Amarnath Tewary on the BBC website:
“A Dutch couple visiting India’s Bihar state, were charged an astronomical 10,000 rupees ($204) for four samosas, the spicy potato-stuffed snack. They paid the sum to a hawker at the famous cattle fair in Sonepur after a ‘heated argument’.
“The price worked out at $51 per samosa. They normally cost about two rupees 50 paise, about five US cents. The tourists then sought help from police who forced the salesman to return 9,990 rupees ($203.87).”
Read the full story: Tourists in India in samosa shock
Link via Nikhil Moro
It happens only in India!
‘Imandari’ is going extinct in India.
Appreciate that policeman who acted promptly…
This is Laloo’s real and only contribution to his state. Had someone asked him for his reaction, he would praised the intelligence of his fellow Bihari and given a long lecture on how the Americans have been fleecing Indians by grossly over pricing their products!
“Athi aase Gathi gedu ” – thats the moral of the story.
1000 Rs is too much. They should have kept it to Rs 200 with 100 per piece for each samsosa. That would have been more appropriate.
So, there are cheats in India.
Oh boo-hoo, it happens in India. Incidentally of about 1.1 billion people, we at churmuri dont expect any cheats!
As the English would say, Bollocks!
Priceless!
Guess how much he policemen would have extorted?!
At least the police did their job well. Thank god for small mercies!
Of all the places, what were they doing in Bihar?? I dont think many Indians tour Bihar, why these foreigners then?? I think they should have done their homework, where to go and where not to go.
Before the repartee “Its a shame that these things happen only in India. Indians have gone all over the world and never faced such a situation”, I want to remind everyone that when we Indians tour some developed country, we stick to the usual tourist spots and don’t venture into unknown territories. Like, not many Indians will go into interior cities, so we don’t hear of such things happening in other countries.
As to why it happens in India, like everywhere else, is because it is the law of nature to take advantage of situation.
Can somebody bash/blog Churumuri/BBC for making this public? Just the way Aravinda Adiga is treated. I am just looking for some consistency here.
Not just in India, it happens in many other countries including the “developed world”. If you ever go to Italy you will be fleeced on various occassions.
In India it happens not just with foreigners but even with Indians. If you go to a different city and look “not from that region” or dont speak local language, you are likely to pay double or more money than the existing rates.
Some pilgrim cities in India are known for fleecing visitors.
Police action in the above case must be appreciated.
200 dollars for 4 samosas.
Even the 7star hotels dont charge that much!!
In Bengaluuru auto drivers are famous for charging exorbitant charges, if you look non-local.
because i think bihar/up borders have buddhist relic centers. so many people from phoren countries who think India=Buddhism make visits there.
ashte.
That guy could have gone to the US, sold CDS like instrument on samosa satisfaction and he would have been rewarded with a billion $ bailout :)
OTOH, the other guy charging Rs.100/lt of camel urine was justified no ?
It is really, incredible India!
This piece from BBC has the same “fiction” content like Aravind Adiga used to dish out in Time. I would say this report is height of irresponsibility.
Actually what happened in the fair was different from what was reported.
The couple actually had 1000 rupee notes and vendor tried to snatch them!! It was community ( not police ) who intervened and returned the money to the couple after deducting cost of Samosas!!
For more “close to truth” report refer to Telegraph at
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081117/jsp/frontpage/story_10122076.jsp
Amarnath Tewary probably is next Booker material… Currently he is a hooker material in the bed of western press where Aravind Adiga once entertained with stories like “Asian of the Year Gautam Goswami”!!! Adiga has yet to apologize to Time management for publishing entirely concocted story!!! and now Amarnath Tewary follows Adiga’s footprint!!
@ Karihaida, coffee addict
nimmibbarigu pen drive sikkibiduthu antha jambanaa? :)
nimmantha IT yavarige pen drive kodbaradhitthu.
@Dr. Sree Reddy,
Swamy, nanage IT thale buda gottilla. Pendrive use maadodu hegantha kooda gottilla. Nimagyaake hotte uri.
Who told you that I am from IT? I am anything, but IT.
@Dr. Sree Reddy,
Medam Pen drive illa, consolation prize yavdo book ante.. hopefully not URA’s :)
@ Coffee addict
I thought many bloggers at churumuri are from IT. houdu swalpa hotteurine. nimage pendrive alla coffee mug kodabekagitthu. so you can survive well and stay a full person. (remember u r ardha kannada and ardha coffee) :)
@Karihaida
nimage pen drive sigodillava. ayyo paapa. I hope it’s not a notebook.!
If you get URA’s Samskara, it is a good book.
Please let us know what kind of a book you got.
Ms. Reddy.
Wow. Thanks Narayana. You gave exactly what I asked for (see my comment above). BTW, I read the tegrap article in your comment and it never mentioned snatching 1000 rupee notes. it is saying precisely what BBC reported. Do people not understand English or just plain stupid?
Note “More close to truth” disclaimer. Couple paying 10000 Rupees for samosa seem like far fetched and vernacular press reported that vendor snatched the money and then tried to reason that he only took money for samosa what the couple ate!!!
Well…either I do not understand English or you do not. I went through the article again. No where could I find vendor snatching story. It says –
“The vendor, glimpsing a bundle of 1,000-rupee notes in the foreigners’ possession, charged them Rs 2,500 for each samosa, Sonepur subdivisional officer P.K. Das said. “The vendor explained the samosas had been made with herbs that were very good for health.””
Abhi,
The tone of articles are different. Telegraph ended with positive note about how community helps in stopping the crime and BBC article was derisive and denied the credit to the community for stopping the crime.
It gives a wrong impression to the world that in India people are thugs and cheats.
Max Ehrmann probably had India in mind when he wrote desiderata
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
So now its the tone and not the story. Why sugarcoating? Why not call rubbish – rubbish? Society can not grow without criticism. If BBC/Aravinda Adiga does not tell the truth, do you think reality will change? What irks me is we become liberal when it comes to west – criticizing Christianity (plus 2 other abrahamic religions), pro immigration etc. But when it comes to us, we do not even want to discuss it. One moral standard for me, a whole new for you!