Waiting... Waiting... Waiting...

If you live in a country like India, where there are significantly more people than the resources to support them, then 'waiting' must have become a part of your socio-culture-economic life. It has got so much into my blood that I am confident you can find a 'waiting' component in my blood sample. I have waited in every possible place you can think of. Waiting for trains and buses is not being considered as waiting any more in my beloved country. I am sure all of you would have done that. But I have waited even for those services that market themselves as 'no waiting time'. Once I waited for 1 hrs at airport for my radio cab to arrive even though I booked it 3 hrs earlier. I have waited for 1 hrs for my order to be served in a restaurant when there was a huge queue outside and the restaurant required a quick turn around time for its own economic benefit. And what to say about couriers!!! They are moving into the trains and buses category, at least for me as now I expect them to be delivered after 10 working days. Waiting for your call to be serviced at helpdesk is also becoming commonly acceptable, but to wait for your own organization's helpdesk to service your call is still not that common. I waited 1 and a half hours over here too. Waiting outside toilets and bathrooms won't be new to those who have ever lived in a hostel. But how about waiting inside a toilet or a bathroom! Well, have some experience over there too...

In my opinion, if you don't have patience in a country like ours then you simply can't survive. It is a place where even patients at their deathbeds are kept in waiting. It is a place where Indian Standard Time signifies a totally different meaning. The present mess at CWG is also because of this little misunderstanding between us and rest of the world. We are on track, and I am ready to swear by anything, according to our Indian Standard Time deadlines, but I think the world didn't get our deadlines. They will come to terms in future (atleast after CWG). Interesting thing is that now some of my foreign clients have also started mentioning this on calls, "Guys, this work has to be done by 5 pm and please don't take it as your Indian Standard Time".

But leave all this. There is one kind of waiting which I hate the most and that is, when somebody gives you an appointment or schedules a call with you and then keeps you waiting. I have been waiting for past 1 hr 33 minutes now for one such scheduled call. And my wait is still on... on... on....