India, June 30 -- The other day, I stumbled upon an intriguing word, scurryfunging, and it may seem alien to you. Sounds like something you'd catch after eating spurious street food, right? Or may be a distant cousin of scavenging. But nope! It's actually the highly underrated art of panic-fuelled and frenzied tidying up of the house before the arrival of unexpected guests.

Believe it or not, this is one practice ubiquitous in all cultures. Look, it is understandable that you may deny it to avoid sheepishness or you may pretend that your house is always spic and span but let's be honest here. All of us indulge in last-minute decluttering of the house.

Our OCD-like cleaning compulsions are at their peak and the whole house seems to be on...