That was my first experience in 1985, of buying a frock for my new born baby girl. I went to a readymade shop at Ghatkopar (West). I immediately liked a pretty frock, which was neatly packed in a transparent cover. The shopkeeper told me that it was for babies up to a year old. I paid Rs. 50/ for it and went home pleased with myself at, having made a good buy.
I presented the neatly packed gift to my wife. When she gladly opened the packet, we discovered, to our utter horror, that the frock was not large enough for a small doll. I went right back to the shop and angrily tried to return back the same.
The shopkeeper coolly told me that the packet was meant to be given as a gift only, to somebody else, who in turn would gift it to somebody else, but would never to be opened by anybody and the price was mainly for the attractive packing. He said that he sold it to me thinking that I was going to gift it to an outsider, but not for my own daughter. Even if anybody happened to open it, he said, he should think that he got cheated and should keep quiet. Nobody came back to him till I did. He was so cool and witty that I was to let it go as a different experience in the life.
R.V.B. RAO, / 9324816616
