What would your idea of an advertisement for the Incredible India campaign look like? It’s a question I sometimes ask friends at a bar, when we’re drunk enough to be honest about how we really feel about life, our country, and everything in between. Their responses are always interesting, but also revealing because they emphasise how much we value the idea of saving face. We want the world to look at India as a place of love and affection, beauty and caring, clean streets and cleaner people, because any view that deviates from this ideal state only makes us look bad.

We do this in our private lives, too, of course, lower our voices and smile at the neighbours to prevent them from finding out about the mental ailments that run in so many families. We bring out the best China and borrow money to feed relatives because what they think about us matters a lot more than anything else. It’s also why marriage ceremonies continue to stress out millions of Indians, as they prepare for lifelong debt just to create a fleeting impression of success.