today the nice, friendly, smiling night guard (though sometimes he's there during the day), who always waves in a nice, friendly, smiling manner, halted me today when I was coming home from the mall.
He smiled in his nice, friendly manner and asked me for a hundred rupees while I was waiting for the lift to arrive.

I asked why, so he proceeded, smiling, to fetch a pen and wrote "100" on the palm of his hand.
I repeated my question, telling him I understood the "100"part of his question/request very well, but that I wanted to know why.
He then fetched, smiling still, the other night guard. This night guard (though of a less smiley nature) then confirmed the earlier mentioned "100 rupees" whilest indicating the first night guard's palm.
I then, again, repeated that I understood the 100 rupees part, but that I wanted to know why they were talking about this. And, if they wanted / needed the 100 rupees, why they did so.

They both smiled, in a friendly, unassuming manner, and the nice night guard indicated, with the very hand that had the number "100" written on it, that I could go.

Oh, the joys of being caucasian in the financial capital of one of the up-and-coming countries of the world.