So What If I Am Late.

Some years back, I had gone to Akola, a city in Maharashtra, for delivering a guest lecture. My local host had made arrangements for my stay in a good hotel. I had reached on the previous day. We had dinner together. Before leaving, he told me he would pick me up at 9:00 a.m. the next day. The lecture was scheduled for 10:00 a.m. I got ready before 9:00 and waited in the lounge. 9:10, 9:15, 9:25… there was neither any sign of car nor any message. I was getting a little restless. I got up to phone him (no cell phones in those days). There was no reply. After 5 minutes, I saw his car entering the compound. We exchanged “Good morning!” “I hope everything is fine”, I said. “yes, yes, madam, all well”, he said. I asked,”are we late? Did you have some problem with the car? Actually I was trying to phone you”. Later on I heard that almost entire Akola was giggling at me because delay of just half an hour prompted me to phone my host. 

 

“Mrs. Bharucha is hosting dinner this evening at 7:30 p.m. 7:30 is too early for me. My clinic gets over at 8:00 p.m. and then driving in heavy traffic would take at least an hour”, said Dr. Ramesh. “it’s ok. You can come late. No one is going to come at 7:30”, said Vinay. Ramesh had more patients so he could not leave his clinic till 8:30. Because of a major road accident, there was further delay in reaching Mrs. Bharucha’s residence. When finally he reached at 10:00 p.m., guests had already left and the host had gone to bed.

Should we turn up precisely on time and suffer sitting alone when the preparations are going on or is it more sensible to presume that no one will come in time and go late? If it is a party, wedding, reception or dinner, delay of few minutes may be alright. But at a formal programme, meeting, interview, delay of even few minutes is not justifiable. Late comers then waste more time explaining and giving excuses for their delay. Let us remember that lack of punctuality is the classical sign of selfishness, lack of concerns for others and erratic time keeping. 

Ask the person who boasts that he can never keep time whether he uses the same norm while catching a flight or train.

- Pragna Pai.

About Author
Name:	Dr Pragna Pai
Address:	135, Prabhu Nivas, Rd. 9A, Wadala, Mumbai, 4000031
Phone Number:	24149072
Background	Ex-Dean, Sheth G.S. Medical college & KEM Hospital Ex-Director, Medical Education & Major Hospitals
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