Danish walked around the market place to buy some vegetables. After shifting from Delhi, it was his first market outing in Darjeeling. He had a list with him, which was pre provided by his mom over the phone. There were vendors shouting in Hindi while they were trying to sell their stuff. The customers made more noise as the entire world around him, seemed to bargain with every price that was put forward to them.
"Bhaisaab, we bought potato worth Rs. 12/kg two days ago and today you are asking for Rs. 14/kg?"
"Kya karein memsaab, mehengai ka zamana hai, ok, for you I'll make it Rs. 13.50"
"Rehne do bhaisaab, I'll buy it from somewhere else"
It was the same story all around the market. From meat shop to grocery shop, the only thing Danish noticed was the amazing negotiating skills of the Darjeeling localities. Danish didn't know how to bargain. He was born and brought up in a family where it wasn't ever necessary for him to bargain for anything.
He shifted to Darjeeling as he was transferred by the tourism department of India for a 2 year project.
As he strolled around the market place, Danish somehow dodged himself in between the crowded lane and got himself standing in front of a ration shop. Well, since he was new to the town, he didn't have much to buy from a ration shop. But as he was about to leave, something caught his eyes. There was this pretty young local lady trying to bargain the kerosene price with the ration shop owner. Now that sounded damn funny for Danish as he wondered why on earth will someone bargain something at a ration shop. As the lady turned around a bit while she was busy negotiating the price of kerosene, Danish realized that it was the same lady whom he met while coming out of his apartment.
"Hey there! Didn't we meet a while back at the main gates of my apartment?"
The lady was quite surprised at the sudden approach of a strange man but she recollected the incident and responded with an assuring smile. But immediately after, she got back to the business she was dealing with.
"Bhaisaab, abhi mere pass bas 10 rupay hi hai.. Mujhe phirse ghar jana padega paise lane, please de dijiye"
Danish now realized that she wasn't actually negotiating the price but she was actually forced to not pay the full amount because she did not carry enough cash. Oh how stupid he was, to think that somebody will bargain at a ration shop.
"Hey hi.. I am Danish. I guess you stay at my society! How about I pay up the remaining amount and get it sorted now?"
"No, it's alright, I'll talk to him as I have been a long time customer at his shop. I am sure the owner will understand the situation."
But to her hard luck, the owner did not pay much attention to her requests. She looked helpless. Danish insisted on paying the remaining amount. She did not even seem interested in talking to Danish.
But was something bothering her? Why was she getting all freaked out because the owner wasn't allowing her a temporary discount on Kerosene? She can surely come back tomorrow and get some kerosene.
"Here Mam, take it, I'll pay the remaining amount and you give it to me back whenever it seems convenient to you"
Before she could say anything, Danish handed the shopkeeper a 50 rupee note. The shopkeeper was himself getting irritated and further arguments did not seem to be an appropriate option.
The lady filled up her jar and thanked Danish.
"I'll pay you back your money by tomorrow morning, I promise."
"It's alright lady, you can take your time, I am not going anywhere."
The lady smiled back but looked quite disturbed.
"Is everything ok with you? Are you going back home?"
"Yes yes, everything's fine. But I'll have to go to my home now. You can continue shopping."
"Strange little lady", smiled Danish, as he saw her leave the market in a hurry.
"Oh damn, I forgot to ask her name."
"That won't be a problem as I will surely ask her name tomorrow when I meet her", he kept wondering.
Eventually after 2 hours of vegetable shopping, Danish got back home with both his hand filled with stuff, he believed, he won't be needing much.
He kind of liked that girl? Didn't he. Danish smirked as he kept thinking of the small chitchat session he had with his neighbor.
He cooked some maggi and decided to sleep off. With headphones plugged in his ear already, Danish changed the Fm station and started listening to some Gazals. He dozed off pretty soon.
But at around midnight, did he hear a scream? A scream that somehow became a part of his dream. The avalanche came done so fast in the movie that he heard the girl beside him scream in the movie hall....
Danish had always been an early riser. He got up and dressed up to go for a morning walk. As he opened the main door to his apartment, a fifty rupee note came flying inside which was initially stuck in between the door and the wooden frame.
"Ah that lady, god she is so crazy that she couldn't wait for a couple of more hours?" wondered Danish.
He got down to the basement and was completely taken aback to see what was happening in his society. Almost a hundred people were standing there in a cold Darjeeling morning looking all disturbed and tensed about something that Danish surely did not have any clue about.
He tried to make his way in between the crowd.
"Hey, I am Danish. I am new to this society, Can you please tell me what's going on?" Danish asked an young guy who seemed equally disturbed like the rest of the society.
"You see there?", the young guy pointed at the 5 floor window.
Danish looked up and saw that heavy smoke was coming out through the window and there was the almost 4 to 5 firemen trying to bring the fire under control.
"Oh my god! What happened?"
"An young lady of around 22 used to stay over there. Quite pretty. Some of her neighbors said that she was having some kind of trouble in her life. She burnt herself alive yesterday night at around 11:30. Her scream woke us all. But none of us were able to save her."
Somehow in that chilly morning, Danish's palms started getting sweaty. The fifty rupee note that he was holding inside his sweatshirt, started to get wet in his sweaty palms.
If only he did not pay the price..
"Bhaisaab, we bought potato worth Rs. 12/kg two days ago and today you are asking for Rs. 14/kg?"
"Kya karein memsaab, mehengai ka zamana hai, ok, for you I'll make it Rs. 13.50"
"Rehne do bhaisaab, I'll buy it from somewhere else"
It was the same story all around the market. From meat shop to grocery shop, the only thing Danish noticed was the amazing negotiating skills of the Darjeeling localities. Danish didn't know how to bargain. He was born and brought up in a family where it wasn't ever necessary for him to bargain for anything.
He shifted to Darjeeling as he was transferred by the tourism department of India for a 2 year project.
As he strolled around the market place, Danish somehow dodged himself in between the crowded lane and got himself standing in front of a ration shop. Well, since he was new to the town, he didn't have much to buy from a ration shop. But as he was about to leave, something caught his eyes. There was this pretty young local lady trying to bargain the kerosene price with the ration shop owner. Now that sounded damn funny for Danish as he wondered why on earth will someone bargain something at a ration shop. As the lady turned around a bit while she was busy negotiating the price of kerosene, Danish realized that it was the same lady whom he met while coming out of his apartment.
"Hey there! Didn't we meet a while back at the main gates of my apartment?"
The lady was quite surprised at the sudden approach of a strange man but she recollected the incident and responded with an assuring smile. But immediately after, she got back to the business she was dealing with.
"Bhaisaab, abhi mere pass bas 10 rupay hi hai.. Mujhe phirse ghar jana padega paise lane, please de dijiye"
Danish now realized that she wasn't actually negotiating the price but she was actually forced to not pay the full amount because she did not carry enough cash. Oh how stupid he was, to think that somebody will bargain at a ration shop.
"Hey hi.. I am Danish. I guess you stay at my society! How about I pay up the remaining amount and get it sorted now?"
"No, it's alright, I'll talk to him as I have been a long time customer at his shop. I am sure the owner will understand the situation."
But to her hard luck, the owner did not pay much attention to her requests. She looked helpless. Danish insisted on paying the remaining amount. She did not even seem interested in talking to Danish.
But was something bothering her? Why was she getting all freaked out because the owner wasn't allowing her a temporary discount on Kerosene? She can surely come back tomorrow and get some kerosene.
"Here Mam, take it, I'll pay the remaining amount and you give it to me back whenever it seems convenient to you"
Before she could say anything, Danish handed the shopkeeper a 50 rupee note. The shopkeeper was himself getting irritated and further arguments did not seem to be an appropriate option.
The lady filled up her jar and thanked Danish.
"I'll pay you back your money by tomorrow morning, I promise."
"It's alright lady, you can take your time, I am not going anywhere."
The lady smiled back but looked quite disturbed.
"Is everything ok with you? Are you going back home?"
"Yes yes, everything's fine. But I'll have to go to my home now. You can continue shopping."
"Strange little lady", smiled Danish, as he saw her leave the market in a hurry.
"Oh damn, I forgot to ask her name."
"That won't be a problem as I will surely ask her name tomorrow when I meet her", he kept wondering.
Eventually after 2 hours of vegetable shopping, Danish got back home with both his hand filled with stuff, he believed, he won't be needing much.
He kind of liked that girl? Didn't he. Danish smirked as he kept thinking of the small chitchat session he had with his neighbor.
He cooked some maggi and decided to sleep off. With headphones plugged in his ear already, Danish changed the Fm station and started listening to some Gazals. He dozed off pretty soon.
But at around midnight, did he hear a scream? A scream that somehow became a part of his dream. The avalanche came done so fast in the movie that he heard the girl beside him scream in the movie hall....
Danish had always been an early riser. He got up and dressed up to go for a morning walk. As he opened the main door to his apartment, a fifty rupee note came flying inside which was initially stuck in between the door and the wooden frame.
"Ah that lady, god she is so crazy that she couldn't wait for a couple of more hours?" wondered Danish.
He got down to the basement and was completely taken aback to see what was happening in his society. Almost a hundred people were standing there in a cold Darjeeling morning looking all disturbed and tensed about something that Danish surely did not have any clue about.
He tried to make his way in between the crowd.
"Hey, I am Danish. I am new to this society, Can you please tell me what's going on?" Danish asked an young guy who seemed equally disturbed like the rest of the society.
"You see there?", the young guy pointed at the 5 floor window.
Danish looked up and saw that heavy smoke was coming out through the window and there was the almost 4 to 5 firemen trying to bring the fire under control.
"Oh my god! What happened?"
"An young lady of around 22 used to stay over there. Quite pretty. Some of her neighbors said that she was having some kind of trouble in her life. She burnt herself alive yesterday night at around 11:30. Her scream woke us all. But none of us were able to save her."
Somehow in that chilly morning, Danish's palms started getting sweaty. The fifty rupee note that he was holding inside his sweatshirt, started to get wet in his sweaty palms.
If only he did not pay the price..
