Pankaj Singhal

HEART-WARMING GIVING: In 1987, a 74-year-old rickshaw puller by the name of Bai Fangli came back to his hometown planning to retire from his backbreaking job... There, he saw young children working in the fields, because they were too poor to afford school fees. So Bai went back to Tianjin and resumed his job as a rickshaw puller, securing a humble lodging near a railway station. He remained available for customers around the clock, consumed basic meals, and dressed in cast-off second-hand attire he stumbled upon. Every penny he earned through his hard work went towards assisting those underprivileged children in accessing education. In 2001, he drove his rickshaw to Tianjin YaoHua Middle School, to deliver his last installment of money. Nearly 90 years old, he told the students that he couldn't work anymore. Knowing his full story and sacrifice, the students and teachers were moved to tears. In total, Bai donated a total of 350,000 yuan (~$42,000) to help more than 300 poor students go back to school and continue their studies. In 2005, Bai passed away leaving behind his inspired legacy. If a rickshaw-puller who wore used clothes and had no education can support 300 children to go to school, imagine what we all can do with the resources we have to bring about positive change in our world... Thank you Bai.

Traffic has turned our metro cities into giant parking lots with people trapped inside them. In Bengaluru, Pune, Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Chennai, on average a commuter spends 100 to 168 hours a year stuck in traffic . Not commuting. Just sitting. Every hour lost is an hour India cannot get back. Productivity lost, fuel wasted, air polluted, quality of life damaged. I stood up in Parliament and demanded a National Urban Decongestion Mission for our big metro cities with better public transport, smarter traffic management and a scientific parking policy. We are not stuck in traffic. We are stuck because of it. And if India wants its economy in the fast lane, our cities need to start moving.