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.
September
03 – Appeal No 101
April 11
– Declare ‘Safe ePay Day’,
Yes,
April 11 is vacant in the UN Observance Day calendar
UPI 10th
Birthday -April 11 2026 – 220 Days to Go
September 03 –
Skyscraper Day: From Sky Bridges to Payment Bridges
Skyscraper Day, celebrated
annually on September 3, honors the architectural and engineering marvels of
skyscrapers, coinciding with the birthday of Louis H. Sullivan, known as the
"father of skyscrapers." It’s a day to appreciate these towering
structures that define city skylines, from the historic Home Insurance Building
in Chicago to modern giants like the Burj Khalifa.
Celebrate by visiting a
skyscraper, enjoying city views, or learning about their innovative designs
-----------------------------------------
🏙️ Soaring Heights & Secure Bytes: Skyscraper Day Meets Safe
ePay Day 💳
Introduction: Two Journeys of
Human Ambition
Humanity has always built
upward—physically and conceptually. From the Pyramids of Giza to the Burj
Khalifa, our cities rise skyward as proof of vision, engineering, and
persistence. In parallel, we’ve also built invisible skyscrapers: financial
systems, digital networks, and secure payment frameworks that support billions
of daily interactions.
Every year on September 3,
we celebrate National Skyscraper Day 🏢✨—a tribute
to these icons of ambition. The holiday’s origins are unknown, though
many connect it to the birthday of Louis H. Sullivan (1856–1924), often
called the father of skyscrapers (daysoftheyear.com,
nationaltoday.com).
Looking ahead, April 11 is
being imagined as Safe ePay Day 💳🔒—a day to celebrate trust in
digital transactions. Just as skyscrapers stand on deep foundations, secure
payments stand on cryptography, authentication, and trust.
In this essay, we’ll explore six
skyscrapers alongside six payment milestones, then add an
electrifying twist: tower running, the sport of racing up skyscraper
stairwells, as a metaphor for scaling digital trust.
1. Empire State Building (1931) 🗽 vs.
Credit Cards (1950s) 💳
The Skyscraper Story
The Empire State Building,
completed in 1931, rose during the darkest days of the Great
Depression. Built in just 410 days, it used 60,000 tons of steel,
10 million bricks, and was completed ahead of schedule (esbnyc.com).
Fun fact: When it opened, it was
nicknamed the “Empty State Building” because few companies could afford
office space in the economic slump. Yet, over time, it became a symbol of resilience
and hope, shining nightly over New York City.
The Payment Parallel
In the 1950s, credit cards
emerged:
- 1950: Diners Club Card introduced
charge cards for restaurant use.
- 1958: BankAmericard (later Visa) was
launched.
- 1966: Master Charge (later
Mastercard).
These early cards transformed
consumer behavior—trusting plastic over cash.
Parallel Lesson: Just as
the Empire State stood tall despite hard times, credit cards established
financial trust during uncertain economic eras. Both became cultural
icons of resilience.
2. Burj Khalifa (2010) 🌍 vs.
Mobile Wallets (2010s) 📱
The Skyscraper Story
At 828 meters, the Burj
Khalifa (opened 2010) is the tallest building in the world (burjkhalifa.ae).
Its foundations required 58,900
cubic yards of concrete and 39,000 tons of steel rebar. Engineers
solved challenges like desert wind shear and extreme heat. Today, it symbolizes
Dubai’s ambition to be a global hub.
The Payment Parallel
The 2010s also marked the rise of
mobile wallets:
- 2007: iPhone 📱
opened the smartphone era.
- 2011: Google Wallet pioneered NFC
payments.
- 2014–2016: Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Android
Pay went mainstream.
Parallel Lesson: Just as
the Burj Khalifa pushed physical ambition, mobile wallets pushed digital
ambition—moving payments from leather wallets to smartphone clouds.
3. Shanghai Tower (2015) 🇨🇳 vs. UPI
& Real-Time Payments (2016+) ⚡
The Skyscraper Story
The Shanghai Tower (2015)
spirals to 632 meters with a twisting design that reduces wind loads by 24%.
It boasts the world’s fastest elevators at 20.5 m/s and a double-skin
façade for sustainability (shanghaitower.com).
It redefined not just height but
also intelligence and efficiency in skyscraper design.
The Payment Parallel
In 2016, India launched UPI
(Unified Payments Interface), enabling instant bank-to-bank transfers via
smartphones (npci.org).
Adoption skyrocketed: by 2025, UPI transactions are just going up and up.
Globally:
- 2008: UK launched Faster Payments Service
(FPS).
- 2020: Brazil launched PIX, a real-time
payment system.
Parallel Lesson: Like
Shanghai Tower’s efficiency and design intelligence, real-time payments
represent smart, inclusive, and scalable systems for the future.
4. Petronas Towers (1998) 🇲🇾 vs.
PayPal (1999) 🌐
The Skyscraper Story
The Petronas Twin Towers
(1998), at 452 meters, were the tallest buildings in the world until
2004. Built in Kuala Lumpur, they symbolize Malaysia’s global aspirations
and serve as a hub for international commerce.
Fun fact: The towers are joined
by the world’s highest two-story sky bridge at 170m above ground.
The Payment Parallel
In 1999, PayPal launched,
revolutionizing online payments (paypal.com).
Suddenly, people could transfer money securely across borders, enabling the
growth of eBay and e-commerce.
Parallel Lesson: Petronas
Towers signaled Asia’s arrival on the global stage, while PayPal signaled
digital payments’ arrival as a global force.
5. One World Trade Center (2014) 🇺🇸 vs.
Contactless Payments (2014–2015) 🛒
The Skyscraper Story
The One World Trade Center
(2014) stands at 1,776 feet, symbolizing freedom and resilience
after 9/11 (onewtc.com).
It’s designed with reinforced
concrete cores, sustainable features, and unmatched safety codes. Its
height (1,776 ft) is a deliberate tribute to the year of U.S. independence.
The Payment Parallel
Around 2014–2015, contactless
payments gained traction:
- 2014: Apple Pay.
- 2015: Major banks + NFC-enabled cards
expanded worldwide.
Parallel Lesson: Just as
One WTC embodies trust rebuilt after tragedy, contactless payments
overcame security fears, gaining global trust in “tap-and-go” systems.
6. Taipei 101 (2004) 🇹🇼 vs.
CBDCs & Digital Future (2020s) 🪙
The Skyscraper Story
The Taipei 101, once the
tallest (2004–2010), withstands earthquakes and typhoons thanks to its 660-ton
tuned mass damper—a giant golden pendulum that sways to balance the tower (taipei-101.com.tw).
Fun fact: The damper is so iconic
it’s become a tourist attraction of its own!
The Payment Parallel
In the 2020s, CBDCs (Central
Bank Digital Currencies) gained momentum:
- China’s e-CNY
pilot.
- India’s Digital Rupee
tests.
- Bahamas’ Sand Dollar
launch.
- EU and U.S. exploring CBDCs (bis.org).
Parallel Lesson: Just as
Taipei 101 achieves stability in chaos, CBDCs aim to stabilize
economies in digital transitions.
Bonus: Tower Running — Racing
Upward Like Safe Payments 🏃♀️🏃♂️
Beyond admiring skyscrapers, some
race inside them—this is tower running, the sport of stair
racing.
- Origins:
- 1730: A London barman ran up 311 steps of
the Monument in 2 min 32 sec.
- 1905: Eiffel Tower hosted the first formal
stair race.
- 1978: Empire State Building Run-Up
(ESBRU) began, now legendary.
- Today: 160+ races globally feed
into the Towerrunning World Cup, with championships in Doha (2015)
and Taipei 101 (2018) (towerrunning.com).
The Digital Parallel
|
Tower Running 🏃 |
Safe ePayments 💳 |
|
Each stair = effort |
Each security layer =
encryption, 2FA |
|
Vertical sprint |
Instant settlement |
|
Endurance + speed |
Continuous reliability |
|
Different towers worldwide |
Interoperable systems worldwide |
Reflection: Just as
runners ascend stair by stair, digital payments achieve trust layer by layer.
Both require endurance, vigilance, and confidence in the system.
Tables Recap
Table 1: Skyscraper–Payment Parallels
|
Skyscraper 🏙️ |
Payment Milestone 💳 |
Shared
Theme ✨ |
|
Empire
State (1931) |
Credit
Cards (1950s) |
Resilience in crisis |
|
Burj
Khalifa (2010) |
Mobile
Wallets (2010s) |
Ambition & reach |
|
Shanghai
Tower (2015) |
UPI
& RTP (2016+) |
Smart efficiency |
|
Petronas
Towers (1998) |
PayPal
(1999) |
Global inclusion |
|
One WTC
(2014) |
Contactless
(2014–15) |
Resilience & trust |
|
Taipei
101 (2004) |
CBDCs
(2020s) |
Stability in transition |
Table 2: Foundations Comparison
|
Skyscraper Foundations 🏗️ |
Safe ePayment
Foundations 🔒 |
|
Steel frames |
Encryption protocols |
|
Elevators |
Authentication systems |
|
Wind/quake engineering |
Fraud detection |
|
Design aesthetics |
User experience |
|
Regular inspections |
Continuous audits |
Table 3: Tower Running vs Safe
Payments
|
Tower Running Element 🏃 |
Digital Payment
Parallel 💳 |
|
Step-by-step climb |
Layer-by-layer security |
|
Endurance under strain |
System uptime 24/7 |
|
Global competition |
Global interoperability |
|
Historic + modern races |
Legacy + modern payment rails |
The Mystery of Origins
While we can trace the blueprints
of skyscrapers, the origin of Skyscraper Day is still a mystery. Perhaps
fittingly—it rose organically, much like towers themselves.
Similarly, Safe ePay Day
(April 11) is today an idea, perhaps tomorrow an institution. Every
skyscraper begins as a vision; every observance begins as a dream.
Conclusion: Ambition, Resilience,
Trust
- Skyscrapers: physical monuments
of ambition.
- Safe ePayments:
digital monuments of trust.
- Tower running:
human proof that every climb, physical or digital, is earned step by step.
📢 Appeal
No. 101
220 Days to Go (until
April 11, 2026)
So this Skyscraper Day, look upward
at the skyline 🏙️ and downward
at your smartphone 💳. Both
are skyscrapers—one of glass, one of trust. Both remind us: to rise, to
endure, to connect, to trust. 🌍✨
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!
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