“
called and asked her why she hadn’t sent me anything. For a moment there was silence. Then she said, ‘Ma’am, I want it to be perfect before I send you anything, I don’t want to be a failure, so I keep looking, adding and refining; I want to do my best. The money is not important to me.’ Afraid of being judged poorly or ‘looking stupid’, Aastha over-prepares and she discounts her monetary worth to show how she cares only about her work. But without the daily brief interaction I had suggested, I had no opportunity to either guide Aastha or to get to know her in any way. She remained a stranger.
”
”