Udhaar Bandh Hai


Do you know one of the most common words I've encountered since I came to Baroda(Been a month now..wow)? It is' Jama' (deposit). I don't know whether there really is such a big coin shortage here or whether people just like to keep things jama hoping that the other person will forget that something is owed?

Let's see now- people who have told me 'jama' are:

- The South Corner larriwalla(He makes stuff as good as or better than the restaurant guys)- kept 5 Rs Jama.

- The other(Not the one I sometimes visit during my morning walk) tea stall guy in Fatehgunj(I was too famished for a cuppa that day in the afternoon): 1 Re jama(That was the first and last time I went there, frankly- didn't like the taste)

- The dhobi,nee presswalla(Since he only irons clothes): 2 Rs jama

Some more enterprising people charge the rounded off figure if they don't have change- for eg, the local papers like Sandesh and Guj Samachar cost Rs 2.25/- and the paper guy deducts 3/- if you don't give him 25 p. Now, who carries 25p around these days? I thought it was extinct.

The amount's nothing to cry about so far, but, all these 1s and 2s might add up to something substantial, huh? Now, to avoid such situations, I've collected all the coins from our flat. Also discovered two piggy bank like boxes that I used to collect 'chillar'(loose change) in, before I went to Dubai. So, from now on, no more 'jama'- each time I go out, I'll be armed with at least 2 coins of 1,2,5.

In fact, worst than jama is, if they ask you for change of 5,10,15,20 Rs and you say no- they end up passing on notes in the most tattered of conditions to me, and if I doubtingly say 'yeh nahin chalega'(This won't work), they say' Don't worry, Main Hoon Na'. Arghhh!

Anyone else facing such problems in their cities, I wonder?
---
Funny misinterpretation: received in a yahoo groups email...it says 'Aish looking forward for mother'...when you click the link wondering why, it actually says'I'm looking forward to motherhood'.
--
Joke of the day:
I remember when 'Palm Pilot' was just a nickname you received upon entering puberty.
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Comments

Anonymous said…
hahaa welcum to real world amit ,jama,,,,,,if u dontlike it then u wud know how ur friedns feel wen u dont keep intouch with them in india..tsk tsk tsk
11/04/2009 8:15 AM
mahshid said…
keep intouch
11/04/2009 8:17 AM
AmitL said…
haha..tks for both comments, Dr M..but,I quite enjoy this 'jama' thing...it keeps my memory cells extra busy..(they're already busy with work thoughts..haha)
11/04/2009 8:20 AM
Vinita Apte said…
amit...thankfully in UK the jama concept is not there. Rather its weird. People throw off their pennies in trash as they think pennies are useless...
11/05/2009 1:03 PM
austere said…
its been a month already? how are things with you, boss?
11/05/2009 2:38 PM
Arunima said…
haha, I am going to jama a comment now.
11/06/2009 5:54 PM
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