Gold Rush

Anuj was more than excited about the weekend that lay ahead. It had been quite a while since he and his good ol’ buddies had had such a get-together. He just couldn’t stop thinking about it. Hours and hours of yapping…discussing private lives, sob stories, triumphs, electronic gadgets, automobiles(which are way beyond their reach), films, sports, politics, celebrity scandals and of course, women….And finally all those stories getting dissolved in barrels of booze….and with Pink Floyd to top it up, who needs LSD?

These were the thoughts that prevented Anuj from concentrating on his work that Friday afternoon. But because of the Friday bonhomie (which is so very common in workplaces that remain non functional on Saturdays and Sundays), his boss didn’t pay any particular attention to his demeanor.

Finally the day was coming to an end and the smile on Anuj’s lips was only growing wider. For any such party, one had to make arrangements for the single most important input: Money, the Universal God. Money, according to Anuj, was of prime importance in this world. With these thoughts, he headed for the nearest ATM to get some fast-cash for the weekend.

‘About nine hundred bucks should be enough…..no, no, that’s too much…seven hundred is more like it’, contemplated Anuj. He swiped in his card and punched in the four-digit PIN mechanically. ‘Enter the amount you want to withdraw’, flashed the machine, after validating his card and ascertaining his account type. ‘700.00’, typed Anuj. ‘Do you want a printed record of the transaction?’.’ No’ (what the hell am I going to do with it..). ‘Don’t forget to collect your cash’. (Yeah rite…I was planning to leave those seven hundred for the poor chap who’ll come in next…….)

At first, Anuj couldn’t believe his eyes. He had a hard, long look at the stack that was rite in front of him. A cool One Thousand One Hundred Indian Rupees! He felt confident that he had typed in the right amount. He immediately regretted that he hadn’t chosen the option of the ‘printed record of transaction’. He decided to try it out one more time. This time he punched in the amount as Rs. 100/- and also selected the option for the ‘printed record of transaction’ as an assertive ‘Yes’.

Anuj was beginning to get really worked up. The record showed a withdrawal of Rs. 100/- but he saw Gandhi smiling back at him through the Five Hundred note, reassuring him that indeed he had hit the jackpot. Being naturally inquisitive, he decided to give it a shot again. This time decided to go for Rs. 500/-. What he got back was a paltry sum of hundred rupees! The record, however, showed Rs. 500/- as the transaction amount! He thought for a while, and then it struck him. The machine was interchanging five-hundred rupee notes with hundred-rupee ones!

He thought about the situation for a good two minutes. Then, fearing that the guard might get suspicious, Anuj briskly walked out of the ATM kiosk. When he was clearly out of the guard’s vision, he analyzed the whole situation calmly. Finally he made up his mind and arrived at a conclusion (which, according to him, was the best course of action).
He took out his cellular phone from his pocket and dialed his best friend (or so he claimed) Karan’s number. After explaining the whole scene and his future course of action, he waited for Karan’s response.
Karan, equally excited by now, asked “Are you sure we should do it? I mean …”
“Yes I’m sure. There’s no looking back”, interrupted Anuj. “ Don’t forget to get your ATM card with you Anuj. How much do you have in your account?”
“Hmm…”
“Oh come on Karan, this is not the time to maintain secrecy”
“Twenty Nine Thousand Four Hundred Something”
“Ohh….see, I always used to emphasize the importance of saving. How good would it have been if you could have saved more! Anyways, I’m in no mood for sermons. Please come as soon as you can. If we use our brains, we can extract maximum out of that goddamn machine. This is the time to act, Karan‼”
“Yes, I understand. I’ll be there in no time.”
“And please don’t forget to get a couple of big bags”
“Alright. Buh-bye and all the best”

Once they began their 'task' under the speculative eye of the guard, the whole thing got over in a matter of nine minutes--both of them beaming with pride of the mathematical finesse they had displayed. They'd cleaned up a sum of One Lakh Eighty Four Thousand before the machine said "No more cash available." With three bags full of cash, Anuj sped away in his car, managing to convince Karan that it was best for him to 'hang around' in his house!




Within ten minutes, Anuj had reached their destination. The sleepy eyed policeman just couldn’t believe the story. Anuj had to repeat it a couple of times to get the whole episode across. “Yes sir, it’s true. That’s why we withdrew as much money as we could so that we could avoid misuse of the machine.”
The cop was delighted. “Oh great! Thanks for the prompt action, lad. We need guys like you! Prabhakar, call those folks from the bank and tell them abou........"