In our everyday lives, we see a lot of proverbs and idioms living up to their meanings. I had a similar experience last summer when I experienced the meaning of “Ulta chor kotwal ko daante" (In English it would be similar to "Pot calling the kettle black").
So one nice day, on my way back to home, a young Indian man, who happened be my friend and colleague, met me. With a big Colgate smile on his face he told me “Hey buddy, I am going to India and don't have so much of luggage with me. Do you want me to bring something for you?”
This is a very common practice among Indians to ask fellow countrymen (especially if they are from the same region or live in close by cities) to bring some small things from their cities / places. Of course one pays them for the price of stuff and if they have a "rate-chart" they disclose it prior to the dealing unlike the auto-walas in India who don't say anything about the price and once you reach the destination they charge whatever they wish.
Anyways, so I told him well if you have spare place and are offering me then yes why not. Buy me 3 Kg of kajukatli and laddoos. I added that "it should be as per your convenience" otherwise you don’t have to. "No No, don't worry dude, I'll bring it". Once he reached India he wrote me a mail saying 3 Kg is getting too much so he would cut it in half. No problem, "as per your convenience”, I told him again.
Now this guy reached Copenhagen, called me from his apartment, asked me to fetch the mithai. I went to his apartment, we talked about this and that and then finally he took the mithai out and gave it to me. Well "thank you man for bringing this, how much it cost then" I asked.
Now comes the interesting part, his thinking process started, "hmmm how much should I charge this guy hmmm..can I get my flight ticket from this mithai deal hmmm.. maybe not :P". After a while he said "Yaar, it costs 850 INR".
The shop from which he has bought this mithai (now I even suspect that, maybe he bought from a nukkad waala and packed it into a fancy box, well why not: P) is a very well known and I myself have bought from this shop many times. The money sounded a little bit too much for 1 Kg kaju katli and ½ laddo from this shop but, my assumption and my past experience told me:- “he is a friend and would not cheat, not for 300 INR”. So I have decided to know the fact and called the shop. "The total mithai costs 550 INR" shopkeeper told me.
It is amazing that people can even tell a lie and cheat you for as much as 300 Indian Rupees (around 40 DKK) even though they are earning in DKKs.
Anyways, as a friend and colleague, I felt bad that he is telling a lie and ripping me off for just 350 INR. He should have told me before and I would have had no problem in giving him his “labour", as it turned out to be.
So I have decided that I will give him 850 but at least should tell him that I know it costs 550 but since you’ve asked me 850 so I am giving you 850. Next day I called this guy and gave him the 850 and telling him that I know it costs 550 but because you’ve aksed 850, so here it is.
Until this point, this guy was denying any wrongdoing and giving lame excuses like "Ohh...I don't remember the exact price because my father has bought it", "yes maybe it is less", “No No it is actually 850”.
Upon realizing that he finally got caught and has no excuse rather than coming face-to-face with the truth, this guy wasn't only furious, he also took it as a insult and repeatedly told me "Why did you call the mithai shop, why did you not trust me??”
Excuse me...I have a very good reason for NOT trusting you, and never to trust in future.
This shameless person came up with so cheap arguments that I had a real tough time to digest. Here are some of those:
· “You know it was very hot in India, I took my scooter all the way to the shop so I burnt some fuel”
· “I have carried your 1½ kg mithai from India to Copenhagen”, he added, as if he was carrying it on his head :P all the way to Denmark.
· “This extra 1½ kg could have cost me around thousand rupees”, ahem ahem….if you had a problem in carrying this, you should not have done so but please come up with a better excuse.
· “What about all my efforts I put in buying your 1½ kg mithai” yeah that’s better, I smiled J
Imagine a person who was a friend (later he denied that too and said that we are not friends and this was just a business deal) telling you all the above excuses. There were many more but I literally had to shove them off coz they are not worth mentioning here.
He also claimed that he has brought many things for other people and always charge them and they never asked him. I wonder about all those poor guys who don’t know his small tricks and just giving him whatever he asked.
Well now I can certainly understand his feelings. I think before this incident took place, nobody has managed to catch him or questioned his "rate-calculations", so it was an obvious reaction.
I told him from next time onwards, please show your “rate-chart” before offering your services to others.
I also advised him to open a mithai shop in neighborhood, I am sure he will earn good :-)
This is the end of story, I am sure he must have learned a lesson by now and to whomever he is offering his “services”, he must be extra-alert now ;-)
