Appearances Are Deceptive .

Appearances Are Deceptive .

Trust a farmer to teach a lesson not found in a car salesman’s handbook: never judge a person by their clothes. Sales staff at a showroom in Tumakuru dismissed Kempegowda RL from Ramanapalya and his friends when they came to book an SUV on Friday. The farmer returned in 30 minutes with ₹10 lakh in cash, ready to buy his dream car, win a challenge, and make a point.

One sales executive had insulted the arecanut farmer, saying he probably didn’t even have “₹10 in his pocket,” let alone the amount required for the car. Assuming they were mere window-shoppers, the staff dismissed them. Before leaving, Kempegowda and his friends dared the sales executives to deliver the car that day if they could bring the cash. Skeptical, the staff challenged them to try. “They thought we couldn’t gather the cash, especially with banks closed,” said Kempegowda, who also grows jasmine and crossandra on his farm.

The car couldn’t be delivered, however. The shocked staff explained it was impossible due to government holidays on Saturday and Sunday. Angered further, Kempegowda and his friends called the police to report their mistreatment. Videos of the incident went viral the next day, showing the men refusing to leave the showroom until persuaded by police to go home.

“I’ve asked the sales executive and showroom authorities to provide a written apology for the insult,” Kempegowda said, adding that he’d lost interest in buying the vehicle. He threatened to protest outside the showroom on Monday.

A similar story unfolded at London Heathrow Airport, where Sudha Murthy, dressed in a simple salwar kameez, sat at the boarding gate. Observing her surroundings, she noted travellers around her conversing in Kannada and some British businesspeople discussing India’s economy. When the boarding announcement came, Sudha joined the business class queue.

Ahead of her stood a woman in an Indo-Western silk outfit with a Gucci handbag, accompanied by another woman adorned in a silk sari, diamond bangles, and pearl jewellery. When Sudha stepped away briefly to get water, the first woman accosted her, asking to see her boarding pass. Puzzled, Sudha asked why, as the woman didn’t seem to work for the airline.

“This line is for business class passengers,” the woman replied confidently, pointing to the economy queue. Sudha, amused, asked why she should move. “Business class is over two times the price of economy,” explained the woman, with her friend adding, “actually, it’s three times as much.” They proceeded to outline business class privileges, from extra baggage allowance to better meals.

Sudha listened politely but then firmly replied, “But I don’t want to go there.” Frustrated, the woman whispered to her friend, “It’s hard to reason with ‘cattle class.’ Let the staff handle her.” Ignoring them, Sudha presented her business class boarding pass to the attendant and proceeded. She later returned to the women and asked what made them assume she couldn’t afford business class. “Class doesn’t come from money,” she said, citing Mother Teresa and Manjul Bhargava as examples. She then boarded her flight, leaving the women silenced.

Actor Amitabh Bachchan, recalling a London experience, shared how a shopkeeper assumed he couldn’t afford a £120 tie. “We were shopping when the shopkeeper dismissively mentioned the price,” he recalled. “I looked him in the eye and said, ‘Pack ten of these for me.’”

Similarly, Fakeerappa, a 70-year-old farmer in a dhoti and white shirt, was denied entry to a Bengaluru mall’s multiplex. Security told him his attire wasn’t permitted, refusing entry despite pleas from his son, Nagaraj. Only after media involvement did the mall staff relent, with the security supervisor eventually apologizing and promising such incidents wouldn’t recur.

In another instance, a man wearing simple clothes was denied entry at a Bengaluru metro station, sparking public outrage and resulting in the suspension of the security officer involved.

Decades ago, a Haryana farmer in traditional dhoti-kurta attire entered a five-star hotel and asked a staff member where the “hotel” (restaurant) was. The staff, judging his appearance, replied, “It’s very expensive.” Undeterred, the farmer ordered freely from the menu. When told his meal would cost ₹2,500, he produced bundles of ₹2,000 notes and demanded his food promptly. After finishing everything, he commented, “With this money, I could feed ten families in my village. I know what it takes to grow this food.” The diners applauded, and the manager saw him out with a bouquet. People must respect when some one is attired in native dress. However there are occasions when has to dress properly befitting the occasion. There is a case in the high court in Chennai on the dress code of Deputy CM on formal occasions.

However, appearances can occasionally offer insights into behaviour. A girl, meeting a prospective groom, declined him due to his worn-out jeans, wrinkled shirt, and flip-flops, finding it disrespectful for the occasion. Her reasoning was simple.He has not respected an important occasion and therefore I feel he will not respect me after marriage.This is in spite of the fact that he was an IIM gradaate and well employed. This “Apparel maketh half the man,” as the saying goes, and she concluded that his lack of decorum suggested he might not respect her.

These stories remind us that appearances can be deceiving, and it’s unwise to underestimate anyone based on their attire or demeanor. A Tamil proverb fittingly captures this: “alai parthu edai podadhe”—don’t judge the depths of the ocean by the waves and also don’t judge a parson on how he looks like.

 

I agree.Inner beauty reflects itsely on ones face.Agathin Azhagu mugathil theryum endru theriyamala sonnargal.One can be himself but the occasion demanded dress protocol.Was the girl right? Why do people go out of the way to dress girls when boys pretend not to care?

 

If he was an Irving Wallace fan I would have him a place before me in the queue.The Man,The Prize,R document,theWord,Seven minutes etc are some of the books.Some how I don't recommend Fan club,a book on abduction of a film star and also another book on anthropoligical studies on some tribals with unusual solutions for problems between a man and woman.The best was The Man in which the death of the President and Vice President catapult a coloured man into the Presidentship.Sorry for the digression.All of us tend to judge a person by his appearance and simplicity. The situation becomes trick when you interview some one for a senior position.

 

Nothing to beat books when you travel by train.When I retired I opted for train.Relaxing in AC First class and re-enjoying Emperor of Blandings by PGW and No orchids for Blandish by JHC saw me through Delhi-Chennai train journey.With MIthila by my side and petu my pet Daschund at my feet what more could I have asked for.Both my daughters with Enid Blyton and Mills and Boon books were in their own world.Mythili had Wuthering Heights in her hand though most of the time she was on brown study,free from cooking.Now and then mother and daughters would exchange glances meaning what a foolish Head of the family I was in chucking off a lucrative job. I pretended to be a would be sanyasi slowly getting rid of the worldly possessions.
Thanks for your wonderful commute experience which opened the floodgate of memories.
Regards
SLN