The Citizen Advocate Summary: Declaring
April 11 as Safe ePay Day
Proposing April 11 as Safe ePay
Day to mark UPI’s pilot launch on April 11, 2016, by NPCI with 21 banks,
initiated by Dr. Raghuram G. Rajan in Mumbai. This initiative celebrates UPI’s
seamless integration of banking and merchant payments.
August 21 – Appeal No 91
April 11 – Declare ‘Safe ePay
Day’,
Yes, April 11 is vacant in the UN
Observance Day calendar
UPI
10th Birthday -April 11 2026 – 233 Days to go
August 22 Madras
Day and April 11 Safe ePay Day: Building Cities, Securing Payments
Madras
Day, celebrated on August 22, commemorates the founding of the city of Madras
(now Chennai) in 1639, when the East India Company purchased land to establish
Fort St. George. It’s a time to honor Chennai’s rich history, culture, and
vibrant spirit through events, heritage walks, and community gatherings. The
celebration highlights the city’s evolution into a modern metropolis while
cherishing its deep-rooted traditions.
From
Foundations to Fintech: Honoring Madras Day (August 22) and Championing Safe
ePay Day (April 11)
Introduction
Every great city has an origin
story, and for Chennai—historically known as Madras—that story begins on August 22, 1639, when a
slim strip of land, where Fort St. George now stands, was granted to the
British East India Company. This transaction marked the founding of what would
become one of India’s greatest metropolises (Wikipedia).
In parallel, April 11 has
emerged as a symbolic date for a very different foundation: the pilot launch of
India’s Unified Payments Interface
(UPI) in 2016 by NPCI, laying the cornerstone for a digital payments
revolution. Advocates now propose turning this date into Safe ePay Day,
a global awareness movement for secure digital payments (Medium).
Intertwining Madras Day with Safe
ePay Day brings together two distinct types of “trust”—one rooted in
territorial governance and trade, the other in secure, modern financial
systems. Their narratives offer a compelling bridge across centuries.
The Legacy of Madras Day:
Building a City on Trust
Madras Day is celebrated every
year on August 22,
commemorating the 1639 land transaction that officially established the
settlement (Madraspatnam or Chennapatnam) under the British East India Company
(Business
Standard, Wikipedia).
The celebration was envisioned in
2004 by journalists Vincent D’Souza and Sashi Nair, together with
historian S. Muthiah, and brought to life through heritage walks, lectures,
exhibitions, film screenings, and quizzes (Wikipedia). Over time, the one-day observance expanded
into Madras Week—or even Madras Month—featuring dozens of events across the
city (Wikipedia).
Madras Day is about more than
history—it’s about civic pride, community bonding, and cultural continuity,
reminding Chennaiites of how the city’s identity was shaped over centuries (Business
Standard).
Safe ePay Day (April 11):
Building Digital Trust
On April 11, 2016, NPCI
launched the pilot for UPI, a payment system that would revolutionize digital
finance in India (Medium).
As of mid‑2025, UPI processes over
14 billion transactions per month—a testament to its widespread adoption
and transformative impact (Medium).
Experts suggest that in declaring April 11 as Safe
ePay Day, we can emphasize digital security, educate users about fraud
prevention, and celebrate fintech’s inclusive legacy (Medium).
This proposed observance
positions India as a global leader in responsible financial innovation,
much like how Madras Day positions Chennai as a city proud of its origins.
A Tale of Two Trusts
|
Madras Day (August 22) |
Safe ePay Day (April
11) |
|
Acts of land grant and trade
trust in 1639 (Wikipedia) |
Launch of secure digital
infrastructure in 2016 (Medium,
prashantnepayments.blogspot.com) |
|
Celebrated via heritage walks,
lectures, exhibitions (Business
Standard, Outlook Traveller) |
Aims to educate through
workshops, campaigns, public awareness (Medium,
prashantnepayments.blogspot.com) |
|
Rooted in physical
city-building and civic identity |
Rooted in digital
infrastructure and cybersecurity awareness |
Madras Day reminds us of the
trust and collaboration needed to build a city; Safe ePay Day reminds us that
the same trust is essential to cultivate and protect in the digital age.
Chennai: The Bridge Between Past
and Present
Chennai uniquely embodies the
evolution from colonial trade hub to digital fintech leader:
- Madras roots:
From the purchase of Madraspatnam and the building of Fort St. George (Wikipedia).
- Modern identity:
Today, Chennai is celebrated for its tech ecosystem, educational
institutions, and cultural vibrancy — attributes that link the
foundational trade-based economy to today’s digital economy (Business
Standard, Outlook
Traveller, Wikipedia).
An effective blog narrative would
illustrate this transformation visually—perhaps with a split-screen graphic,
juxtaposing historical Madras with futuristic Chennai, captioned:
“From Madras to Modern Chennai: Trade-Based Trust → Digital
Trust.”
Why the Connection Resonates
1.
Historical Continuity:
Emphasizing how systems of commerce require trust across time—land to ledger,
coins to code.
2.
City Symbolism: Chennai
as the focal point where both foundational and digital economies matured.
3.
Educational Value: Madras
Day educates about heritage; Safe ePay Day can similarly educate about
cybersecurity and safe payments.
4.
Cultural Link: Both
days foster citizen engagement—through heritage for one, digital literacy for
the other.
A Citizen’s Pledge: From Heritage
to Safety
Madras Day is also colloquially
associated with "Be An Angel Day", a day devoted to small acts
of kindness. This spirit extends seamlessly into the digital age—noting that protecting
someone from scams is a modern gesture of kindness.
Actions individuals might take
include:
- Teaching elders to detect phishing attempts
- Encouraging safe payments via verified
platforms
- Joining or hosting Safe ePay Day
awareness sessions
By advocating digital hygiene, we
continue the civic tradition of cooperation and trust, now digitally.
Conclusion: Uniting Two Days in
the Spirit of Trust
Madras Day (August 22) and Safe
ePay Day (April 11) may belong to different centuries, but they share a common
thread: the enduring importance of trust in commerce, whether built on
land or code.
- Madras Day honors Chennai’s formation from
colonial trade roots.
- Safe ePay Day champions the secure, inclusive
digital economy driven by UPI.
Together, they form a powerful
narrative: Cities rise on trust—and in the 21st century, that includes
digital trust. By weaving these observances together, your blog can inspire
readers to value both heritage and security, and recognize Chennai as a city
that carries both legacies forward.
Appeal for Safe ePay Day 🌟
## Call to Action
I urge governments, financial institutions, businesses, and
communities worldwide to join hands in declaring April 11 as **Safe ePay Day**.
Let’s celebrate UPI’s milestone by making **Safe ePay Day** a
global movement for secure, innovative fintech.
Together, we can build a future where financial access is
universal, and every e-payment is safe—starting with **Safe ePay Day** in 2026.
No Vada Pav, not even one bite,
Till SafeePay Day takes off in flight.
Quirky vow with a Mumbai flair—
Announce the date, and I’ll be there!
Disclaimer:
- The only Joy is Safe ePayments. Nothing More – Nothing Less.
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