A big change in India over the last few years has been the switch from cash to digital payments using phones. I'm a fifty-two-year-old shopkeeper with a small stationery and photocopy shop in Jaipur, so I've watched this happen right at my counter.
It really took off around eight or nine years ago, and then it became even more common during the pandemic, when people didn't want to touch notes and coins. Today there's a little printed QR code stuck on almost every stall, even the man who sells tea outside my shop has one.
It's affected daily life in many ways. Customers hardly ever carry cash now; schoolchildren pay for a single photocopy by scanning a code. For me, it means I don't need to keep so much change in the drawer, and I no longer worry about fake notes. Accounting is simpler too, because every payment is recorded automatically.
Overall I'd say it's a very positive change, but not perfect. The good side is that it's fast, convenient and fairly safe, and it's helped small businesses like mine look more professional. My son set it all up for me in about ten minutes. However, I do worry about some older people and those in villages who aren't comfortable with smartphones. My own mother still insists on cash and gets nervous if a shop refuses it. There are also scams where people trick others into sharing their details. So I think the change itself is good, but there should be more effort to teach people how to use it safely, so nobody gets left behind.