Money for nothing. And misery for free

Tehelka - India's Independent Weekly News Magazine: "IT WAS a windfall five years ago that taught Panchali Satyavva the power of a lie. It happened one Monday afternoon in Someshwar village of Nizamabad district in Andhra Pradesh. It was raining in sheets and she had just placed a bucket under the steady trickle of water from the roof of her hut. Two men were at her door, holding umbrellas and offering her an unsolicited Rs. 5,000. They would deliver it at her hut in three days, they did not want her to pledge any land or gold or cows — none of which she had anyway — and they would come back with more if she repaid this loan in 50 weekly instalments. All she had to do was promise that she would spend the money wisely, like investing it in a small-scale business."