The Art of Bargaining In India

India is a country of many languages, ethnicities, cultures, traditions and customs. And if you happen to live in a metropolitan city in the country, then you also tend to meet people from diverse backgrounds, who are striving to co-exist in one place. They follow different practices, celebrate different festivals, believe in different Gods, and even speak different languages. However, one skill that you would find common amongst them all is the art of bargaining. That's right- to survive in any village or city in India, having the skill of bargaining is a big necessity. And if you do not have it, you are sure to learn it in the formative years of your life.

In my case, ever since I was a child, I would see my grandma haggle with the local vegetable hawker on the prices of veggies. And after a few minutes, she would end up convincing the vendor to accept lower prices. Also, as a child when I would accompany my mom to the different markets in old and New Delhi such as the markets of Lajpat Nagar and Sarojini Nagar, the markets would be full of outcries of vendors selling their ware and urging people to purchase them. Right from the fruit shopkeepers, to the cloth vendors, the crockery owners and most of the other vendors would be ready to bargain and in the end sell the products at prices ranging from are 25 percent to 70 percent of the original values offered by them. And even after so many years, things haven't changed a bit.

As I grew older, bargaining became a recurring activity even for me. Now, every time I need to get an auto rickshaw, I have to haggle with the driver to settle the price for the journey, as their meters are customarily out of order. Also, every time I need bric-a-bracs for the house from Sarojini Nagar, junk jewelery and handicraft items for myself from Dilli Haat, trendy clothes from Janpath or electronics from the underground Palika Bazaar, I ensure to spend enough time in bargaining with the shopkeepers. In this way, I am able to get the best possible value for my hard earned money besides enjoying the experience of bargaining with the shopkeepers, which adds more pleasure to shopping!