I have an eye for ‘Paisa Vasool’ and I love to take a little extra!

Mum never forgot to request the vegetable vendor to put some odd 200 grams of green chilies free along with the bundle of coriander and Dad always succeeded in convincing the specky electrician uncle to check a few flickering light fittings when he was supposed to do only one.  Dadi (Grand ma) never forgot to give a dozen of tasks to Chachu (Uncle) mentioning ‘aate aate yeh bhi le lena’ (bring these too while you are coming back) when he went for a small errand of his own and Chachu would not give up on the ‘Golgappas’ and ‘Rosgullas’ in the family, friends and neighborhood parties until his stomach gave the last signs of exploding. Whenever I asked him why he overstuffed himself, he would say ‘Bachche, we bought them gifts, its important to take a return gift and something extra’.  Thats called #PaisaVasool.  With the faintest notion that the term ‘Paisa Vasool’ was actually about our Indian-ness,  I often felt amused, irritated, convinced and more when my family members went a little overboard to get that little extra. 

I have grown up in a great Indian ‘Paisa Vasool’ family. Thus, I love to extract my extra zings that are  satiating, amusing, fulfilling and enriching!

The words ‘return gift’, ‘more’,’ A little extra’ and ‘Paisa Vasool’ stayed with me  for long though the meanings kept changing as I kept growing. At a tender age #Paisavasool to me was all about having a kismi bar because it gave me an extra zing of sweetness that I relished completely. Getting a return gift at a friends party also made me happy. Grand Ma telling me a story when I behaved like a good girl or daddy appreciating me for helping a friend were like getting an extra doze of happiness. I thought this was paisavasool for me. At that time, I was too naive to go into the deeper meanings.  All that mattered to me was making others happy and feeling happy too.

Gradually I realized Indians were born with an eye and heart for PaisaVasool. We just can’t relish any moment until it gives us a little extra, it could just be a High or a Kick but we want that all the time. With time I also learnt that #paisavasool  had its many forms and people associated to it differently.  In fact for some, it does not have to do with money always. Its is a feeling which gives you a high and you feel richer even though you have paid. ( I have borrowed this view from a friend and I quite agree to it.) 

Getting buck for your bang could just be a movie of your favorite superstar that touches the last vein of your heart or could be a cricket match where the last bowl decides the winning team. A book that is unputdownable or a trip that gives you uncountable precious moments is all paisa vasool. The extra bowl of paani that the gol gappe wala gives you after the last serving or just the aroma of the butter that the paranthe wala adds to your paratha is no less than paisa vasool.

Oh yes! I tried asking my friends too what they thought of #PaisaVasool and here are the answers…

Being a Bonafide Paisa Vasooler, I have a different view around #PaisaVasool. For me its about a non-tangible feeling that makes the blood rush to my heart and makes me happy. And it comes from sweet, little things or interesting experiences of life. Anything that happens unexpectedly or beyond my expectation also satiates me to the core. Someone being over thoughtful about me and giving me the best service also is equivalent to getting that extra bang for my my buck.

Some of the pictures explain my perspective better…

                                            The dahi chaat that has elaborate pomegranate dressing !                                                          A little more is what we want!

A great shot taken from the inside of the plane cheers the traveler in me!

When you buy your favorite book and get a signed copy from the Author herself

Spending some bucks to go to Mumbai is fine but getting clicked outside your favorite superstar’s house is indeed #paisavasool

From the highest building of the world, Burj Khalifa when you get to see the whole of Dubai. What do you call this feeling? Isn’t it similar to getting an extra bang for your bucks!

After 3 years of waiting, the Kagzi lime plant that you have cultivated starts bearing lemons, its an absolute satiating feeling because you get the worth for your labor and patience

(Can you see the green lemons?)

Your Europe trip ends with a visit to the most gorgeous snow forest! Isn’t it an amazing feeling? I call it paisavasool

At Louvre, when you get to see World’s most expensive Art- Monalisa  closely.             Also you have pretty photo in the same frame, its utterly paisavasool for me!

When you get invited to a blogging event and there you get to see and hear Mr. Amitabh Bachchan super closely, that’s gorgeously Paisa Vasool

When you get this super Thali when you order just a simple South Indian Thali. It happened in Singapore at Little India, I called it a paisa vasool dinner!

Lufthansa Premium Economy is here and its offering lot more than the little extra that we Indians love and relish to have.  There is gonna be more comfort, more relaxation, more entertainment and more space. Sounds cool right? This is what is Paisa Vasool for me. The lounge, the welcome drink, the travel accessories, 11/12 inch screen, the storage space, footrest, seperate armrest etc  are some of the added features. Together its all about giving us the extra zing as we all love to get the pampers, feel enriched and pay less. No doubt Indians will cheer for it with open arms because we are born with the habit to look for the extra. Remember the extra cheezy pizza for the prize of one…