I cherish my childhood memories of accompanying my father in the 1980s to trade fairs, circus, vegetable markets etc. One aspect which caught my attention was that my father never bargained with any street vendor or petty shop owner even though he appreciated the value of money. Later I realized that it was one of his ways of helping those in need. During these weekend rituals, my father would just handover the cash to me and ask me to pay after purchasing in every shop.

I remember accompanying my father to the bustling market in the then Madras (now Chennai) and he purchasing bananas from an elderly village lady. As usual I gave the cash, collected the balance and noticed she had paid excess. I gave her back the excess note and coins. She was visibly moved by this act. My proud father said #honesty is the best policy and patted me in the back. This incident which took place when I was around 10 years old reinforced the foundational #values and keeps #inspiring me till date.