Baksheesh

PeakXV · Sep 30th, 2008, 12:12

Whether it can or should be technically classified as a bribe, gift, tip or plain old westernized 'service charge' is immaterial really and extremely difficult at times to discern specifically between in India or anywhere in the world for that matter. It really depends on the relationship between the two or more parties, who is asking, who is offering, who is insinuating, the nature, lean & candy-coatedness of the conversation and of course the services, products &/or time-frames that can be extended, provided, enhanced or not. So call it rishwat, ghoos, lancham or even the farsi rooted baksheesh if you want but the Indian Government & their faithful officials & servants would kindly prefer that you refrain from any of these types of offerings/requests/transactions, thank you.

puchoo · Sep 30th, 2008, 16:14

you dont need to hide tips, give them out in the open if you want to... bribing a lot depends on the situation but if you are not comfy and are going to be nervous then dont do it as a general rule...the last thing you want is someone asking you for more money to not tell anyone that you tried to give them a bribe..

Bjoern · Sep 30th, 2008, 17:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by hal2004

It's not Chicago, it's India.

I'm getting the picture, yes...;-)
thanks a lot!

Nick-H · Sep 30th, 2008, 20:20

You're welcome!

The thing with cultural misunderstandings is that they are always obvious to those who do understand them!

windrider24584 · Sep 30th, 2008, 21:53

As Shashank pointed out bribery is crime and subject to prosecution as per Indian Penal Code.Both asking for and paying bribe can be considered as seious offence.

Baksheesh or Tips are some extra charges you may be give to anyone voluntarily , it is not illegal. This is a festive season,
so people associated with hotel, transport services often expect some tips.You have to deal with them by the situation you are in.
Sometimes a small tips can produce favourable results.Like if it is late night and you are riding a taxi in a new city it is better to give some tips to avoid more and more harrasment.

PeakXV · Sep 30th, 2008, 22:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by windrider24584

Sometimes a small tips can produce favourable results.Like if it is late night and you are riding a taxi in a new city it is better to give some tips to avoid more and more harrasment.

Small tips, that are too small in the mind of the recipient can often result in extremely long faces & a bit of a guilt trip suddenly imposed upon you that is designed to induce a further advance of cash. This tactic can work well on soft-hearted goras. Is this a case in point where a too insignificant 'tip or gift' must be followed with an additional 'bribe'(blackmail?, extorsion?, or cheating man's booty?) to appease/ease/mend supposed hurt feelings & feigned ill will?

Sep 30th, 2008, 12:12	#16
PeakXV Naan.tering Nabob Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Abode of Glooscap Posts: 5,835	Whether it can or should be technically classified as a bribe, gift, tip or plain old westernized 'service charge' is immaterial really and extremely difficult at times to discern specifically between in India or anywhere in the world for that matter. It really depends on the relationship between the two or more parties, who is asking, who is offering, who is insinuating, the nature, lean & candy-coatedness of the conversation and of course the services, products &/or time-frames that can be extended, provided, enhanced or not. So call it rishwat, ghoos, lancham or even the farsi rooted baksheesh if you want but the Indian Government & their faithful officials & servants would kindly prefer that you refrain from any of these types of offerings/requests/transactions, thank you. __________________ What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us. ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes Don't go to India ~ Pre-trip Warnings & Misconceptions?

Sep 30th, 2008, 16:14	#17
puchoo Maha Guru Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: New Delhi & Himachal Pradesh (Shimla) Posts: 5,397	you dont need to hide tips, give them out in the open if you want to... bribing a lot depends on the situation but if you are not comfy and are going to be nervous then dont do it as a general rule...the last thing you want is someone asking you for more money to not tell anyone that you tried to give them a bribe.. __________________ Cheers! Indiamike Mod team............ puchoo.wordpress.com

Sep 30th, 2008, 20:20	#19
Nick-H This is just a cameo appearance Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 35,898	You're welcome! The thing with cultural misunderstandings is that they are always obvious to those who do understand them! __________________ ... Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/var/lib/mysql/mysql.sock' (2)

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Sep 30th, 2008, 21:53	#20
windrider24584 windrider Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: KOLKATA,INDIA Posts: 144	As Shashank pointed out bribery is crime and subject to prosecution as per Indian Penal Code.Both asking for and paying bribe can be considered as seious offence. Baksheesh or Tips are some extra charges you may be give to anyone voluntarily , it is not illegal. This is a festive season, so people associated with hotel, transport services often expect some tips.You have to deal with them by the situation you are in. Sometimes a small tips can produce favourable results.Like if it is late night and you are riding a taxi in a new city it is better to give some tips to avoid more and more harrasment.