Bijness is bijness

Entrepreneurial spirit is inherent in Gujaratis, and in these excerpts from Salil Tripathi's new book, he writes how paiso bole chhe for the community

- Salil Tripathi

ACH WEEK AT a church-run school in the rural south of the United States, the teacher asks a quiz question, and the student with the right answer gets ten dollars as a prize. One Friday, she asked: 'Who is the greatest man who ever lived?'

A cheerful girl raised her hand and said, 'I think George Washington was the greatest man ever because he is the father of our Nation.'

'That is a very good answer,' the teacher said, 'but that's not what I am looking for.'

A boy's hand shot up: 'Abraham Lincoln, who saved the union and freed the slaves.'

'That is also a very good answer,' the teacher replied, 'but I am thinking of someone even greater.'

Sleepy-eyed Jignesh Patel on the last bench slowly raised his hand.

'Miss, I think Jesus Christ was the greatest man ever,' he said.

The teacher's eyes widened. She exclaimed and said, 'Yes, that's what I was looking for! Girls and boys, look at Jignesh; he was not even born in America, and yet he knows the answer.'

She walked up to him, patted him on his back, and gave him a crisp note of $10.

'Tell me, Jignesh, you are not a Christian, right? And yet you knew that Jesus Christ is the greatest? How did you know that?' she asked.

Jignesh looked down, grinned, and said: 'Actually, you know miss, I know that Krishna is the greatest, but my father has taught me, beta Jignesh, bijness is bijness.'

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