It happened to me again today. A taxi driver in Manhattan refused to take my money.

This is not the first time. Over the past several years, taxi drivers in San Jose, Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, and other cities have insisted that the ride was complimentary. Sometimes I have succeeded in persuading them to accept payment. Sometimes I have dropped the money in the seat next to them since they would not take it from my hand. A few times, like today, I simply could not convince them.

What makes these encounters striking is their randomness. This has happened with drivers of different ethnicities and cultures. Often, the kindness has come from people originally from Pakistan, which is interesting considering that I am an American of Indian origin with a Hindu name.

Today I took a taxi in Manhattan. Hearing the driver’s accent and reading his name on the taxi license, I asked if he spoke Urdu. He did, and we talked about cricket, the economy, the recent elections, India, and Pakistan. Twenty minutes of conversation between two strangers who might never see each other again. When the ride ended, he said he was happy to give me a ride and did not want payment. I insisted. He was adamant. I tried to compromise: at least accept five dollars. He would not take even that. He said he would be driving around anyway and was happy to give me a ride. He was so firm that I did not want to be rude, so I thanked him and stepped out.

What stayed with me was this: his business is not doing well in the current economic situation in New York City. The financial crisis is hitting taxi drivers hard. And yet he gave away a fare to a stranger he had talked with for twenty minutes. Generosity offered from a place of scarcity rather than abundance is something you do not forget.

I tend to strike up conversations with strangers. Earlier today, on the subway, I saw the person next to me carrying a Nikon D3 camera and started talking about it. Soon another DSLR owner sitting across from us joined in. These small connections are one of the things I love about living in a city. But what the taxi driver did went beyond conversation. He gave something he needed to someone he had just met.

Goodness is contagious. I need to find more ways to pass it on.

Happy Thanksgiving.