When I think about that question, many things many bosses have done come to mind.
I am grateful to so many bosses for so many things.
But here's one act of kindness that stands out because it involved my mother.
Here's the story...
My mother was a writer.
When she was in her early twenties, it looked like she might have a promising future in writing - with a few stories published in the local newspaper, and a book of stories published by a Catholic Printing House.
But by 30, marriage, motherhood, and the stresses of life, had changed the trajectory of her life.
For the rest of her life, she wrote poetry mostly for her own consumption.
When she was in her 60’s, and my mom and my dad were empty nesters, a young cousin of mine started visiting them.
The young cousin was a budding writer himself, and he was very interested in reading my mother's poems.
A few visits after he had read her poems, he declared, “Aunty, we should publish your poems. I have a friend who can help. I will speak to him and find out what it will cost to turn your poems into a book.”
My mother was so excited.
She could talk of nothing else but the soon to be published book to anyone who cared to listen - “My poems are going to be published in a book.”
My cousin came back with a proposal and asked for an advance, which my mother gave to him.
At the time, I lived in Madras, but once a month, I went to Bangalore to see my parents.
I would ask how the book was coming along, but month after month my mother would tell me it was delayed, and my cousin was still working on it.
After a year, it was clear the book was not going to see the light of day, and the advance (and my mother’s enthusiasm) was lost.
I didn’t ask her about the book anymore.
Then one night I woke up and an idea came to me.
It occurred to me I could publish my mother’s poetry myself.
I was running my own creative shop Purple Patch. I had the necessary contacts to do it.
I didn’t care how much it would cost. I wanted to surprise my mother with it.
So I got a friend to make a selection from her poems.
Then I got the book designed and printed, and I cajoled the printer to give me the first 4 advance copies a week before my mother’s birthday.
My plan was to mail the first 4 copies to arrive on my mother’s birthday.
I was scheduled to meet with my client/boss Mariam to discuss an advertising campaign she wanted me to do for her.
So I went to her office to take the brief.
We got talking and I told her about my mother’s book.
Mariam was going to be in Bangalore for some work during the week of my mother’s birthday.
That’s when she did the nicest thing.
She said, “You know what, Minoo. How about I buy you an air ticket for you to go to Bangalore and back, so you can deliver the advance copies to your mother in person on her birthday?
“You can meet me at the Taj Coromandel, Bangalore, and present the campaign to me there.”
So this is how the story of one gift became the story of 2 gifts. My gift to my mother of her book of poems, and Mariam’s gift to me of flying me to Bangalore so I could give the book to my mother in person on my mother’s birthday.
I have never forgotten this act of kindness till today.
P.S. It was an emotional moment for my mother and me, when I handed her the first 4 copies of A Twig In A Torrent, a book she had given up hopes of seeing in print.
