Lenders are always beggars for the time that follows...

It is 5 A.M. in the morning, and I am still awake. Another thought provoking session is on in my head and till it does not end and lull me into sleep I thought its rather a good time to write it out here.

There's just a month left for my Infosys joining and I am now analysing the things I have lended out to the lot. As the analysis progress I am wondering how many things I have given out to the people who never even bother to return it, leave alone returning on time. When you want anything you have given out you probably seem a bigger and a befitting beggar than the borrower at the time he/she borrows that thing.

And the audit began...A digicam lended, money, important books, CD's, that childhood photograph you always cherished, etc etc, nothing came back, you have to remind them again and again, everything seemed so close when you had them once with you and now they are all soo distant.

Stricken by this attitude of humans I always copied and gave any software when required by anyone, I knew if the original CD's got lost it would be irreparable loss for me, Now even the Re-writable CD's are unseen in my Cupboard. It's not that I can't afford another one, but it's more like why the hell is the nature of people like this.

Sometimes people also mistake me for a "rich" guy wanting to "drool" all his wealth down. Many a times I have come across people saying "arre tumhare badepapa to M.P. hain tumhe paise ki kya tension"("you are a nephew of a Parliamentarian you could easily spent so much on such and such thing"), Believe it I just hate this statement, I love my badepapa, I know he does and he would help me with anything if ever would I need it but it does not mean I devalue the value of money. I don't like spending money without any rhyme or reason. I normally don't go for movies coz everytime I think about going for one I think that 100 rupees means a lot for any poor family(that I would have spent for a movie) and my soul disallows me to go out.

At this moment I remember two cases during my B.tech course worthwhile to mention here. I remember one friend of mine "Navneet Maurya" had to get some documents notarized for any educational process. As a friend I said I would help him in getting the documents notarized as my Uncle is a lawyer. He came to my house, got him introduced him with the juniors working under my uncle. Got his work done, I payed the juniors since they had to buy and use the stamp papers for the whole process. Next day when I went to college I reminded him that I have paid such amount to the juniors. And I was disappointed by his reply that your uncle is such an esteemed lawyer, you must be getting the stamp papers free!, and I was fuming and thinking that first of all you take help and then when your desire is fulfilled you never take a glance back! Anyways after some days later he brought and gave me half of the money, when I said why only half, his reply was he dropped and lost the rest money somewhere. Afterwards he never thought to pay back and I never asked.

Another incident I remember was when "Ashish Singh" and I accorded to go college together on my bike and we mutually agreed on that he would pay me Rs. 120 monthly for the fuel expenses. One month passed and he did not pay, still I thought he would pay by next month, another month passed. He payed me rs. 40!!. I kept on asking to pay as I had to spend nearly 400-500 rupees a month on fuel that time. He had to pay 240 and payed 40!, I remember how I used to go 2 KMs inside HAL just to pick him up. I thought it was better to quit. I made up and told a false reason that I am annoyed with the excessive security HAL is having.

It is not that these 100 or 200 rupees are my life but when 200-300 rupees turn into 1000-2000 rupees then into more and more then it does!, not in amount but in my thinking about the human nature. Every borrower says: "I am not like the rest, you can trust on me", the "trust" is bound to be broken!. My conclusion to my experience is that in Business and money matters don't trust anybody!, and If you are lending anything be prepared for begging. If you aren't a beggar, simply don't lend.

PS: Though I have pinpointed some people, still it stands for the general outlook, I am really upset with the garb people carry while borrowing. Really fed up!!

My Borrowing-Lending Principle: Anything that goes out...Never comes back. If it does you're still in your dreams, wake up!!