The Rs. 2000 note is the biggest curiosity in the country at the moment. People are standing in queues for hours, there are fights breaking out outside ATMs, and people are posing for selfies once they do get their hands on one.
But there’s a section of the internet that’s doing very weird things with the Rs. 2000 note.
India’s Youtube community seems to have taken upon itself to check if the newly minted note meets to their exacting standards. And they’re leaving no stone unturned to do so. For instance, there are, at last count, at least 50 new videos showing off what happened when you wash a new Rs. 2000 note.
The common consensus seems to be that the Rs. 2000 performs remarkably well after its bath. Most users reported that the note returns to its former pink glory after a soaking.
Other people have got even more creative. One Youtube user decided that water clearly wasn’t a stern enough test, and decided to wash his note with Sprite. A useful experiment, should you manage to somehow accidentally drop your brand new note through the narrow opening in a Sprite can.
The note seemed to take its Sprite encounter in its stride. Then user then upped the ante, taking the note for a spin in his washing machine.
The note again passed with (non) flying colours, emerging from the ordeal a little shaken, but still a bright pink.
The note has also been put into boiling water, from where it once again emerged unscathed.
And finally, the note has also been ironed.
At this point you could be forgiven for thinking that the Indian Rs. 2000 note is like the Ring from Lord of the Rings, indestructible from forces such as fire, water and Sprite. And you’d be right – the note does seem to be a lot more resilient than the average banknote.
We, of course, take no responsibility if trying out any of these experiments puts you out of 2000 bucks. These stunts were performed by trained YouTubers and shouldn’t be replicated at home.