Interesting story !
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R V Rao
Nov 13, 2025, 12:20:02 PM11/13/25
to societyforservingseniors
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE ANYONE!!
A woman in a cheap cotton dress and her husband in a humble suit got off the train in Boston and walked timidly (without an appointment) to the office of the secretary to the President of Harvard University.
The secretary guessed at one point that those peasants who had come from the forests had no business at Harvard.
"We would like to see the president," the man said gently.
"He's busy," the secretary replied.
"We'll wait," the woman replied. For hours the secretary ignored them, hoping the couple would finally lose heart and leave, but they didn't, and the secretary saw her frustration growing and finally decided to interrupt the president, even though it was a task she always avoided.
"Perhaps if you talk to them for a few minutes they'll leave," the secretary said to the University President. He grimaced but agreed; someone of his stature obviously didn't have time to deal with people in cheap dresses and suits. Nevertheless, the president, frowning but with dignity, strode arrogantly toward the couple.
The woman said to him:
We had a son who attended Harvard for only one year. He loved Harvard and was happy here, but he died in an accident a year ago. My husband and I would like to erect something somewhere on campus in our son's memory.
The president wasn't interested and said:
- Ma'am, we can't put up a statue for every person who attends Harvard and dies; if we did, this place would look like a cemetery.
"Oh no," the woman explained quickly:
We don't want to erect a statue; we think we'd like to donate a building to Harvard.
The president narrowed his eyes, glanced at the couple's dress and cheap suit, and then exclaimed:
"A building! Do you have any idea how much a building costs? We've spent over $7.5 million on buildings here at Harvard!" For a moment the woman was silent, and the president was pleased because perhaps he could get rid of them now.
The woman turned to her husband and said softly:
"Is it so little to start a university? Why don't we start our own?" Then her husband agreed, and the president's face darkened with confusion and bewilderment. Mr. Leland Stanford and his wife stood up and left, traveling to Palo Alto, California, where they established the university that bears his name, Stanford University, in memory of a son whom Harvard hadn't taken an interest in.
Leland Stanford Junior College was founded in 1891 in Palo Alto. It was named in honor of the deceased son of a wealthy landowner. That was his memorial, and today Stanford University is ranked number one in the world, ahead of Harvard.
How easy it is to judge by appearances, and how easy it is to be wrong when... judging by appearances!!!
Text from the network
A woman in a cheap cotton dress and her husband in a humble suit got off the train in Boston and walked timidly (without an appointment) to the office of the secretary to the President of Harvard University.
The secretary guessed at one point that those peasants who had come from the forests had no business at Harvard.
"We would like to see the president," the man said gently.
"He's busy," the secretary replied.
"We'll wait," the woman replied. For hours the secretary ignored them, hoping the couple would finally lose heart and leave, but they didn't, and the secretary saw her frustration growing and finally decided to interrupt the president, even though it was a task she always avoided.
"Perhaps if you talk to them for a few minutes they'll leave," the secretary said to the University President. He grimaced but agreed; someone of his stature obviously didn't have time to deal with people in cheap dresses and suits. Nevertheless, the president, frowning but with dignity, strode arrogantly toward the couple.
The woman said to him:
We had a son who attended Harvard for only one year. He loved Harvard and was happy here, but he died in an accident a year ago. My husband and I would like to erect something somewhere on campus in our son's memory.
The president wasn't interested and said:
- Ma'am, we can't put up a statue for every person who attends Harvard and dies; if we did, this place would look like a cemetery.
"Oh no," the woman explained quickly:
We don't want to erect a statue; we think we'd like to donate a building to Harvard.
The president narrowed his eyes, glanced at the couple's dress and cheap suit, and then exclaimed:
"A building! Do you have any idea how much a building costs? We've spent over $7.5 million on buildings here at Harvard!" For a moment the woman was silent, and the president was pleased because perhaps he could get rid of them now.
The woman turned to her husband and said softly:
"Is it so little to start a university? Why don't we start our own?" Then her husband agreed, and the president's face darkened with confusion and bewilderment. Mr. Leland Stanford and his wife stood up and left, traveling to Palo Alto, California, where they established the university that bears his name, Stanford University, in memory of a son whom Harvard hadn't taken an interest in.
Leland Stanford Junior College was founded in 1891 in Palo Alto. It was named in honor of the deceased son of a wealthy landowner. That was his memorial, and today Stanford University is ranked number one in the world, ahead of Harvard.
How easy it is to judge by appearances, and how easy it is to be wrong when... judging by appearances!!!
Text from the network
Seshadri Vellimedu
Nov 13, 2025, 7:54:33 PM11/13/25
to societyforservingseniors
Some truths are stranger than fiction.
Thanks to Rao for sharing.
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Rajaram Krishnamurthy
Nov 13, 2025, 9:17:50 PM11/13/25
to Seshadri Vellimedu, Chittanandam V R, Markendeya Yeddanapudi, Dr Sundar, Ravi mahajan, Venkat Giri, SRIRAMAJAYAM, Mani APS, Rangarajan T.N.C., Srinivasan Sridharan, Mathangi K. Kumar, Venkat Raman, Rama, Sanathana group, thatha patty, Kerala Iyer, Societyforservingseniors
வினைத்திட்பம்
உருவுகண்டு எள்ளாமை வேண்டும் உருள்பெருந்தேர்க்கு
அச்சாணி அன்னார் உடைத்து. (௬௱௬௰௭ - 667)
உருளும் பெரிய தேர்க்கு அச்சில் இருந்து தாங்கும் சிறிய ஆணிப் போன்றவர்கள் உலகத்தில் உள்ளனர், அவர்களுடைய உருவின் சிறுமையைக்கண்டு இகழக் கூடாது. (௬௱௬௰௭)
Uruvukantu Ellaamai Ventum Urulperundherkku
Achchaani Annaar Utaiththu
Despise not by looks! Even linchpins hold in place The wheels of mighty chariots!
ஹிந்தி (हिन्दी)
तिरस्कार करना नहीं, छोटा क़द अवलोक ।
चलते भारी यान में, अक्ष-आणि सम लोग ॥ (६६७)
தெலுங்கு (తెలుగు)
ఆకృతిగని యెంచ కల్పుగా నొకనిని
తేరును కడచీలె తిరుగబెట్టు. (౬౬౭)
மலையாளம் (മലയാളം)
ലളിതവേഷത്താലാരും ചെറുതെന്ന് നിനക്കൊലാ പെരുതാം രഥചക്രത്തിലച്ചാണി ലഘുവല്ലയോ? (൬൱൬൰൭)
கன்னடம் (ಕನ್ನಡ)
ಉರುಳುವ ದೊಡ್ಡ ತೇರಿಗೆ, ಚಕ್ರದ ಅಚ್ಚಿನಲ್ಲಿರುವ (ಪುಟ್ಟ) ಕೀಲಿಮೊಳೆಯಂತೆ, ಲೋಕದಲ್ಲಿ (ಕೆಲವರು) ಇರುವರು; ಅವರ ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ ಆಕಾರವನ್ನು ಕಂಡು ನಾವು ಕೀಳೆಣಿಸಬಾರದು. (೬೬೭)
சமஸ்கிருதம் (संस्कृतम्)
महारथाक्षक्षुद्राऽऽणिसमा: सन्तो दृढक्रिया: ।
महत्वे नाकृतिर्हेतु: दार्ढ्यं स्यात्तत्र कारणम् ॥ (६६७)
K Rajaram IRS 141125
Surendra Varma
Nov 13, 2025, 10:26:33 PM11/13/25
to R V Rao, Seshadri Vellimedu, Chittanandam V R, Markendeya Yeddanapudi, Ravi mahajan, Venkat Giri, SRIRAMAJAYAM, Mani APS, Rangarajan T.N.C., Srinivasan Sridharan, Mathangi K. Kumar, Venkat Raman, Rama, Sanathana group, thatha patty, Kerala Iyer, Societyforservingseniors
I read a similar story about Ratan Tata. In 1999 Tata’s car business
was not doing well, so he flew to Detroit, USA to meet the then
chairman Bill Ford of Ford Motors to explore if they would like to buy
his motor division. Ford and his colleagues humiliated Tata. They
said, “if you did not know car manufacturing why did you start a
passenger car division?”. A dejected Ratan Tata silently left the
meeting and flew back to India. The incident motivated him to improve
the performance of Tata Motors.
Just nine years later, the tables turned during the 2008 global
financial crisis. Ford was drowning in financial losses and had to put
its prestigious Jaguar and Land Rover brands up for sale. By then,
Tata Motors had established itself well, and Ratan Tata bought Ford’s
JLR brands for $ 2.3 billion. This fact, not fiction, can be verified
with Maharishi Google.
Pride goes before a fall!
Suren
Warning:
My posts are protected against unsolicited, unwelcome comments
reflecting narcissistic personality disorder, a disease that has
recently infected this Group. Only those members who have known me for
years are welcome to comment on my posts. And I would love it! For
those who do not know me and I do not know them, taking the liberty to
call me "a dog's tail", I would respond in the same language: "Fuck
off, you asshole".
I feel sad to have to stoop down so low to fight the "crab culture"
taking over this forum. And crabs have no conscience. They only want
to feel bigger by pulling down other crabs.
> To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/society4servingseniors/CAL5XZookmzVxYKHw4TurJ_MMUCucQm5nZK%3D0Hv1U9bJS3Rzwig%40mail.gmail.com.
was not doing well, so he flew to Detroit, USA to meet the then
chairman Bill Ford of Ford Motors to explore if they would like to buy
his motor division. Ford and his colleagues humiliated Tata. They
said, “if you did not know car manufacturing why did you start a
passenger car division?”. A dejected Ratan Tata silently left the
meeting and flew back to India. The incident motivated him to improve
the performance of Tata Motors.
Just nine years later, the tables turned during the 2008 global
financial crisis. Ford was drowning in financial losses and had to put
its prestigious Jaguar and Land Rover brands up for sale. By then,
Tata Motors had established itself well, and Ratan Tata bought Ford’s
JLR brands for $ 2.3 billion. This fact, not fiction, can be verified
with Maharishi Google.
Pride goes before a fall!
Suren
Warning:
My posts are protected against unsolicited, unwelcome comments
reflecting narcissistic personality disorder, a disease that has
recently infected this Group. Only those members who have known me for
years are welcome to comment on my posts. And I would love it! For
those who do not know me and I do not know them, taking the liberty to
call me "a dog's tail", I would respond in the same language: "Fuck
off, you asshole".
I feel sad to have to stoop down so low to fight the "crab culture"
taking over this forum. And crabs have no conscience. They only want
to feel bigger by pulling down other crabs.
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