Care for parents provides a little breeze in the evening of life

As the months go by and the year draws to a close, it is often the time for introspection - looking back on things that have made a big difference in one's life. Like most people, I would say my year was mixed, with both ups and downs.

But there was one moment that gave me the zeal and verve to push ahead. It was a chance glance at a news item about how a company based in Foshan, Guangdong province, had unveiled a filial piety fund. And it set me thinking: Unlike most of the Western world, filial piety is seen as a virtue in China and several other Asian countries, including India.

Although the news item would ordinarily have been dismissed as yet another publicity stunt, it was the uniqueness of the effort that drew me to the story.