1. Even though we now possess mobile phones and live in an era of instant connectivity, arriving half an hour after the appointed time for a meeting is standard Bombay protocol. Also texting in advance or SMSing an apology doesn’t seem to be necessary — “Hota hai, boss, Oshiwara, serious bottleneck, yaar”. So explaining why you were not on time, justifies not being on time. Much like airlines that take off three hours late, announce, “Ladies and gentlemen, the reason for this delay is the late arrival of the previous flight”. How is that an excuse? How is it anywhere close a reasonable justification as say, “Ladies and gentlemen, owing to the previous flight being hijacked, we are leaving late,” or “Ladies and gentlemen one wheel just came off this plane, the pilot after much deliberation feels it is unsafe to take off”.

Illustration/ Amit Bandre