Con artists on Indian roads..

I had been out for lunch on Brigade road today, with a friend. Lunch done, we walked to where we had parked our bike.We successfully manoeuvred it out of where it was jammed between two other bikes ( I wonder why parking lots are so crowded on Monday afternoons.Is everyone as jobless as myself and my friend were?). Anyway back to the point. After easing it out of the jam and backing it on to the road, we were finally about to leave when our con man came running from nowhere demanding his fee.

I cannot help but wonder, fee for what? For standing around and watching us struggle with our bike without moving a finger? For coming running to us in time and grabbing our attention? Exactly for what were we paying him?

I, being the prim and proper myself( as lots of my friends put it), asked him for the ticket. "Ticket??" he asked."I don't have any ticket". "Duh." I said. "I'm not giving you any money without a ticket."

Lot of people call me adamant and too 'by the book'. But the fact is, I did not know why I had to pay him. No, its not the money.Its a question of ethics. I don't mind paying him ten times that if he could show me some evidence that the money was going to someone who deserved it. The government for instance, for letting out the space to park. A laborer who cleans the footpaths. Heck, even someone who helped us get our bike out. But our man did nothing of that sort. He just felt he deserved the money.

What I have to say about such things is that, without parking tickets to sell, he has as much authority to demand a fee from people, as you or me or the person sitting next to us in the restaurant we ate. Just because he dresses up shabbily and walks around the bikes and pretends like he is doing something, does not give him the rights to your parking fee.
If he did help you out,you might like to tip him (Absolutely nothing wrong with that.Just a show of gratitude). If he was walking around begging, you might take pity upon him and give him something ( Nothing wrong there too. ).. But this virtual begging with a cocky attitude. Nope does not work.
If anything, know that you are NOT obliged to pay each and everyone that walks up to you on your shopping trip. Use your discretion. Pay if you feel like. But if you don't, know that you don't have to.

Gyms overrated??

Last week, a few colleagues of mine checked out a gymnasium/fitness center called Talwalkars very close to where we work. On questioned as to how it was, the following is the reply that I got. "Hmm it was quite nice. But slightly expensive." How much is slightly you ask? about Rs 8,000/- for three or four months.
Huh? Excuse me. I was pretty sure I had not heard right. Either that or I was old. Really really old,belonging to the previous century probably.

Well, it looks like I am getting old. Because yes. 'slightly' is that much. And as if I was not old enough already, there was more news. Gold gym trying very hard to sound as reasonable as possible stated that they charge only Rs 5000/- a month. Their argument is essentially that you can end up paying upto a good sum of 1,00,000/- if you try an annual membership at a gym at any five star hotel. Which costs you around 8500/- per month (if you take an annual membership ie). And if you dont, then it could go upto 10,000/- a month.Phew.

On the bright side, most of these gyms do come with state of the art equipment and trained professionals to guide you with well planned (or so they say) programmes. And they even allow you to bring your own music sometimes :-).

With all those facts out there, do I think it is a good deal?? Well, though I am getting used to the idea, Im afraid it hasn't sounded as appealing to me yet. But there are tons of people who think otherwise. And as long as there are, Talwalkars and Gold will continue on their successful rampages..