Stories from a wanderer

I had often heard stories people tell about their meeting with a stranger which changed their lives. Always thought they are little exaggerated until it happened with me one day. I met this stranger in one of the airport lounges. The flight was delayed by 3 hours from Mumbai airport, I had no option but wait for the next announcement. After a hectic day, a flight delay is a killer. Thought of killing the frustration and boredom over a cup of coffee in the CCD. Right on the opposite table, there was a foreigner gentleman dressed in a casual attire with a completely shaved head. The black frame glasses adding to the rustic look he had. At first I thought he's some writer or techie something. No he might be a businessman. Though I'm not a big extrovert, the curiosity compelled me to go and get introduced with the stranger. To my utter surprise, he was not from any of the fields I was thinking. He was an international business manager from a reputed MNC. After the fo...

After an early dinner at an Indian restaurant, myself and my boss decided to walk down the street to the hotel in Basel (Switzerland). We just were walking on the pavement while talking about wide range of topics except work! One of the topics immersed us so much in the discussion that we almost forgot we were walking. By the time we came back to our senses when we realised there was a car behind us running very slowly. We realised our mistake, apologised to the driver and gave him way. The car just zoomed past us in the next moment leaving us on the pavement. That was an uncommon experience for an Indian. The car was  quietly following us without even blinking the headlights or honking. Had been the case back home, we must have been cursed by the driver or subjected to incessant honking or even there was a chance of getting run over. Follow traffic rules After this experience, we thought of understanding the reason behind such discipline in people. There were variety of...

The Dilemma Do you remember the first time someone asked you to stand up in front of a gathering and say something? May be something as simple as a few words about yourself. Suddenly there’s a strange sensation. Goosebumps, throat goes dry, legs start shaking and there are cramps inside the stomach. The mind which is otherwise pregnant with many thoughts and thoughts, suddenly goes blank. Even the most introvert person would at least find a modest set of words at least for his own introduction. But the sudden lull inside makes find no words. It is an embarrassing feeling. Needs a few seconds to regain the composure.  The solution I remember my first instance when I made the maiden speech, in front of an audience. After a bit of fumbling, the first sentence that came out was “Hi, how are doing?” The first step was put before a thousand mile walk. The step that relieved me a bit and brought back the mind-body co-ordination. Suddenly few familiar faces could be seen in the a...