Many a friendship is broken or delinked because of Money matters. Recently I got an sms message at 6.30 am, thank god my cellphone was switched off and I got a SOS call that I urgently require money 1.20 lakhs to clear customs at Delhi airport. The caller told me he requires totally 3.00 lakhs and has arranged 1.80 lakhs now he is falling short of the rest. He is willing to pledge his car. This is an embarrassing situation. I referred to some of my friends they refused to extend a loan for such requests. In fact they advised me not to canvass such loans.

As far as I am aware people who import and export have pucca tie up arrangement with the Bankers in the form of LC facility etc. Otherwise they are too well versed with the formalities to get into a soup such as this. The merchandise would be worth 60 lakhs assuming the duty to be 20%, will any importer risk margin money. My banking circle literally were suprised by such unusual request, they advised me to refrain from dealing with such dubious deal.Another request came from my friends brother, who wanted urgently 80 k to repay EMI for a 80x50 site loan procured from ICICI. The land is currently worth at least 30 lakhs. If he sells his land he will make a neat profit of 6 lakhs, but his intention was to dupe others. Luckily his brother had warned me sufficiently well in advance not to entertain any loan request from him. He has a history sheet of cheating people.

I am sure many of us are trapped one time or the other with financial help request. In one such case I was trapped by one of my friend with 2.50 lakhs loan, he said we will jointly invest in buying land and he promised me 1 lakh return within six months. It was too tempting I fell for the trap. I am still to recover my capital, who knows the promised profit will arrive or not. It is the same friend whom I got his son an admission in a reputed engineering college. He was willing to pay commission of 10% of the capitation fee of 5 lakhs. Neither did I take commission from him or the college. On the hindsight when I go back to his financial credential, he is bestowed with a bank deposit of Rs 25 lakhs left by his father who died of cancer, along with 10 lakhs each in favour of his two sons. I think he borrowed the money only to ensure that I will take care of his son as long as he is studying in Bangalore. A ransom money literally I paid for friendship on the hindsight.

Lending money to friends many a times in the past I have carried out without hesitation, but now I am sceptical of lending even a single np. Once I was approached by an engineer when I was constructing the house. He said his wife is pregnant and he wants 10 k, I told him point blank no, if he wants I will provide him lunch and medicine for his wife but no money mate. That was an offer free of liability. He backed out.Once I lent money to a friend to buy a bike, he bought the bike and returned the money without interest in instalments. Today he is in Canada and he is not bothered to remember the timely help, and whenever he comes to India, he even forgets conviniently to call up. Another time I lent handloan of 25 k to my cousin for paying the agent his commission for his job. He too repaid the loan in installment, without interest. Now he is well settled and does not bother to keep in touch in general. That is how life is when money is involved. Money breeds contempt many a times and even attracts enemies rather than friends.

I am sure you guys too would have different experiences when you lend money, how you get back the same in instalment and without interest or profit. Come on share your experience guys.