India, March 21 -- As we waited patiently at the narrow staircase of a posh Chandigarh cafe for a young couple to climb up and make their way out, I was least expecting a thank you from them but adding to my despair, they didn't even bother to acknowledge our gesture. People frequently do this, and it is nothing new. Being educated, wealthy, or modern has nothing to do with manners. But we must remember former US President Theodore Roosevelt's quote: "To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society."

I was heading a team in a company where my colleagues would shut the door in my face while I stood holding it for them. Once, when I asked a girl about it, she blamed it on her upbringing. As a , one has to hold ...