We are at the restaurant of a German University. A red-haired student, and undeniably German, takes her tray and sits down at her table. She then realises she has forgotten her cutlery…
-
-
“What are you reading, old man?”
A century ago, an old man was travelling alone in France by train. A much younger man, who was sitting next to him, watched as the old man reached into his travelling…
-
When Guru Nanak visited Haridwar
Haridwar is one of the Hindu pilgrimage centres situated on the banks of River Ganges. As the sun comes out in the morning, people get down into the river and start throwing…
-
World’s ‘poorest’ ex-president Mujica turns down pension
Former Uruguayan leader José Mujica, who was dubbed “the world’s poorest president” for his modest lifestyle, says he does not want any pension from his time as a senator. Mr Mujica resigned…
-
Simplicity of Shastriji
Lalbahadur Shastri was the second Prime Minister of India. He was the personification of simplicity, honesty and nobility. Many incidents in his life inspire us. This is an incident which shows his…
-
Alexander and Diogenes
Now when Alexander the Great appeared before the Greek leaders in Corinth, they greeted him warmly and paid him lavish compliments – all of them, that is but one. A funny fellow,…
-
An 87-year-old college student named Rose
The first day of school, our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched…
-
When India’s Prime Minister took a bank loan to buy a car
India’s former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri had many feats to his credit, but he will always be remembered as the PM who resurrected a nation’s broken self-confidence after the defeat against…
-
Towering humility
The dramatic photograph of Tenzing Norgay on the summit of Everest went around the world. Later people wondered why there was no similar picture of Hillary. The explorer wrote that he had…
-
Faith
Once there was a drought-hit village. There were absolutely no rains for three to four years. The villagers, who were solely dependent on agriculture for their livelihood, were almost starving to death.…