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11:54 PM
Bikram Vohra
JournalismPakistan.com
May 19, 2013
So he landed at Delhi airport lugging an expensive accordion and walked through the green channel. The Customs officer blocked him and asked what on earth he was carrying. It is an accordion, he replied, a musical instrument of great value but it is mine and I take it wherever I go.
Can’t fool me, said the official very officially, you are going to sell it, right.
Wrong.
You will have to pay hefty duty on it.
I will not, I won’t even pay a feathery light duty on it, it’s mine and it is old and exempt.
Ha, said the officer like the engine driver, then you play it, let me see how good you are, if you can play it at all.
You are not serious.
I am very, very serious, I could not be more serious if you were carrying gold, play it, then we will all know if you are telling the truth.
Okay, said the man, if that’s what you want. And he put down his duty free bag, opened the case, pulled out the accordion and warmed up a bit.
Well, get on with it, said the Customs guy, grinning widely, sure he had his man. Anyone can pump an accordion.
And the man began to play. And he played tunes from Fiddler on the Roof, famous, familiar wonderful music from Sound of Music and Lara’s Theme and he danced and bounced along the concourse and people gathered like it was a concert and the Customs officer said, okay stop, I believe you but the people around said, don’t stop. Play on.
And he played on, and a crowd gathered and suddenly people were making requests for songs from Hindi movies and it was heartwarming and just so incredible and the applause climbed up the walls as he made a chorus out of volunteers and suddenly there was this impromptu concert on right there near the baggage carousels and even the officers sort of let it happen.
See, life can be fun.
(The writer is a Senior Editorial Advisor of Khaleej Times and the paper’s former Editor. He has also been the Editor of Gulf News, Gulf Today, Emirates Today and Bahrain Tribune)
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