Is It A Penalty Throwing The Challenge Flag With A Little More Enthusiasm

What are some peculiarities of American culture which are not easily understood by foreigners?

Coming from a variety of Asian cultures:Small talk. Social norm in America demands that you show the proper respect to those around you by inquiring how they are, and making conversation, even if you both know neither of you really care. In Asia social norm demands that you do not offend those you don't know by poking your nose into their business. Aside from friends and family, how someone's  day is or where they are headed is none of your concern.Blurry social hierarchy: You address your bosses, teachers, and elders in much the same way you do your friends and equals. Even the English language lacks the analogous words and sentence structures to show respect compared to Japanese and Chinese.Family relations: In America, you grow up with your parents, then go off into the world to start "your own family". You alone should dictate your life because "it's your life". In Asia, you are always one family. When you marry and have children, you are merely extending your already existing family. You must take the opinions of others, especially your elders, into account because your life invariable affects theirs, and therefore they have the right to offer their opinions.Success vs. Happiness: The notion that you can be happy without success. In Asia, the line between those are much less obvious. Success IS the source of happiness. I know plenty of Chinese people who would say those who claim they are happy without being successful are simply blissfully ignorant (not my opinion, but I've heard the criticism many times).Do not show off: Here, social norm demands that you keep your good grades, good job, and good luck to yourself. You don't show off your success. In Asia, many of these factors are source for respect. The better your grades, and better your job, the greater your success, and the more people know it, the more respect you will receive.

I have 10 lakhs cash and I want to deposit it in a Bank. Can I do that without letting them know the source of money?

No you can’t. I just read that the upper limit for inquiry is set at 2.5 Lacs.Deposits above Rs 2.5 lakh to face tax, 200% penalty on income mismatch - Times of IndiaAnd if the govt. was to allow that, what’s the purpose of taking such a bold and disruptive step ? People have lacs (and crores) of money parked as cash. Most of it doesn’t have a disclosed income source to back. If they deposit this money, they will be scrutinized and asked to show the source of funds. And, if you can’t be ready for a court trial and hefty penalty.All in all, not all of the cash in circulation today will be deposited in banks. A major chunk will be rendered worthless and written off by individual and proprietors.As a practical matter, if you have 10 lacs worth of cash with you; check your sources of funds and also your family’s sources. See how much you can fit it there. You can also claim a small amount (~ 50,000) as contingency for your day to day expenses. All this amount, you should be able to deposit and back it up with proof.After all that, if you still have some money left, reach out to your friends working in service industry (having only white income) and ask them to deposit small amounts in their account (say 50,000). This is essentially harmless for them as the amount is way too small to attract any inquiry. Then after things get settles and enough liquidity is established, you can ask them to withdraw the amount as cash (new currency) and give it to you.And make it a habit to keep track of every cash expense you make from now on.PS: My answer is not a way to turn black money into white. It's unfortunate that so many people confuse cash with back money. A lot of businesses in India run entirely on cash. And it's not uncommon that someone earning 2-3 lacs per year like this will have a wealth of 10 lacs after 5 years. That is not a black money. It just happened to be unaccounted due to low volumes. If you deposit entire 10 lacs, you will be inquired by IT and probably given clean chit. But who wants unnecessary inquiry (harassment)?