HarPiyTravel

Faith

August 12, 2026

Reading Time: 2 minutes
What’s a moment when a stranger completely restored your faith in people?

I never lost my faith in people, but I know this for a fact: we humans are the most clever, self-centered, and dominant species. The challenges we are facing today related to health, the environment, and the extinction of other species are something we signed up for.

I strongly feel that the devil and god both exist together in us; it’s just that whoever is dominant comes out in our personalities. We can be so devilish that we don’t see any issue while committing crimes with kids who are widely considered the purest and thus a mirror image of god.

Recently, I completed a series on Amazon Prime, “Raakh,” about the famous Ranga-Billa case / Geeta and Sanjay Chopra kidnapping case. The series was just heartbreaking. Before this, I remember watching “Dahmer- Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” on Netflix, which was about Jeffrey Dahmer, who killed 17 men and boys after sexually violating them and, in some cases, eating them.

But that’s how we are. Also, I always try to dig into a criminal’s childhood and environment. That is the deciding factor in most cases. The family, environment, respect and treatment of family members, and acts of domestic violence create a strong impact on kids’ minds.

But where there is darkness, light is abundant too. The light won’t have its value if there is no darkness. There are so many out there who are working day and night for the betterment of society without a return.

When I first heard about “Anand Kumar,” an indian educator, I felt blessed to have such people in our society. He is famous for his Super 30 program, under which he trains 30 underprivileged students for the reputed IIT entrance exam. On the other hand, coaching institutions are themselves a big business. Who cares about the underprivileged?

As I said people like Anand Kumar are working day and night to make this world a better place. We should also play our role, however small it may be.

Who restored your faith in humanity? How he influenced your life?

Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!
The Power of Commitment: Never Quit on Your Dreams

August 11, 2026

Reading Time: < 1 minute
If your future self could send you one sentence, what do you hope it would say?

Never quit. This phrase is powerful and life-changing. Quitting is the easiest thing to do, and staying in the game even when things aren’t in your favor is the hardest. But guess what, that’s where the reward is.

I want my future self to tell me this and inscribe this in my mind. Even though I am not a quitter, some things feel overwhelming, and this doubt comes to mind: are the efforts I am putting toward my goals even worth it?

But I also understand that quitting can make my life easier in the moment, but I can’t cope with the regret I will have for the rest of my life for not pursuing something I believed in.

If we are consistent with our goals and are detached from the results (which is hard to do), we can make this a routine, and this will be a constant refinement process that will make us better at the minimum and, of course, with the proper planning and execution, will help us achieve the goals.

Remember this:

Winners never quit and quitters never win.

By Napoleon Hill

Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!
Discovering Switzerland’s Best Local Dishes: Raclette & Fondue

August 10, 2026

Reading Time: 2 minutes
What’s the best local dish you’ve ever eaten while traveling?

Hmm, that’s an interesting question. First, I am not a foodie, but I like to try different kinds of food. My favorite cuisine is Italian, followed by Mexican, Thai, Indian and Mediterranean. Traveling gives you the chance to try local dishes in the most authentic ways.

I am a coffee person, so the first thing I do when visiting a place is find the local coffee shops. So far, I have visited numerous cafes across the USA, and a few of them are still fresh in my mind because of their divine taste.

Coming back to food, although I have been to many places over the years, one particular dish stole my heart in Switzerland during my business trip there 12 years back. The dish was Raclette. While writing this, there is a flood of water in my mouth.

I was in Switzerland during Christmas time, so it was super cold. There was this Christmas market; my manager and I were exploring food options, and then we noticed a shop serving melted cheese on bread and boiled potatoes, along with pickles. Being a vegetarian and cheese lover, it looked amazing.

The taste was superb; the idea was to eat it quickly before the cheese got hard. Every night of our stay there, we had the same dish. I noted down its name and tried making it at home as well, but it turned out to be too messy.

Another dish from the same trip was Fondue. That was a typical cheese fondue with breadcrumbs to dip as a side. It was the best fondue I’d ever tried. I really miss Switzerland now. Going to a nostalgia trip.

Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!
The Missing Lesson: Financial Management in Schools

August 9, 2026

Reading Time: < 1 minute
What’s a thing you wish schools actually taught?

Schooling is the most important phase in anyone’s life. That’s when we learn the basics and also which career path we should explore; everything is based on our schooling. In short, it’s the foundation of our career and life.

I was educated in India; I don’t know much about schooling in the USA. But there are so many reforms needed in schools in India that I can make a list.

Although there are so many things that must have been taught in schools, or should be emphasized, Finance is something I wish schools would have taught us. We are taught how to make income, but we were never told how to manage it. We learn this by ourselves through experience.

Not only in schools, but these things are also not taught in colleges. Although we had this Financial Management subject in our master’s, I don’t recall anything about the practical management of finance beyond debit and credit rules and balance sheets, which is very boring.

We spend a good amount of our lives accumulating wealth, but many of us are not aware of what to do with that wealth. We need to make sure we have the emergency funds we need for unexpected situations, and that we have proper protection, proper diversification of our investments, and proper tax management.

This all should be part of the course curriculum so that one can be financially independent with proper planning.

Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!
Meet Pixie: The Cat Who Chose Us

August 8, 2026

Reading Time: 2 minutes
Share a photo of your pet and tell us one thing that makes them uniquely them.

Our pet is a cat, and her name is Pixie. She is a darling. She is the most wonderful cat I have ever known. I am not saying it because she is our cat; she is actually a good cat.

Her arrival at our house is by destiny. We never thought we would be adopting a cat, but it happened anyway. One of the interns in my office sent an email about some sheltered cats waiting to be adopted.

I asked Harmit whether we should give the cat a home. We met with that intern, and without much thought, we welcomed Pixie to our home. You know what she was destined to be at your house; the previous owner had a cat too, so we already had cat entry/exit doors in our main bedroom and basement.

Now she is a family member, and I call her my beti (daughter). Whenever I come home from the office, she loves me for a long time, and that’s a great stress relief. She sleeps with us and is friendly with everyone, including our guests. There hasn’t been a single episode where she scratched my boy or any other guests.

She understands us very well, including our Hindi. These days, she has this new thing where she goes to our backyard and chases rabbits and birds. She is a peaceful, quiet, and understanding cat. We are blessed to have her.

Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!