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"Torko" is fun - 95% of the time it is not. "Torko" basically is a bengali habit that you mostly have to deal with, when you are out shopping. Why? Because it is all about the money!

To understand this, I have to explain "Torko" to you. "Torko" is the unnecessary discussion, a waste of time. For example, I went to buy a dress shirt for work. It fit perfectly, except that my hands wouldn't fit without unbuttoning the sleeves. What was the salesman's comment? They will stretch after I wash the shirt. And what would have been the comment if everything was too loose? Right – that they will shrink after washing it and therefore will fit perfectly anyhow.

“Torko” can be annoying, like arguing over and over, when you know you are right; when you have bought something and go to buy it again and the price all of a sudden has risen. And then the salesman explains to you, that the price has always been that high, that you are wrong and maybe even laughs at you. “This stupid boy really thinks that people sell this for 150 Taka, haha. Come on, it’s 210 Taka. Everybody knows it!”

And “Torko” can be annoying when dealing with Rickshaws. I at least take the Rickshaw once a day, from Gulshan-1 to Gulshan-2 through residential area. In the morning and in the evenings, during rush hour, prices all of a sudden rise. Not because there is more traffic, because people need to go to office and back home quickly. So then of course the least Rickshaw Wallahs are willing to go for the regular price.

But “Torko” can be fun – 5% of the time. I went to buy a bag and a backpack the other day. Mostly, when you have a store specialized on selling bags, you have at least three of four more around it. So competition is high. I checked every store for the price of the things I liked and found out the lowest prices. Then this one salesman wanted to sell me his bags desperately and offered the lowest price, like the others. We argued, although I knew no one else was willing to go lower – “Torko”. I paid him 5 Taka less, which is only five cents, but the arguing and reaching that agreement was fun, when the total charge was 15.500 Taka. At least I can enjoy “Torko” every now and then...

Fun Fact: Bangladeshis like "Torko".