Some time back it was reported in the press that beggars have been seen in Muscat. This was unheard of not so long ago. Well, I have not seen any beggars around till date, not in the way we are used to in India, at traffic lights, places of worship and streets. But on two different occasions I was accosted by car borne gentlemen (accompanied with families) while I was walking to the mess where I have my meals (a 10 minute walk from my residence). Both of them gave me sob stories about coming to Muscat on a visit and having lost their wallets and being generally high and dry, children not having eaten a morsel etc, etc.
Imagine the sight of a Toyota Corolla or a Nissan Tiida coming to a halt near you and the occupants giving you such bullshit. These incidents happened within the space of a week. I came to know that one family was from India and the other from Pakistan (both countries truly represented !). Well, they did not get a single ‘baiza’ from me but got a long lecture regarding painting our respective countries in poor light. Later on I was discussing this issue with my colleagues in the office and was surprised to learn that nearly all my Omani friends have faced such situations. And gentlemen that they are, they got conned and parted with various amounts upto a maximum of 10 Rials (Rs 1300.00).
“ I call them Car Borne Beggars -Saale bhikari yahan bhi aa gaye !!”
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