Learning Values Through

Anecdotes and Parables

By
Mr. K Satyanarayana
Executive Director
National HRD Network
Tel: 94406-65375
E.Mail:
ksnhrd@gmail.com
 HUMILITY
King Ashoka worshipping the Monks
Abraham Lincoln Saluting a Negro
Martin Luther King requeting for the second shoe
Madanmohan Malaviya’s request to Nizam for donation
Rajaji;s refusal to write his autobiography
Clement Half Boyer: This is for me. What are
you giving for the poor?
Einstein going by walk to queen’s place
Booker T Washington to the White Coachman:
You can sit in the coach, I will ride.
I am only P M not as great as this singer-JLN
 SIMPLICITY
Mahatama Gandhi’s Life
Rajaji, Vinoba Bhave, Baba Amte
Kaloji, Dr. A S Rao, Vavilala
Greek Philosopher’s Request to king to clear
sun rays
Visit to weekly fairs by Socrates
Lal Bahadur asks spinning wheel as dowry
Happy farmer who never wore a shirt in life.
An old couple who started stanford university
Learn to live on beans - you can also be as
happy as I am
 INTEGRITY
* Socrates on his death sentence
* Appaji getting his eyes removed
* Manmohan Singh punishing his daughter for
using office car
* Nehru paying food charges at guest house
* Guljarilal Nanda replacing a paper used by
his grandson
* M V ’s note to ruler on his late arrival
* Gandhi’s statement before magistrate
 CARING
* Stalin to Sarvepalli: You are the only person
to treat me as a human being
* Mata Amrutananadamayi’s hugs to devotees
* General Wellington’s concern for soldiers
* Blind man at window making another happy
* Gandhi going away from serious discussion
to feed the goat and throwing his cloth to a
lady to cover her body
* Sudha Murthy’s experience in a tribal village
* Reception boy offering his room to an old
couple at the dead of the night
 TOUGH DECISIONS
Harry S Truman’s decision to drop A. Bomb
Nehru orders disconnection of water taps
No one explained me as clearly as you did
John Hancock ordering bombing of Boston
Bhagat Sing’s talk with magistrate before he
himself puts the noose around his neck
Vavilala to Vademataram Ramachandra Rao
No work No pay for three bus loads
15 day lock out at ECIL – Lock out at Titan
 COURAGE
Gandhi facing the plotter at night
Prakasam Pantulu Garu facing police
TPG’s to magistrate: All those Rs.2 advocates
have gone to become munsiff magistrates
Tilak refuses to carry teacher’s order
I left her an hour back. Why are you still
carrying her?
No jobs for party or village
Sardaruddin’s incident
I will die once in my life not like you everyday
 COMMUNICATION
Churchill’s blood, toil, sweat & tears
Tilak’s Swaraj is my birth-right
Lincoln’s govt. of the people, by the people, for the
people
Gandhi’s, “my life is my message”
Acharya Krupalani on his caste
Sarvepalli’s logic for the color of Indians.
Medical treatise with one sentence
Walking the talk:JRD, NRNM, APJ Abdl Kalam
Lal Bahadur Sastri
 TOLERANCE
Jesus : Could you not bear him for one night
With my critique gone, I will stop growing
Tolstoy suffered at the hands of his wife as
she could not tolerate his royalty donation
to State
A software engineer could not tolerate his old
mother’s poor curry taste and killed her
A couple could not tolerate an old lady in the
house andthrew her into the well after
killing her
A person tries to bury his mother-in-law alive
 AUSTERITY
Gandhi to G D Birla on his expenses
Please first free me from TC – JP
Gandhi kept a small fraction of his
earning for himself and gave most of
it to Ashram’s maintenance.
Prakasam Pantulu Garu about garlands
on his next birthday
Nehru’s kirana bills once a year from
the royalty on his books.
 HONESTY
Uddam Singh’s refusal to tell a lie
I lose only berries, but you lose your
self-respect
Mullah: Now that the turban is on your
head, you can read.
Rs.5/- Medical Certificate
Ex-Gratia for Sister’s marriage
Marginal Honesty: I told you honesty
pays.
Never steel. Tell your father. He will
get from office as many as you want
 EMPATHY
Gandhi throwing the second slipper
People in all countries lighting candles
in their windows as if one of the
children of Belsan’s tragedy is their
own
Takes a buffalo to sell and returns
empty handed
Prakasam pantulu garu is with out
money and with out food at
rajamundry Station
Full load of paddy as I felt his need as if
mine.
 COMPASSION
Dr. Dicksheet’s plastic surgeries every
year
General Lee’s decision on sharing
rations with prisoners
It is not my turn for breakfast
Gandhi: Who is going to use this coach?
Soup with magic stone
Mao not only waived loans but also
gave away his shirt.
Is the cremation of a man alive or dead
Shouts the mantra to a whole crowd
 FORGIVING
Jesus : Who will throw the first
stone?

A lady servant in Sudha Murthy’s

house

Teacher: I cannot desert this boy.

 ADMITTING MISTAKES
Lincoln: If Santon said, it might be
correct
Lal Bahadur Sastry resigning his
job as Railway Minister owning
responsibility for the train
accident at Ariyalur in Kerala
1996 National Conference at
Hyderabad
Nehru accepting moral
responsibility for the 1962
debacle
 FAIRNESS
Yudhister to YAKSHA: bring
Nakula to life
Napoleon’s request to his mother
to compensate the fruit vendor
and adjust the same against his
pocket money.
Judge to his wife: I am coming to
the court to argue the case of
our maid.
Let one brother divide and the
other brother have the first
 MORAL AND ETHICAL
STANDARDS
Nun to a monk: Come and hug me now
Kaloji Narayan Rao walking alone from
Warangal X Road to Hanamkonda X
Road
I will not take back my land because
this is not the Swaraj Gandhi wanted
Jack, I knew you would come
I will accept your gift only if you accept
my gift to you – A tribal to Sudha
Murthy
One month back I myself was eating lot
 SERVICE TO
HUMANITY
Baba Amte serving leprosy patients
Mother Theresa serving orphans and
destitute
Raghavendra Swamiji running 70 km
Dr. B V Parameshwar Rao turning down
jobs
Malti Devi who lived in a mud hut all her
life
Palani Swamy’s care of convict’s children
Ramani in wheel chair – hope of disabled
Rajender Singh’s water revolution in
Rajastan
 WILLPOWER
Mahatma Gandhi winning freedom for
India
Jamsetji Tata establishing Steel mill
Kalpana Chawla’s triumph to eternity
Kandukuri & Tripuraneni fighting
superstition
N R Narayana Murthy establishing
Infosys
Mother Theresa establishing Nuns of
Charity
Dhirubhai Ambani establishing Reliance
 DIGNITY OF
LABOUR
Gandhi cleaning manual toilets
Abraham Lincoln polishing shoes
Japanese Director welding
George Washington pushing the log
Single lady runs I-Max theatre at
Niagara Fall
Servant who cleans horse stable
succeeds a Sikh Guru to the throne.
Fakruddin Ali Anmed sits at University
gate to clean the shoes of students
No sweeper or scavenger at NHRD,
Hyderabad Chapter
 SELF RESPECT
Soldier happy only after General
Hugged him
Gandhi’s refusal to get down from the
train
J C Bose refuses to take half salary
Swami Vivekananda’s reply to an
American who pulled his turban
M V’s Resignation on the issue of
reservations.
Edupuganti Raghavendra Rao, ICS _
Governor with a Gandhi cap
Sankaran Nair to G G: take waiter in my
 HUMOUR
Never get flattered: I have only 99 now
Work Hard to enjoy: That is what I am
doing
: I am alone working
here
: Story of a Siberian
bird
:Both of us must work especially
yourself
Be like a Child: Hay ! The king is naked
Freedom: I could have thrown on shop
keeper’s face
Quality of our universities: Here one
 HUMOUR
Sense of direction: Take any road
Importance of small actions: Star Fish
Avoid Doubt: solved the difficult
problem
Awareness-Believe in yourself: Eagle
egg
Faith: Milkmaid crosses the river
Lord Siva drinks the milk
The foot prints you see are mine
My dog’s death
Lifelong learning:Socrates’ desire to
 HUMOUR
Knowledge is power: $1 for hitting, $99
for my knowledge where to hit.
Humiliation with grace: I did not feel
like associating with such an
unreliable newspaper any long
When you hear the news of your
death: Since I am dead, please
remove my name from your mailing
list (Rudyard Kipling)
Secret of good relations: No major
issues
 HUMOUR
On Marriage: Advice of Socrates
Company of great people makes you
great: Einstein’s driver delivers a
talk.
Miser’s behavior: I cannot give
donations so many times
Place without work is real hell:
Where do you think you are
Irresponsibility: I am drilling under
my seat
Money not used is as good as lost:
 HUMOUR
Two great pleasures: Finding what you
lost and giving away what you love–
Mullah
Just dreaming is no use: Gudipudi
Jangalu
Use of proper words: both passed away
just now/wife sick arrange substitute.
Work without purpose makes no sense:
Singadu goes to Addanki and comes
back
Actions speak louder than words-
 HUMOUR
Be honest to yourself: Swamy and
scorpion
only water no
wine
You can take with you nothing:
Alexander
You need to change yourself:Anglican
Bishop
Catch22 situation: Answer is in your
hands
Never be proud of your learning: 100%
of your life is wasted
Never expect miracles: The horse may
 HUMOUR
Children learn from parents: Tell I am not at
home/tell your age as eleven/bring back
the trolley/this wooden bowl for you/you
did not look up
PERCEPTION
India is a great country
I can drink whenever there are
worms in my
stomach
Can my talk serve like a small
push from
behind
THANK YOU
ANY

QUESTIONS?