Indian Standard Time (IST)

ha ha ha..."Standard" did u say?? More like the cliched Indian "Stretchable" Time, and way to go for us Indians to make a impression on the world regarding our lack of punctuality. Indians have always had a laissez-faire attitude towards time. We have never let ourselves be ruled by the clock. A quick google of a few websites on Indian social or business culture and you will find a common refrain in all of them: ‘Indians appreciate punctuality but may not reciprocate it’. Added to this will be a warning to 'keep your schedules flexible while in India or while doing business with Indians'.

Obviously this is a generalization and all Indians cannot be judged by this yardstick. Every society has punctual people and also those who make you wait just to show you how important they are. The latter is best observed when a function (even vitally important ones) is scheduled to start at 10am, but people actually start arriving around noon. Even educated people do not think these virtues are necessary for success. They take life casually.

It is believed that culture, economy and climate do play a part in people’s punctuality. Industrialized and developed nations, especially North America, northern Europe, and Japan are known to be sticklers for punctuality. For people here, time is money and Industry by its very nature implies strict schedules. On the other hand, Indians, people of Latin America, Southern Europe, Africa and the Middle East are poor time keepers.

But surely, if you want to move up in today’s world, all these theories and generalizations will get you nowhere. Time management is key and punctuality is generally the rule. Missing deadlines and appointments and habitual tardiness are strict no-nos and are sure to be construed as lack of discipline and commitment.