Looking at flutes¹⁶

Whenever I see an Indian flute, I always like to play it. In a store in Delhi I was playing a wooden flute. The price was ten rupees. In India I always offer them half the price, so I said, “Five rupees.”

He said, “It is not even cost price. Cost price is seven rupees.”

I said, “I am not going to take it.”

Then he followed me two or three blocks, flattering me. He said that five minutes ago I had played so well.

Who can resist flattery? Because he flattered me so shamelessly, I gave him seven rupees and got the flute.

A few hours later I saw some reed flutes in another store. These flutes were not good at all, and the price was also very high. But I have a bad habit. Whenever I go into a store, I try to play the flutes. The salesman was annoyed that I was trying all the flutes and I could not make any sound. So he said, “The flute talks only to nice people.”

I said, “It is true — it talks only to nice people.” Since the flute didn’t talk to me, I didn’t have to buy it. So if you are not a nice man, you save money!