"October 2005" Archive

[ October 27, 2005 ] A Tribute to a Teacher:
Several years ago, I was at the 50th birthday party of a friend. To open the party, he asked everyone a simple question: "Which teacher has changed your life?" Everyone eagerly responded with memorable stories. Some couldn't decide between two...

[ October 21, 2005 ] Unspoken Contract With a Rickshaw Driver:
"Where to?" the rickshaw driver asks me with his mouth full of tobacco. "Vijay Char Rasta," I say. I'm headed to meet Sampat, Raj and Archana to talk about the purpose of life and things like that. :) After some...

[ October 18, 2005 ] 400 Rupee Tip At the Seva Café:
I've never waited tables at a restaurant. So I pretend to play that role on the opening night of my friend's restaurant inauguration. I force a couple of friends to be my mock customers. All of a sudden, within the...

[ October 10, 2005 ] Shop Till You Drop:
"It's time to upgrade my pilgrimage clothes," they all have been telling me. Ok, fine. Guri and I decide to go shopping at some recommended stores. We walk into the first store -- a Macy's-like store in Baroda -- and...

[ October 08, 2005 ] Servant Leadership:
In Herman Hesse's Journey to the East, a band of men are on a mythical journey. Leo, the central figure of the story, accompanies the party as a servant who does menial chores and also sustains them with his spirit...

[ October 07, 2005 ] Simple Truths:
My uncle is on a lose-two-kilograms-by-Nov-13 competition with my aunt. So I suggest a brilliant idea: "Let's go on a walking pilgrimage." Now, my Uncle is exactly the type of person to not appreciate such acts of random spirituality ......

[ October 06, 2005 ] 50 Items That Should Change the World:
I ran into an interesting book by Jessica Williams: 50 Facts that Should Change the World. Below are those fifty facts and some of my notes from the book:...