Claiming the Right to Say No-30 Nov 09-EQUATIONS - Equitable ...

Claiming the Right to Say No
The vendor attracted the foreigners by calling them his friends and asking
them to make him happy by buying his items. A box was proposed to the
foreigner for Rs.400/-, and the foreigner asks it for Rs.100/-. Then the
bargaining ceases with the foreigner asking the box for Rs.150/-, but, the
retailer does not agree and so the foreigner leaves. In my opinion Rs.275/
- was a fair price for it. The bargaining is too much, the merchant said. I
approached many who looked like Israelis in the flea market, with lengthy
hair and a rough look but they simply ignored me as though wary of me.
They seemed to be uninterested in a tête-à-tête. Then, near a restaurant,
I saw three beautiful girls exchanging some white powder sachets with
each other outside the bathroom. I approached them before they saw me
saying that even I wanted to use the lavatory. They said they were from
Bombay, so I left them. A thought came to my mind that if Indian tourists can
exchange drugs so easily, how much more would be the plight of the
foreigners. At 6:30 p.m. the flea market begins to close down.
When we met as a group, Sr Zita and I decided to go across the Vagator
beach and inquire. When asked, we described ourselves as tourists from
Nasik. We inquired with the beach hawkers and the shops on the beach.
They said that they would come early in the morning at around 6:30am
and set up their shops. Then, two to three of the persons from the shop
would start selling their stuff roaming on the beach. They stay in the hot
sun till 1:00pm and then go back for lunch. They said that the Israelis are
scornful and show distaste for them. Few from other countries like Russia,
England and Finland, buy their stuff. An earring seller told us that the
foreigners bargain a great deal.
Later, in the evening, I met an Israeli woman doing yoga. I appreciated
her but she bluntly shook her head and asked me to make a move. After
some time, I came across another lady who gave the impression of being
an Israeli. I asked her if I could join her for some time to have a chat. She
directly opposed me and said, “No, you can’t”. When I asked for her
location she said, “That’s none of your concern”. I met people from
England, Norway, and Holland who were mostly sociable. Those moving
about the beach were mostly Indian tourists by the third day. The tourist
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