Of late, as I move on in years, I find myself scratching my head over some utterly inexplicable phenomena that have become the bane of a peaceful, retired life. It is true that I am technologically challenged vis-à-vis my counterparts and certainly face a tech chasm in contrast to my kids and their peers, but it is not just technology but also the logic and common sense behind some recent developments that are baffling.
I am talking about identity, about which there is currently a big fuss in our country, and it is getting crazier by the day. Once upon a time, you needed a user ID and password for any financial activity, small or big, that you wished to perform online. It made sense for protecting sensitive personal data such as internet banking, income tax filing, e-commerce, email, etc., or your workplace-specific requirements. Public digital infrastructure such as Aadhaar requires it too, as a unique ID footprint ensures public subsidies and benefits reach genuine users. Up until this point, it was okay, but thereafter all the other wannabe actors thought, "Sounds good, why not have it for ourselves too?"
Thus, now social media platforms (YouTube, Instagram, X, Facebook), matrimonial sites, dating apps—you name it—they have all jumped into the act. They all require you to prove your identity. Unfortunately, as users are not very aware of online safety and hygiene, they are vulnerable to identity theft. The other extreme vulnerability is the army of trolls, where any individual can single-handedly manufacture thousands of fake online identities, which can then be manipulated to suit the individual's preferences. There is an increased risk of child abusers and paedophiles misusing children's profiles for nefarious reasons. Resultantly, before every online financial transaction, one does a small prayer that everything goes well. As for social media platforms, this is a calculated risk for famous personalities or politicians. For faceless bureaucrats like me, it was always a no-no.
There is also the bigger issue of proving your citizenship for the civic duty of casting your vote and choosing your public representative, and it is here that the head swims! The ECI has embarked upon the Special Intensive Drive, an exercise it is mandated to perform from time to time. But this time, it places a question mark on one's identity as a citizen. Having lived in India for decades and proven your identity multiple times, you are left struggling to prove you were born and lived all your life in the country of your birth, or that you even exist. Suddenly, state-issued documents such as EPIC (Electoral Photo Identity Card), Aadhaar, passport, driving licence, ration card, etc., are no longer material in proving citizenship. Apparently, in a sudden switch of the goalposts, it turns out these documents were proof only of voting, identity, residence or travel thus far. It is all very well for the state to discredit its own issued documents, but where does that leave the common man or woman?
Our BLO, a very earnest and hard-working young man, informs us that our names do not figure in the electoral rolls of 2003, but we can still catch the bus (read, vote) if our parents' names appear in those lists. Excuse me, but our parents, born in pre-Independence India, where no proof of date of birth existed (save for what was recorded from memory in their school or college certificates), are legitimate voters while we, struggling to keep our date with the State for driving licences, Aadhaar and passports, have no papers? Not logical, right?
Now, therefore, many of us have no identity, though we went through the process of procuring these documents, updating addresses in them from time to time, and using all, or at least some, of them frequently. Life goes on as usual; no one in our circle, or those we interact with outside, raises any eyebrows at a non-citizen, but it is too early to say. Therefore, fingers crossed and optimistic as always, we go about our roles in life, trying to lead our normal lives, at least until the next inexplicable phenomenon strikes!
Views expressed are personal