From: kumar@hsomai.enet.dec.com (ASHOK KUMAR)
Subject: Re: Brahminism & Indian politics
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 21:21:52 GMT


While so much talk going on for the hatred, I thought at the end of the year ,
I should share some positive experience I have had recently.

I and my wife went with our two kids on vacation to Bermuda. Even though,
I had done enough home work, still I found Bermuda to be very very expensive.
Average cost for a decent meal for four was about $125 and you could be out of
cash pretty fast. After some initial settling, we went to downtown Hamilton
on a Bus ride . My wife found an Indian restaurant and even though I was a 
little reluctant, she went to enquire. The restaurant was closed after lunch
hour and the cook and the other guy's were getting ready for dinner. They went
out of the way to make Masala tea for us and gave us enough vegetables and bread
to eat. They also packed us enough food for the evening. They refused to accept
any money from us. 
               Next morning my wife called them to say thanks and told them we
are going back. They insisted that we should visit them before we leave. 
There to my surprise,they forced us to eat a buffet and then Mr Negi insisted
that we should extend our stay. He took us for a ride and took to a hotel 
and pulled $175 cash from his pocket. I had to forcibly take the money from 
cashier and give it to him and we told him that due to emergency, I have to 
go back. He then took us to the Airport. We finally had to pretend that our 
Flight was ready to leave and gave him two bottle of Champanage which I had 
taken.
        Finally I made my own arrangement to go back to the hotel and we stayed
there one more night and came back.

                                       The lesson taught to me by Mr Negi who
used to be Head chef in some big hotel in Bombay and was living there without
his family was of bigger Humanity than I have learnt ever before. Here there
was a person whose only relationship with me was that we were from the same 
country and who was willing to spend $200 on me and my family without any 
prior introduction . I thought about the people here on the net and others
whom I meet everyday here in Houston . How many of you are able to spend 
$200 on someone you have never met before just because he is your fellow 
countryman? Do we really get cunning just because we have too much education
or is it lack of proper education that we have to fight for every petty thing
and have to have a last word for everything even at the cost of hurting someone
else feelings or emotions? Do we gain anything by using some insane language 
on the net? 

                   Regarding USC and a lot of associations, I had a friend who
got his PH.D. under Prof Silverman (Dean of Eng) and another one who worked
for a famous prof in Architecture. They and some others did extremely well
professionally. It is hard to point reasons, but due to their excellent
academic achievement, they must have selected more Indian students(My Guess).
If you all will devote all your time fighting on the net, Believe me the 
number will go down pretty fast.

                              I used to work for A.M.D. before DEC and the
President of A.M.D. Jerry Sanders used to say" If you are so smart, why are
you not rich". If you all know so much, you should be a billionaire pretty
soon. Another famous guy John D. Rockefeller used to say" World owes no man
a living but every man a place to make a living. Every opportunity also offers
us an obligation".

With a wish for a Very happy and successful year,

Regards,

AK
Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian