The Tourist

Jeevan Sivasubramaniam Posted by Jeevan Sivasubramaniam, Managing Director, Editorial, Berrett-Koehler Publishers Inc.



A Japanese tourist who went to India for sightseeing couldn't help but point out the technological superiority of Japanese-made products to his Indian taxi driver.
A Japanese tourist who went to India for sightseeing couldn't help but point out the technological superiority of Japanese-made products to his Indian taxi driver.

During the journey, a Honda drove past the taxi. Seeing this, the man leaned out of the window excitedly and yelled, "Honda -- excellent and faster than any Indian car...and made in Japan!

After a while, a Toyota sped past the taxi and again the tourist leaned out of the window and yelled, "Toyota -- faster than any Indian car...and also made in Japan!

And then a Mitsubishi sped past the taxi. For the third time, the tourist leaned out of the window and yelled, "Mitsubishi -- even faster...and of course, also Japanese and faster than all cars made in India!"

The taxi driver was getting a bit fed up, but he kept quiet. And this went on for quite a number of cars.

Finally, the taxi arrived at the destination. The tourist leaned over the back seat to look at the meter and was shocked to see that it read 800 rupees.

The Japanese exclaimed, "What? Why is it so expensive?"

There upon, the driver smiled and responded, "Sir, the cars we saw were fast and all made in Japan, but there's nothing faster than this meter, and this meter is made in India."

Moral of the Story: Always treat competitors with dignity and reverence -- especially when you're on their home turf.