FROM DILLI WITH LOVE

Delhi, this city bears many different things altogether. I’m on my way to explore it. I walked through the lanes of Pahar Ganj, it is among the most crowded areas of Delhi and famous also. If one has no inclination of shopping at all, then too he/she will end up with one or two things shopped for him/her. It is close to New Delhi railway station consequently, tourists and commoners keep on flooding in. It won’t seem new or different then any other bazaar of the city, unless you peep into the life of the people come her.

 I went in a search of a cotton bed sheet (preferably pure cotton), ‘m lucky I got a shop just nearby. Jaipuri, Rajasthani and much other kind of prints were on the sheets hanging on the walls. Good colors, nice prints to attract the purchasers but what attracted me the most were the two handsome foreigners barging for their selected bed sheets. Since they came first, I had to wait for my chance meanwhile I looked at the other piece of art they had in the shop and of course I eavesdropped to the happening conversation between the shopkeeper and those two handsome purchasers. For my surprise the not-so-well educated looking shopkeeper   was speaking affluent English and another surprise came when I heard that he was charging rupees two thousand for a bed sheet each! Nevertheless, I cut him short and asked the cost for my selected sheet, lest of being charged overly. He at once ignored me completely. I asked the helper for the cost and he winked at me (he was giving me a hint to keep my mouth shut). Then after a long friendly chat with the shopkeeper the foreigners left. He then turned to me and asked “han ji behnji boliye, kitne piece? (Yes ma’am how many sheets?)”  “One” I replied. “600” he said. “It is too much” I argued, “Ek daam (fixed prize)” he snapped. I angrily asked not to cheat me like those foreigners, because I am an Indian and he can’t make a fool out of me. He smiled and said “550 apke liye (rupees 550, only for you)”. I asked him to give me in rupees 300 and threatened him that I’ll tell the actual prize to those foreigners. My magic worked, I left with a cotton bed sheet worth rupees thee hundred only. Out side I met those handsome foreigners, showed my bill to them and they hastily went back to the shopkeeper. ‘Atithi devo bhawa!’