asked me  whether I was a housewife, I wanted to tell her that housewives are the ones who are proficient as a working person  hardly gets the time to manage these visits.

 The ‘Help you’ girl sported a dismal expression,  leaving me to think that my life was terribly dependant on the male members in the family. She said that a credit card would help me shop and simplify my life, I nodded and looked around to see the men in the bank. There were many of them  who  were learning to operate their accounts and many who did not have a credit card, but they smiled and seemed self assured, but in my case the lack of knowledge and awareness regarding these aspects had made  way to a social movement. There were talks on achieving freedom and social rights as a woman. I have never been deprived of any of the privileges, however, have always believed in not being a superwoman managing everything as it would drain me out. As I drove back home, I felt it was  indeed an enlightening experience, it made me grateful towards the loving men in my family who  have always made things easier in life.