<p>We love to keep people waiting; we take immense pleasure in missing deadlines and appointments, and we revel in habitual tardiness. When it comes to punctuality, we Indians are the worst offenders, writes Melanie P Kumar.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Those growing up in this country will be very familiar with the IST equivalent that is prevalent here, which makes up the title of these musings. A large majority of Indians do not seem to operate on the 24-hour-a-day concept but on the idea that time stretches on forever. <br /><br />Most relationships, whether personal or professional, are governed by this notion and people are expected to be flexible enough to accept delays on the part of others; be it at family gatherings or other interactions. <br /><br />It is not that I have not been guilty of such transgressions at some time or the other. But, a delayed arrival beyond the expected time has always made me feel guilty and I have made good use of the mobile phone to keep the hostess informed, including a request that others need not wait but start on their meal or programme. <br /><br />Thinking back on pre-mobile phone days, it is possible that people were compelled to be more punctual. The mobile phone is certainly an invention that has contributed to the lack of punctuality in people, but it also has its uses. At least, it helps to keep those who are waiting informed that the expected guests will be a little late.<br /><br /> Of course, it has also served to fuel dishonesty in people, besides making people lazier. Today, nobody wants to note down a complete set of directions anymore. It is always, “I will call you from the first landmark and then you can guide me to the second one,” and so on… <br /><br />Certainly, the worst offenders with regard to keeping time are politicians who think that making a late entry is a sign of one’s importance. The bigger you are, the more entitled you are to make the janata wait, as you make your way in with your entourage, bristling with your sense of self-importance with nary a word of apology, even when you are called upon to make your customary speech, as the TV cameras roll to take in your every word and gesture!<br /><br />What is it about late-comers in India, politicians included, that they feel that they do not owe an apology to those who have made the effort to go by the time specified? Someone put it very well when he said that to wait for those who have been tardy with time is to insult others who have taken the trouble to be punctual! But unfortunately, in the world of Indian Stretchable Time, there is no such anxiety over arriving late or starting a function at the scheduled time! What a lop-sided state of affairs! <br /><br />Sometimes, it is the organisers of a seminar or a function who are found wanting. A programme slated to start at 10 will start an hour later, throwing the whole schedule out of gear. At such times, the woes of the organisers are further compounded by speakers who are not willing to stay within the time slot allotted to them and ramble on, cutting into the time given to those who are to follow. This causes a further derailment and tea and lunch breaks take the brunt of the delays. At times like this it is best to secure the last row, post-lunch, and catch up on the rejuvenating power nap! <br /><br />Deserving democracy<br /><br />In the competition for the Numero Uno position between India and China, the general feeling is that China is racing ahead because it is not a democracy and people can be bludgeoned into delivering! <br /><br />But, more than being bludgeoned, I think that the Chinese have a sense of punctuality with regard to deliverables, which is sadly lacking among our countrymen. The only time that people were probably conscious of punctuality was during the times of Mrs Gandhi’s infamous Emergency. People claim that work ethics and punctuality were at its peak during those times, making one wonder whether democracy is a luxury that a developing country can ill-afford! <br /><br />As a student, I remember how my father had named the furniture shop where he used to give orders for pieces as “Kal dega” (translating as “Will deliver tomorrow”) in place of his real name. The kal in question could perhaps be compared to the kaal or eternal cosmic time that is often spoken of in Hindu mythology.<br /><br />In today’s Bangalore, amongst the worst offenders could be tailors who always take on more than they can chew and then keep you waiting for hours as the finishing touches are given to the garments that you need urgently, to wear for an office party the same evening. You have no choice but to sit and fume as you work on the nails of one hand and then shift to the other. <br /><br />Just when you start contemplating the nails on your toes, as you pull your feet out from your shoes, the tailor says, “Madam, they are done. Sorry about the delay but two of my tailors had gone on leave for Deepavali last week.” My reply, “The last time you had to deliver, your chaps had gone on leave for Ramzan!” “What to do, Madam. Some chaps celebrate Ramzan!”<br /><br /> There is nothing for you to do but bite your lips because when your writings celebrate the multi-cultured India, how can you protest if tailors take off for Ramzan or Deepavali or Sankranthi or Durga Puja? God knows, there are enough festivals in this country to provide the Master Tailor with excuses for not delivering on time, the whole year round!!<br /><br />Experience speaks<br /><br />A wedding in the family is a great time to feel the tension over the lack of punctuality of people who declare timelines for deliverables. When they know that there is big business in the offing, every one is honey sweet, but let the business be committed to them and out come the true colours!<br />The designer tailor in Malleswaram had us eating out of her hands, as she sweet-talked us about her style of operation. Three months later, she had us tearing our hair out in desperation, as she kept messaging us to postpone the date of the clothes to be delivered.<br /><br /> Finally, when we refused to take no for an answer and landed up, we spent hours and hours waiting even when she had the temerity to suggest, “Finish all your other work in Malleswaram and return and I will have the blouses and your bill ready!” It took us a couple of visits, hours of frustration in the fitting room and a souring of the relationship, before all our stuff was finally done to our satisfaction. What the designer lady did not realise was the importance of word of mouth publicity, which she had just lost out on! <br /><br />There was not an earthly chance of us recommending this tailor to any bride-to-be! As with previous experiences, all we were offered was a string of excuses and not a word of apology for the hardship incurred.<br /><br />An eye for an eye<br /><br />A very wise relative told me about how she had built in a date of delivery clause for her house construction and actually deducted a sum of money for late completion of the house. Perhaps, there is a need for a mechanism to levy some kind of similar fine on others who don’t deliver, like errant tailors, by design or otherwise! <br /><br />In the tale of pre-wedding arrangement blues were the flower decorator who delayed the meeting date and the mehendi lady who refused to pick up her telephone or respond to text messages, despite several entreaties. Luckily, a back-up group arrived to complete the job, but not before many hours of anxiety. Thanks to one person’s shoddy manners and lack of commitment, we were left at the mercy of the back-up group, who naturally grabbed the opportunity and overcharged. <br /><br />One cannot help but wonder at the recklessness of those who run their businesses on such tardy lines. <br /><br />Such things would never come to pass in a First World country. Here, professionalism is the most important virtue to stay in business and no swalpa adjust maadi would work! Weddings and holidays are planned well in advance and a lack of time sense would be construed as the most extreme form of rudeness and bad manners. Even Indians who live in the West develop this sense of time, which they exhibit even while holidaying in India. <br /><br />Time is the most precious commodity in the West and nobody, just nobody, will waste another’s time, leave alone turn up late for an appointment or delay on deliverables. Since they consider time as money, it is little wonder that they are so successful in whatever they do. <br /><br />The sense of punctuality that one notices in developed countries, with regard to public services, is also to be seen to be believed. The driver of a suburban train in Tokyo will profusely apologise if he is delayed, even by a few seconds, once in a blue moon. Public transport in a city like Bangalore is dependent on the vagaries of the public who may decide to obstruct a bus or burn it to express anger over something that has transpired in the public space.<br /><br /> Or else, a political party may decide to block a road as they take out a rally or an Advocates’ Association may decide to block the road (as recently happened) if one of their kin is questioned by the police, justifiably or otherwise. Such blocking of roads will naturally result in delays for both public and private vehicles, but who cares? When people do not understand the importance of time, they have no qualms about delaying others, even it is for hours on end, as when groups take out processions with the deliberate intent of blocking traffic so as to hit the headlines the next day! <br /><br />Misplaced values<br /><br />In a country where people still die of starvation, it is tragic to see the amount of food that is wasted at weddings or other celebrations. A simple thing like a phone call to an RSVP contact number would make matters so easy for the hosts to plan the final figure. Sadly, very few people in this country bother about an RSVP. They would rather take affront, if they receive a card by post and wait for a personal invitation from the host, rather than just picking up the phone and indicating a “yes” or a “no”.<br /><br /> As a country, we stand on formality over the wrong issues. We are the first to take offence over issues like not being properly invited or being informed about the date in advance, but have no hesitation in staying away, without so much as a by your leave even when being part of the head count at a get-together. At every event involving food, there is over-ordering on the part of hosts. How nice it would be if this wastage could be avoided. Alternatively perhaps, caterers could link up with orphanages and destitute homes, where surplus food from parties and receptions could be sent. <br /><br />The one place that punctuality is thoroughly ingrained is in schools. Most of us will have some memory or the other of dashing up a flight of stairs even as the school bell starts to ring, for fear that a senior student in the guise of the Discipline Minister will corner you and note down your name and that of your House to put a black mark against. <br /><br />Those days, nothing seemed worse than having your House garnering a black mark on account of your tardiness. Offices, to some extent, also help to enforce discipline of some kind if the signing of the register or the clocking in on the computer is maintained seriously. It may be a different tale in government offices, where post-signing, it is time to go for a coffee break! <br /><br />Another example of the concept of stretchable time is when a friend is expected at your doorstep at a pre-arranged time. The text or mobile reply that she sends is invariably “will be there in 2 minutes” or “5 minutes” but never the actual 15 or 20 minutes that she takes to finally reach! It is something like the 2 Minute Maggi Noodles, which I have never succeeded in making in two minutes! If you are the person waiting in the car, you are bound to be pleasantly surprised if the person actually does reach you in the mentioned time! <br /><br />While writing about punctuality, one cannot but spare a few sympathetic lines for the editors of newspapers who are at the mercy of their writers. They must be the ones who have understood the concept of Indian Stretchable Time and have perhaps turned cynical on the subject of punctuality. Or perhaps, they hope that a piece like this one will energise their writers into turning over a new leaf in 2012 and delivering their pieces without needing reminders! <br /> <br />Maybe, the time is ripe to declare an Emergency and call for a ban on Indian Stretchable Time. But, what’s the hurry, let’s wait till 2013?!</p>
<p>We love to keep people waiting; we take immense pleasure in missing deadlines and appointments, and we revel in habitual tardiness. When it comes to punctuality, we Indians are the worst offenders, writes Melanie P Kumar.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Those growing up in this country will be very familiar with the IST equivalent that is prevalent here, which makes up the title of these musings. A large majority of Indians do not seem to operate on the 24-hour-a-day concept but on the idea that time stretches on forever. <br /><br />Most relationships, whether personal or professional, are governed by this notion and people are expected to be flexible enough to accept delays on the part of others; be it at family gatherings or other interactions. <br /><br />It is not that I have not been guilty of such transgressions at some time or the other. But, a delayed arrival beyond the expected time has always made me feel guilty and I have made good use of the mobile phone to keep the hostess informed, including a request that others need not wait but start on their meal or programme. <br /><br />Thinking back on pre-mobile phone days, it is possible that people were compelled to be more punctual. The mobile phone is certainly an invention that has contributed to the lack of punctuality in people, but it also has its uses. At least, it helps to keep those who are waiting informed that the expected guests will be a little late.<br /><br /> Of course, it has also served to fuel dishonesty in people, besides making people lazier. Today, nobody wants to note down a complete set of directions anymore. It is always, “I will call you from the first landmark and then you can guide me to the second one,” and so on… <br /><br />Certainly, the worst offenders with regard to keeping time are politicians who think that making a late entry is a sign of one’s importance. The bigger you are, the more entitled you are to make the janata wait, as you make your way in with your entourage, bristling with your sense of self-importance with nary a word of apology, even when you are called upon to make your customary speech, as the TV cameras roll to take in your every word and gesture!<br /><br />What is it about late-comers in India, politicians included, that they feel that they do not owe an apology to those who have made the effort to go by the time specified? Someone put it very well when he said that to wait for those who have been tardy with time is to insult others who have taken the trouble to be punctual! But unfortunately, in the world of Indian Stretchable Time, there is no such anxiety over arriving late or starting a function at the scheduled time! What a lop-sided state of affairs! <br /><br />Sometimes, it is the organisers of a seminar or a function who are found wanting. A programme slated to start at 10 will start an hour later, throwing the whole schedule out of gear. At such times, the woes of the organisers are further compounded by speakers who are not willing to stay within the time slot allotted to them and ramble on, cutting into the time given to those who are to follow. This causes a further derailment and tea and lunch breaks take the brunt of the delays. At times like this it is best to secure the last row, post-lunch, and catch up on the rejuvenating power nap! <br /><br />Deserving democracy<br /><br />In the competition for the Numero Uno position between India and China, the general feeling is that China is racing ahead because it is not a democracy and people can be bludgeoned into delivering! <br /><br />But, more than being bludgeoned, I think that the Chinese have a sense of punctuality with regard to deliverables, which is sadly lacking among our countrymen. The only time that people were probably conscious of punctuality was during the times of Mrs Gandhi’s infamous Emergency. People claim that work ethics and punctuality were at its peak during those times, making one wonder whether democracy is a luxury that a developing country can ill-afford! <br /><br />As a student, I remember how my father had named the furniture shop where he used to give orders for pieces as “Kal dega” (translating as “Will deliver tomorrow”) in place of his real name. The kal in question could perhaps be compared to the kaal or eternal cosmic time that is often spoken of in Hindu mythology.<br /><br />In today’s Bangalore, amongst the worst offenders could be tailors who always take on more than they can chew and then keep you waiting for hours as the finishing touches are given to the garments that you need urgently, to wear for an office party the same evening. You have no choice but to sit and fume as you work on the nails of one hand and then shift to the other. <br /><br />Just when you start contemplating the nails on your toes, as you pull your feet out from your shoes, the tailor says, “Madam, they are done. Sorry about the delay but two of my tailors had gone on leave for Deepavali last week.” My reply, “The last time you had to deliver, your chaps had gone on leave for Ramzan!” “What to do, Madam. Some chaps celebrate Ramzan!”<br /><br /> There is nothing for you to do but bite your lips because when your writings celebrate the multi-cultured India, how can you protest if tailors take off for Ramzan or Deepavali or Sankranthi or Durga Puja? God knows, there are enough festivals in this country to provide the Master Tailor with excuses for not delivering on time, the whole year round!!<br /><br />Experience speaks<br /><br />A wedding in the family is a great time to feel the tension over the lack of punctuality of people who declare timelines for deliverables. When they know that there is big business in the offing, every one is honey sweet, but let the business be committed to them and out come the true colours!<br />The designer tailor in Malleswaram had us eating out of her hands, as she sweet-talked us about her style of operation. Three months later, she had us tearing our hair out in desperation, as she kept messaging us to postpone the date of the clothes to be delivered.<br /><br /> Finally, when we refused to take no for an answer and landed up, we spent hours and hours waiting even when she had the temerity to suggest, “Finish all your other work in Malleswaram and return and I will have the blouses and your bill ready!” It took us a couple of visits, hours of frustration in the fitting room and a souring of the relationship, before all our stuff was finally done to our satisfaction. What the designer lady did not realise was the importance of word of mouth publicity, which she had just lost out on! <br /><br />There was not an earthly chance of us recommending this tailor to any bride-to-be! As with previous experiences, all we were offered was a string of excuses and not a word of apology for the hardship incurred.<br /><br />An eye for an eye<br /><br />A very wise relative told me about how she had built in a date of delivery clause for her house construction and actually deducted a sum of money for late completion of the house. Perhaps, there is a need for a mechanism to levy some kind of similar fine on others who don’t deliver, like errant tailors, by design or otherwise! <br /><br />In the tale of pre-wedding arrangement blues were the flower decorator who delayed the meeting date and the mehendi lady who refused to pick up her telephone or respond to text messages, despite several entreaties. Luckily, a back-up group arrived to complete the job, but not before many hours of anxiety. Thanks to one person’s shoddy manners and lack of commitment, we were left at the mercy of the back-up group, who naturally grabbed the opportunity and overcharged. <br /><br />One cannot help but wonder at the recklessness of those who run their businesses on such tardy lines. <br /><br />Such things would never come to pass in a First World country. Here, professionalism is the most important virtue to stay in business and no swalpa adjust maadi would work! Weddings and holidays are planned well in advance and a lack of time sense would be construed as the most extreme form of rudeness and bad manners. Even Indians who live in the West develop this sense of time, which they exhibit even while holidaying in India. <br /><br />Time is the most precious commodity in the West and nobody, just nobody, will waste another’s time, leave alone turn up late for an appointment or delay on deliverables. Since they consider time as money, it is little wonder that they are so successful in whatever they do. <br /><br />The sense of punctuality that one notices in developed countries, with regard to public services, is also to be seen to be believed. The driver of a suburban train in Tokyo will profusely apologise if he is delayed, even by a few seconds, once in a blue moon. Public transport in a city like Bangalore is dependent on the vagaries of the public who may decide to obstruct a bus or burn it to express anger over something that has transpired in the public space.<br /><br /> Or else, a political party may decide to block a road as they take out a rally or an Advocates’ Association may decide to block the road (as recently happened) if one of their kin is questioned by the police, justifiably or otherwise. Such blocking of roads will naturally result in delays for both public and private vehicles, but who cares? When people do not understand the importance of time, they have no qualms about delaying others, even it is for hours on end, as when groups take out processions with the deliberate intent of blocking traffic so as to hit the headlines the next day! <br /><br />Misplaced values<br /><br />In a country where people still die of starvation, it is tragic to see the amount of food that is wasted at weddings or other celebrations. A simple thing like a phone call to an RSVP contact number would make matters so easy for the hosts to plan the final figure. Sadly, very few people in this country bother about an RSVP. They would rather take affront, if they receive a card by post and wait for a personal invitation from the host, rather than just picking up the phone and indicating a “yes” or a “no”.<br /><br /> As a country, we stand on formality over the wrong issues. We are the first to take offence over issues like not being properly invited or being informed about the date in advance, but have no hesitation in staying away, without so much as a by your leave even when being part of the head count at a get-together. At every event involving food, there is over-ordering on the part of hosts. How nice it would be if this wastage could be avoided. Alternatively perhaps, caterers could link up with orphanages and destitute homes, where surplus food from parties and receptions could be sent. <br /><br />The one place that punctuality is thoroughly ingrained is in schools. Most of us will have some memory or the other of dashing up a flight of stairs even as the school bell starts to ring, for fear that a senior student in the guise of the Discipline Minister will corner you and note down your name and that of your House to put a black mark against. <br /><br />Those days, nothing seemed worse than having your House garnering a black mark on account of your tardiness. Offices, to some extent, also help to enforce discipline of some kind if the signing of the register or the clocking in on the computer is maintained seriously. It may be a different tale in government offices, where post-signing, it is time to go for a coffee break! <br /><br />Another example of the concept of stretchable time is when a friend is expected at your doorstep at a pre-arranged time. The text or mobile reply that she sends is invariably “will be there in 2 minutes” or “5 minutes” but never the actual 15 or 20 minutes that she takes to finally reach! It is something like the 2 Minute Maggi Noodles, which I have never succeeded in making in two minutes! If you are the person waiting in the car, you are bound to be pleasantly surprised if the person actually does reach you in the mentioned time! <br /><br />While writing about punctuality, one cannot but spare a few sympathetic lines for the editors of newspapers who are at the mercy of their writers. They must be the ones who have understood the concept of Indian Stretchable Time and have perhaps turned cynical on the subject of punctuality. Or perhaps, they hope that a piece like this one will energise their writers into turning over a new leaf in 2012 and delivering their pieces without needing reminders! <br /> <br />Maybe, the time is ripe to declare an Emergency and call for a ban on Indian Stretchable Time. But, what’s the hurry, let’s wait till 2013?!</p>
