N. Raghuraman’s Column – to have a big heart, you need intent, not Money! , N. Raghuraman’s column: No money to keep a big heart, needs intention!

N. Raghuraman, Management Guru

‘Is the last hotel in India. Come, take a little tea-mosa, drink cold drinks. There is a lot of time to start the program right now. I have come to this place many times, but never listen to these words. So I got off the car to meet Bakshish Singh, who made this voice, who runs a dhaba called ‘Baljit Food Corner’ in the name of his elder brother.

I looked around. He was not lying. In fact, his dhaba was the last before the huge iron gate on the zero mile dividing the border of India and Pakistan, the protection of this gate is our Border Security Force (BSF). Taking tea, people can see the gates of the tight security constructed before two strong iron doors dividing both countries.

On this Saturday evening, I was on the Wagah-Attari border to watch the ‘limited’ beating retreat ceremony. The ceremony, which was suspended for 12 days after security reasons after the Pahalgam attack, was restored on 20 May 2025.

I wanted to see this prestigious ceremony, although it now remains closed for iron doors and the traditional hand shaking process between BSF and Pakistani Rangers has also been stopped.

Standing 300 feet away from the border, I was watching his commitment to customers, taking a taste of tea served by Bakhshish. He trade only 2 to 3 hours a day, when the crowd comes to see the patriotic view in the Beating Retreat and returns as soon as the flag is descended with the sunset.

He knows that the same customers are very less likely to recur here. But still he does not miss any chance to impress customers with a wide smile and hospitality glowing behind his white beard. Although his temporary shop is the last INTI who sells the essential food items, I did not see them selling any goods at expensive prices.

Seeing this, how much trust increases, when Bakshish’s family feels proud to shine every glass! Since the disposable glass is not used in his dhaba, his family was cleaning every glass of tea with great patience. Even he was telling the tourists himself not to throw empty bottles of water purchased from them here and there.

BSF personnel were also urging people not to spread dirt. Believe that Bakshish Singh was not earning much. The clothes of him and his family members were proof that they were just running, but their love for the country and brotherhood towards the countrymen was at a different level.

Her business skills had a thick layer of mercy, which is commonly seen in the ‘Langar’ of Sriharminder Sahib, which is generally called the Golden Temple. While the intention of earning profit for the living of the household was very rare. Even if customers do not have five rupees holidays while paying the bill, they were still speaking to them with the same smile.

Seeing this, I remembered a bright restaurant like ‘Wango’ located at large airports in the country, whose display is written on the board that they serve in a glass of hot coffee brass, while in fact they give it in a plastic glass. Due to which the filter coffee becomes harmful.

When customers do not have holidays, employees sitting at the counter do not leave even one rupee, while they know that they have kept a price of 231 rupees very strange for coffee. I have seen such elderly people going angry from there many times, who are not used to online payment. Those elders did not have a single rupee holiday and they did not want to give a tip of 9 rupees by paying 240 rupees.

Funda is that No large wallet needs to keep a big heart. Only a small intention is enough for this.