Guest guest Posted April 24, 2003 Report Share Posted April 24, 2003 Jai Sara: Thanks for your kind words. What I wrote just came off the top of my head as it was very late at night. Let me add some more thoughts to this and make it more complete and I will post it in the Files section. Here's one trick I devised in dealing with toots, especially around Delhi (Connaught Place), Mumbai and airports. "Toots" are hustlers that vie on western tourists to get you to buy something, like a boat trip to Kashmir, exchange money, massages, fortune tellers, clean the wax out of your ears and every imaginable thing. They know English and what things cost in the US, Europe and govern their prices accordingly. They are independent commissioned agents. They know how to hustle, hassle and hound. They approach you, engage in conversation and begin with their sales pitch. Usually a crowd forms to watch the "master" do his work on you. After the initial opening, I put on a puzzled look on my face and say, "Nay, Hindi". Nay means NO and Hindi is, of course, the language spoken in Delhi. So, "Nay, Hindi" means "no Hindi", meaning I don't speak Hindi. The toot gets a bit puzzled by this but continues on in English. I get a little more expressive and keep saying "Nay, Hindi, nay Hindi". He doesn't understand. Finally someone in the crowd tells him in English that I think he is speaking Hindi even thought he is speaking in English. Finally the conclusion is reached. He realizes I am confusing his English for Hindi. Therefore, I must not understand English! Therefore, he cannot communicate with me and walks away. The hard part of this is to keep a straight puzzled expression on your face and keep from laughing. Watching the expressions on their faces gives away their thoughts. You can see their mental processes as they finally come to the realization that they are wasting their time with you. It works in many countries in Asia. Just substitute the name of their local language for "Hindi". Around Kerala, it is Malayalam. And don't dare laugh until you are safely away. Aum Amriteswarayai Namaha! Kandar (Peter White) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 24, 2003 Report Share Posted April 24, 2003 Very interesting to know of the struggles an alien goes through while he is touring India... obviously, you have done an advanced course in survival tactics in this arena! By the way, I think the term should be "touts", not "toots". And to be more precise, they don't hustle just the western tourists; they hustle the Indians too! and some actually get conned! How naive can humans get. . Jai Ma! Ammachi, pwhite0130@a... wrote: > Jai Sara: > > Thanks for your kind words. What I wrote just came off the top of my head as > it was very late at night. > > Let me add some more thoughts to this and make it more complete and I will > post it in the Files section. > > Here's one trick I devised in dealing with toots, especially around Delhi > (Connaught Place), Mumbai and airports. > > "Toots" are hustlers that vie on western tourists to get you to buy > something, like a boat trip to Kashmir, exchange money, massages, fortune > tellers, clean the wax out of your ears and every imaginable thing. They know > English and what things cost in the US, Europe and govern their prices > accordingly. They are independent commissioned agents. They know how to > hustle, hassle and hound. > > They approach you, engage in conversation and begin with their sales pitch. > Usually a crowd forms to watch the "master" do his work on you. > > After the initial opening, I put on a puzzled look on my face and say, "Nay, > Hindi". > > Nay means NO and Hindi is, of course, the language spoken in Delhi. So, "Nay, > Hindi" means "no Hindi", meaning I don't speak Hindi. > > The toot gets a bit puzzled by this but continues on in English. I get a > little more expressive and keep saying "Nay, Hindi, nay Hindi". > > He doesn't understand. Finally someone in the crowd tells him in English that > I think he is speaking Hindi even thought he is speaking in English. > > Finally the conclusion is reached. He realizes I am confusing his English for > Hindi. Therefore, I must not understand English! Therefore, he cannot > communicate with me and walks away. > > The hard part of this is to keep a straight puzzled expression on your face > and keep from laughing. Watching the expressions on their faces gives away > their thoughts. You can see their mental processes as they finally come to > the realization that they are wasting their time with you. > > It works in many countries in Asia. Just substitute the name of their local > language for "Hindi". Around Kerala, it is Malayalam. > > And don't dare laugh until you are safely away. > > Aum Amriteswarayai Namaha! > > Kandar (Peter White) > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 25, 2003 Report Share Posted April 25, 2003 > I think the term should be "touts", not "toots". Touts, that's it! I had a few other choice words left over from my pre-Spiritual days but that is another story <grin> Aum Amriteswarayai Namaha! Kandar (Peter White) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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