Abhishek D.Shah does some quick math and says we have lost 9,512 years to unpunctuality!
"The two-minute noodle takes 10 minutes. The instant coffee takes too many instants and the 30-minute pizza hardly ever arrives before the 60th minute. And apparently time is money. I can only wonder what our economy would be like if we learnt the art of being on time.
Being in the media, 'deadline' is a word I encounter on a daily basis. "The deadline is on the 20th but you can give it to me by the 22nd," a friend from a publication tells me. I wonder if the guys compiling the dictionary should reconsider the meaning of the word.
I was invited to a friend's wedding recently. The invitation requested my gracious presence at 7.30 p.m. Not wanting to scar others, I decided to go in for a hair cut and promptly reached the salon by 6.30 p.m. The stylist was efficient and I was done and ready by 7 p.m. As I left the salon, I noticed someone I knew getting an elaborate facial done. Guess who? The bride. Her presence at the reception hall was not be felt until 9 p.m.
It is inspiring to note that in the airline industry, an "on-time" performance means being lat by a maximum of one hour. It is simply amazing how we manage to be late with such consistency. It is an art form we have mastered and are transferring to future generations.
Being five minutes late is not a crime but, consider this. We are a billion Indians. If each of us is late by just 5 minutes, we are late as a country by 5 billion minutes. I will spare the math but that is roughly 9,512 years. Just imagine all that we could do in so much time!"
With grateful thanks to: Mr.Abhishek D.Shah and The Hindu, Chennai edn ('Metropolis', Oct.27, 2007)
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