Two days back, I went to do something very simple.
KYC.
Along with that, I had to reactivate a dormant bank account.
Sounds routine, right?
But it didn’t feel routine.
My First Bank Account
This Bank of Baroda account…
It wasn’t just an account.
It was my first account.
I must have been 8 or 9 years old.
I still remember starting a small RD (recurring deposit).
Back then, going to the bank felt like something big.
The passbook entries, the stamps, the feeling of saving money…
It was not about money.
It was about growing up.
The Bangalore Account
Then there was another account.
Opened in the early 2000s.
For a simple reason — address proof for my Bangalore house.
That account also had a story.
A phase of life.
A city.
A struggle.
A dream.
Fast Forward to Today
Today, I’m standing in a bank again.
Not to open something.
Not to build something.
But to prove something.
That I am… me.
The KYC Loop
In January, I already did KYC.
For my mom.
For myself.
Now again, for mutual funds.
Now again, for bank accounts.
Different institutions.
Different forms.
Same person.
Same documents.
Same frustration.
The Question That Stayed
They call it KYC — Know Your Customer.
But honestly…
Who is supposed to know whom?
Isn’t it the responsibility of the bank, the institution, the system…
to understand and track their customers?
Why is the customer made to run again and again?
Same Aadhaar.
Same PAN.
Same face.
But every time…
you stand there like a stranger.
More Than Just Paperwork
KYC is not just a process.
It slowly disconnects you from something that once felt personal.
That childhood account.
That first savings.
That emotional connection.
Everything becomes…
Forms.
Tokens.
Counters.
“Come tomorrow.”
A Simple Thought
Maybe systems need KYC.
But people need continuity.
Trust should not expire.
Identity should not feel temporary.
Ending Thought
Today, I walked into the bank to update KYC.
But I walked out thinking…
When did I become a stranger to my own bank account?
AnandNataraj 