Last month, we found a story in a Montana newspaper that spoke about a smile card experiment.  Yesterday, we stumbled into a Times of India story talking about the same!  And the best part is that we knew absolutely nothing either of them.

The TOI story, though, has a twist. :)  They use their cards more like "gratitude" cards ... and maybe that's the way it is to work in India!

"It's all about indulging in a little bit of kindness and not expecting anything out of it. In fact, the cause of many social ills and cynicism is expectations. The card here has a condition. It should be passed on to those whom you notice helping a stranger, who is in dire straits and is not able to do a task by himself. Being part of the 'smile clan' makes you feel that the world has good people too. Kindness is not a utopian idea. I met 30 others of the "smile card" clan and formed a network. The movement is on for the last two years in the city,” claims Jayant, who is now part of the network.

Another, 'smile clan' member Shalvi Narottam, 27, tagged a stranger in a cafe when she saw the stranger helping an attendant pick up some garbage from the floor few months back. “You just need to pack a little bit of smile with the card and it does the trick. It’s all about inspiring people to do good. It nice to see that there are like-minded people around you,” says Shalvi.

The card leads you to a website called ''helpothers', a one-stop place where one can network with members of the 'smile clan' across the globe.

In related news, I opened my door the other day and lo and behold, it's the good ol' ding-dong-ditch manuever with this gorgeous fruit salad that had Guri and I smiling ear to ear -- thank you, to whomever you are!