In the rush of boarding school bus, after the Delhi blasts in of early November 2025, a simple conversation with my seven-year-old daughter Adviti unfolded like a gentle teaching from the Buddha himself. She wondered why I hesitated over certain toys and things she adored. I struggled to convey the essence of “value for money”. A delicate balance where investment yields joy, utility, and lasting worth. My complex mind was thinking in jargons and like the economic principle of optimizing resources for maximum benefit.
I thought for a while and was failing to get to the concept. Suddenly an idea came to mind to make this real for her young mind. Drawing from our market stroll few weeks ago, I told her about the big balloon we bought from market at 25 rupees: “What if it bursts right away, leaving no play, no laughter? Those 25 rupees vanish like mist, offering nothing in return.” Her eyes lit up with understanding, grasping in an instant what eludes many adults.
Value: in professional sense
This conversation happened with Adviti as I lit the diya in our home temple. My thoughts moved to a parallel world. The balloon transformed in my mind into the fragile vessel of life itself; our prana (or life), fleeting human form, so easily burst by carelessness or violence.
Yet this shift does not diminish the drive of daily dharma; my thoughts move to the spirituality. Though, it does not mean that professionally, I take life easily. I am competitive compared to many I see. I always strive to do things that make a difference, with a simple life goal that people remember me as a professional who punched above his weight. This is an ambition of leaving legacy, yet it naturally flows into deeper inquiry. But after that, the next step always is spirituality.
Thus, weaving the threads of marketplace and mandir, I tried balancing these thoughts. In business, value for money demands efficiency, quality, and impact; in spirituality, it calls us to question the true return on our life’s investment. Hinduism’s karma and Buddhism’s Right Livelihood urge us to create positive ripples – for self, family, society – turning every action into Dhyan and Dana, selfless giving that endures beyond the transaction.
Shadows of Wasted Value
These positive waves can quickly turn into chaos when bad events disrupt our peace. I was thinking all these things and at the back of my mind, the recent Delhi blasts brought back painful memories of the Mumbai attacks I saw in 2006, 2008, and 2011, making me think how ignoring life’s value affects everyone around us.
Terrorists squander their own lives and others’, blind to the sanctity of existence. A doctor, trained to heal, choosing instead to destroy, was completely beyond my comprehension. At the same time, I was angry, no one holds the right to burst another’s balloon, for in ahimsa (non-violence) lies true value addition for generations. Imagine channelling that education into service, not harm; this is enlightened management, where economic prudence meets spiritual awakening, fostering communities of compassion over chaos.
Child’s Wisdom, Adult Awakening
Adviti, at seven, embraced value for money through play; when will the learned among us awaken to the same concept to “value of life”, the life’s greater worth?
Invest mindfully, act ethically, live purposefully. In blending business acumen with Buddha’s wisdom, we ensure no burst leaves us empty, only enriched, connected, eternal.
Let this simple lesson from the balloon stay with us all, like a quiet reminder during our morning aarti. It shows us how to move from everyday buying-selling to real, lasting change in life; the kind that touches our atma and stays forever.
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