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"Sir I have to excuse you for disturbing at this time of the day," said the man who stood at the door to room where my administrator friend worked. He was one of the higher officials in the ministry concerned.

"Please come in, and what is it that you want from me?," asked my friend looking straight into stranger's face. The stranger was slightly nervous and looked around.

"Take a seat." My friend said. Then the stranger talked in a smoothing tone coming more and more closer to my friend.

"Sir, we have a hamper to hand over to you. Is it alright bringing it in or taking it to your residence?" My friend was startled for a moment and asked a series of questions.

"Why do you want to give me a hamper?"

"We have a list of people to whom we should give hampers and your name is there and my boss wants me to give it to you."

"By the way, who is this boss of yours and what connection has he got with me?"

Then the stranger or the messenger went on indicating the name of a private firm and the name of the managing director of the particular firm. My friend seemed to have forgotten all about help he had rendered months ago. In a pensive mood, my friend said.

"I don't think it is good on my part to accept any hampers as I may have done a job of work within my functions as a Government officer."

"But Sir..."

"Please tell your boss not to send me any hampers because it is not ethical on my part to accept any hampers," said my friend.

"But my boss will be happy to see that..."

"Never mind, thanks for coming to see me, I can't accept any presents either here or at home... I am also bound by certain establishment code."

"I understand all that Sir. I will inform my boss about it, but it is customary on our part to present hampers during the festive seasons like Christmas and New Year..."

"Yes I know all that." Then my friend had to respond to some of the telephone calls that flooded in. The stranger nodded his head in salutation and left the office room of my friend.

I felt that the telephone call my friend responded a second ago was by a company boss for whom he said calmly.

"Thank you so much for remembering me, but to be honest I am not in a position to accept any gifts or hampers. And not even at my residence as it comes to the same whether it is accepted here or there. So thank you once again and see that I am here to help you and not to accept any gifts either in kind or in money..."

My friend loosened his tie for a moment and looked at my face in a relaxed mood.

"Did you visualize the trap to which I was going to be caught? He asked me.

"Yes I felt it, but to be honest I have to say that you are an exception to the rule." I said.

"May be so. I think I have to be first of all honest to myself. I have lived all throughout my life without hampers. So why can't I continue to do so until the day of the retirement?"

"But I find that most others of your position accept not only hampers but also..."

"May be so. But I don't want to advocate these indirect forms of bribery and corruption. In the first instance, it may look a triviality but as time goes on you will see that it will extent to endless worries as you have to have special attention on those who remunerate you in various forms. This I am not too sure whether I am correct, I feel tantamount to corruption."

While my friend was attending to some of his work I went on recollecting a visit to a friend of mine who held a very high post in the State sector. He used to get so many hampers that there was one room packed with those varying kinds from different firms and people to whom he had extended some help by way of signing a document or helping to get an appointment or to pull out a file and see that it is kept over and above the other files or any other function connected with his position and influence "I say why don't you drop in one of these evening after about six o'clock?"

He would say in a relaxed mood.

"What's the occasion like?" I asked.

"There is no such special occasion, but there are some really good hampers I got and one should share the bliss with a good friend. So drop in."

"Tell me what do you have in those hampers?"

"Oh my god! Don't you know there are various types of hampers, some contain cheese, cashew nuts, peanuts, bottles of whisky, brandy and other drinks and various tin foods and all manner of items, come and see if you want." While going out of the room of my first friend, the ideal administrator I wanted to refer up some source to find what a hamper means.

I entered into a library close by and went through some of the books that could help me find the etymological meaning as well as the present day usage. Hamper is a traditional basket work or packing case and/or a consignment of eatables, wines etc. meant to be given as gifts especially by way of a favour. Then I found that there had been a custom of giving hampers as a mark of remembrance for a favour done previously.

Whatever is said and done hampers come all the way visibly and invisibly.

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