In the recent past, the topic of mobile payments (with a focus on the India market) has been of significant interest to me. I have been an active observer, interested user, committed reader and regular writer of this subject over the past few months.

Come festival season in India (the October / November months and Dasara / Diwali celebrations), you cannot miss the mobile payments brands and their deals and offers. Companies like PayTM, Mobikwik, Snapdeal, FlipKart, etc. run series of campaigns across (social) media channels  - from TV, radio, YouTube, Twitter, FaceBook, WhatsApp. They are everywhere! As I tried to use some / many of these mobile payments / wallet solutions - I found that as a consumer the biggest benefits for me were SPEED, CONVENIENCE and EXPERIENCE. As a working mother, I treasure and value my time. So any tool / technology / service which can help me do the mundane operational daily tasks faster and in a simple fashion, I am willing to try. And honestly, I have tried all these solutions more than once, but can't say that I use them all the time.. I always wondered why?

Till I came across this forward on WhatsApp a few days ago (P.S: I don't know the original source)

"I met an old man in the bank. We spent about half an hour it was really an eye opener, as he had to transfer some money.  I couldn't resist myself & asked...

''Sir, why don't we activate your internet banking?''

''Why would I do that?''  He asked...

''Well, then you wont have to spend an hour here for things like transfer. You can even do your shopping online. Everything will be so easy!''

I was so excited about initiating him into the world of Net banking.

He asked ''If I do that, I won't have to step out of the house?

''Yes, yes''! I said. I told him how even grocery can be delivered at door now and how Amazon delivers everything!

His answer left me tongue-tied.

He said ''Since I entered this bank today, I have met four of my friends, I have chatted a while with the staff who know me very well by now. You know I'm alone...this is the company that I need. I like to get ready and come to the bank. I have enough time, it is the physical touch that I crave. Two years back I got sick, the store owner  from whom I buy fruits, came to see me and sat by my bedside and cried. My wife fell down few days back while on her morning walk. My local grocer saw her and immediately got his car to rush her home as he knows where I live.

Would I have that 'human' touch if everything became online?

Why would I want everything delivered to me and force me to interact with just a computer? 

I like to know the person that I'm dealing with and not just the 'seller' . It creates bonds. Relationships.

Does ICICI, HDFC, SBI, Amazon, SnapDeal or Flipkart deliver all this as well?'''

Lots of food for thought in the narrative above. May be the reason why I don't want to use technology for all my needs is because I still value and cherish some bonds and human relationships. And I don't want to let go of them in entirety. Consequently, I am willing to let-go of speed and convenience sometimes to invest in some relationships that matter to me or make a difference to someone else..

What do you think? For Mobile Payments, is the choice for many of us really between Speed & Convenience v/s our need for Human Relationships? Leave a comment to let me know.