Let's start with a basic premise - I am an idiot. I accept it full-fledgedly. And I was duped outta good two hundred rupees. Out of sheer foolishness on my part. Here's how.

I was parking my car in some lane this afternoon. When two girls, maybe a couple of years younger than me, came up with a wicker basket full of 10 rupee notes just when I was getting outta the car. So these sweet young girls tell me that they are collecting money for chadhao-ing on Ajmer sharif. I kinda liked them (do Not ask why!) so decided to humor them by handing over a tenner. Dus rupaye dene se kya farak padta hai na vaise bhi.
So anyway, the one who was holding a basket then told me that I should give 2 notes out of which one she will hand me back immediately. I did so. After which she said I should give a bigger denomination note. I gave a hundred rupee note. (I am smartness personified!)... To which she objected saying I should hand two notes of the same denomination at the same time. Since I had had enough of it (or so I thought) I told them to buzz off. And she got all serious and said stuff like 'Baba aankhein le lega' n the like. I am usually not a superstitious person. But I didn't want to take chances (which makes me a superstitious person now!). I handed over another 100 note. And then she said, 'ye paise hum dargah pe chadhaenge, aur tumhe dugune hokar milenege'. I was totally miffed by then! I was like, what-the-hell! Gimme back my money! And she went on with more scary stuff about how 'baba' would not forgive me if i didn't give 'hastey hastey'. And you know what?! I did not say anything. I am such an idiot!!!
I don't know if it's just me, or do these things happen otherwise as well. All of you, please don;t stop to chat up people like that. It's unfair. It's cheap. And God most definitely doesn't want money outta cheating! If only I had thought of this earlier! :(
Now that I think of what really happened in those 2 minutes...I wonder what made me give in so easily. Was it their charm? Or just my inability to be assertive? I could have raised an alarm. It was just a couple of puny girls. Why didn't I? And I never even give anything to people who are begging on the signals. What was I thinking!