- Bribe Fighter
- 14 years ago
- 1798 views
Same old, same old
This happened several years ago to my father, when I was still a toddler. We were visiting India in the mid-seventies, my parents and my younger brother and I (both under 4). My father had 2 bottles of champagne with him. At the customs desk in Mumbai's international airport, he was told he would have to pay duty on the wine, although it was within the duty-free amount. He challenged it, which appeared to irk the customs official, since he thought this NRI would promptly offer a bribe. Thinking that my father (who is South Indian) could not understand him, he remarked to his mate in the next chair in Marathi "I will make this fellow cry". My dad, who can speak Marathi fluently, was so incensed by this attitude, he decided he would pay whatever duty levied and would not succumb to a bribe of any sort. He was levied a duty that was more than the price he had paid but he refused to pay a bribe.