One afternoon, Aai was rearranging the kitchen shelves.
She suddenly found a small steel container hidden behind the others.
Aai: “Arre… isme toh jeera rakha tha, kab se pada tha pata hi nahi.”
I smiled.
“Aai, kuch bank accounts bhi aise hi hote hain.”
She looked confused.
“Bank account bhi masala-dabba?”
“Haan.”
Kabhi salary account.
Kabhi college account.
Kabhi emergency account.
Kabhi investment ke liye khola…
Aur phir…bhool gaye.
Aai: “Par paisa toh andar hi hai?”
“Bilkul.”
“Paisa safe hai, Lekin account chup-chaap shelf par pada rehta hai.”
Then I showed her the RBI SMS.
“Agar do saal tak customer ki taraf se koi transaction nahi hota…bank account ko inoperative mark kar deta hai.”
She immediately understood.
“Matlab masala kharab nahi hua…bas kisi ne use hi nahi kiya.”
Exactly.
Then came the real question.
Aai: “Toh karna kya chahiye?”
Me: Har saal…ek baar…apne financial kitchen ki safaai karo.
Purane bank accounts dekho –
Zarurat ho toh active rakho or Zarurat na ho toh band kar do.
She smiled.
“Kitchen ho ya bank…Jo cheez yaad hi na rahe…uska hisaab kabhi na kabhi bigad hi jaata hai.”
🍽️ Kitchenomics Takeaway
We regularly clean our kitchen shelves.
Maybe our financial shelves deserve the same attention.
Because in the end,
“Bank account ko masala-dabba mat banao, ya toh istemaal karo… ya theek se band karo.”