India, March 30 -- Dear Reader,

We are almost at the end of lunch when Rohini opens her backpack to retrieve two copies of her book. It's a blue paperback titled "What's In Your Backpack," an exploration of the psychological burdens we accumulate over the years. "Stop, examine the burdens weighing you down-the attitudes, resentments or grievances. And here's how you can shed them," promises the book.

It's a Monday afternoon, and we're sitting at a table by the window in a small cafe near St. Paul's Cathedral-Rohini, Aditi, and me. It's warm and cozy, with the pleasant buzz of conversation surrounding us. The tables are filled with people in black and gray suits-this is the financial district, after all-the place where the dads in my Bri...