Speech that nobody followed

Indian penchant for punctuality can thwart even the best of intentions

“Atithi devo bhava” (the guest is equivalent to God) is the tagline of the Ministry of Tourism. But the Indian penchant for punctuality — rather, the lack of it — can thwart even the best of intentions. To the embarrassment of the Ministry of External Affairs and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the visiting Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, was a victim of such lack of punctuality. The Crown Prince is the chief guest at this year’s Republic Day parade. On Wednesday, the PM and the Crown Prince addressed a joint media conference. While Modi