And as yuletide is around the corner with the new year peeping, it’s suddenly the season of giving, cheer and happiness. Like these were absent throughout the year and we all scramble to make up for the lost time??? !!
No. My little one’s first ever official santa party (ok, parties. She attended two - back to back !! ) confirmed this and more. What with Santa seen as the ‘giver’ of presents, cheer and even shadowing the “jumbo” puppet show at school. As a consequence, they start associating Santa with Christmas (minus the snow in India, of course!!). But would they associate Santa with yuletide (or the charm of giving) ? Hopefully so. Else the following story would be so untrue.
Or the memories of tugging along my dad and sis (and sometimes mom) to Bangalore’s famous Annual Nilgiri’s Cake Show. And watching the memoirs come alive in sugar, candy and lots of cake - be it Veerappan, the red Fort. Or the melt-in-mouth plum cakes. With even the ‘Iyengar Bakeries’ giving it a shot with the not-so-soaked raisins. And rum! For an iyengar bakery , it would be nothing less than blasphemy. While the eggs can still be counted as vegetarian. The price of hypocrisy didn’t matter to us as little tots !!
If it weren’t for the spirit of giving, why would the two hotels – Taj and Trident - recently battered by terrorism make a fresh beginning barely 21 days after the terror attack open its doors to all its guests and offer the best service. Money, one might say. Yes. But they needn’t have not billed their guests for the night’s stay on their magnificent comeback on 21st Dec. If this was not giving, what was??
That to me was the Art of Living and the art of Giving
Merry Christmas and here’s hoping the spirit of sharing and giving goes down with you as well . (along with the ‘spirit’ of the year end party !! ha ha !! )
But meanwhile. The story I referred to earlier....
“I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. 'I'm glad I have a good book to read and perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought.Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me.
I decided to start a conversation. 'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me.'Petawawa. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Afghanistan .
After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached the east, and Iquickly decided a lunch would help pass the time....
As I reached for my wallet, I overheard soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to base 'His friend agreed.
I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq ; it's almost like you are doing it for him.'Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?''Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. 'This is yours with thanks.'After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room.
A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars.
Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Aircraft Pilot coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, and said, 'I want to shake your hand.'Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.'
I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine.
He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm.When we landed I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.'Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers.
As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals..It seemed so little...A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to his country for an amount of 'up to and including my life.
'That is Honor, and there are way too many people who no longer understand it”
No. My little one’s first ever official santa party (ok, parties. She attended two - back to back !! ) confirmed this and more. What with Santa seen as the ‘giver’ of presents, cheer and even shadowing the “jumbo” puppet show at school. As a consequence, they start associating Santa with Christmas (minus the snow in India, of course!!). But would they associate Santa with yuletide (or the charm of giving) ? Hopefully so. Else the following story would be so untrue.
Or the memories of tugging along my dad and sis (and sometimes mom) to Bangalore’s famous Annual Nilgiri’s Cake Show. And watching the memoirs come alive in sugar, candy and lots of cake - be it Veerappan, the red Fort. Or the melt-in-mouth plum cakes. With even the ‘Iyengar Bakeries’ giving it a shot with the not-so-soaked raisins. And rum! For an iyengar bakery , it would be nothing less than blasphemy. While the eggs can still be counted as vegetarian. The price of hypocrisy didn’t matter to us as little tots !!
If it weren’t for the spirit of giving, why would the two hotels – Taj and Trident - recently battered by terrorism make a fresh beginning barely 21 days after the terror attack open its doors to all its guests and offer the best service. Money, one might say. Yes. But they needn’t have not billed their guests for the night’s stay on their magnificent comeback on 21st Dec. If this was not giving, what was??
That to me was the Art of Living and the art of Giving
Merry Christmas and here’s hoping the spirit of sharing and giving goes down with you as well . (along with the ‘spirit’ of the year end party !! ha ha !! )
But meanwhile. The story I referred to earlier....
“I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. 'I'm glad I have a good book to read and perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought.Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me.
I decided to start a conversation. 'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me.'Petawawa. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Afghanistan .
After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached the east, and Iquickly decided a lunch would help pass the time....
As I reached for my wallet, I overheard soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to base 'His friend agreed.
I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq ; it's almost like you are doing it for him.'Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?''Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. 'This is yours with thanks.'After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room.
A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars.
Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Aircraft Pilot coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, and said, 'I want to shake your hand.'Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.'
I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine.
He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm.When we landed I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.'Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers.
As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals..It seemed so little...A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to his country for an amount of 'up to and including my life.
'That is Honor, and there are way too many people who no longer understand it”
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