Q."Deshi Nama is an indigenous form of double-entry bookkeeping." Do you agree? Explain.

This statement asks whether Deshi Nama really belongs to the same family as the double-entry system. Judging it means looking at the principle behind both, not just their outward form.

The statement can broadly be agreed with, provided we are careful about what is being claimed.

Why it holds. The double-entry system rests on the idea that every dealing has two aspects and must be recorded on two sides. The Deshi Nama system does exactly the same: it records both aspects of each dealing, keeping a Jama (credit) side and an Udhar (debit) side, and it keeps a full account of cash and of amounts owed to and by the business. Because a form of this indigenous system was in use in India even before double-entry bookkeeping developed in Europe, it is fair to describe Deshi Nama as India's own, indigenous form of double-sided bookkeeping.

Where care is needed. The agreement is about the principle, not the form. In form the two differ markedly:

• Deshi Nama reverses the sides (Jama/credit on the left, Udhar/debit on the right).
• It uses its own books (Rojmel, Khatavahi, etc.) in the regional language on plain string-tied paper, not the standardised columnar books of the English system.
• It traditionally follows the Vikram Samvat year, and its rules vary from trader to trader rather than being uniform worldwide. …

Answering only 'yes' or 'no' without distinguishing principle from form. The correct answer agrees on the shared dual-aspect principle while no …