New Delhi, March 9 -- About 20 years ago, the five-day week was not common in India. Some people in an office in Mumbai approached their boss to demand it. The boss said he had no problem with this very modern global idea; he would ask the proprietor. But, he said, they should know what the owner would probably ask. "So the work that takes six days now can be done in five?" If the answer is 'yes,' he would consider the office overstaffed, proceed to sack 17% of the workforce and retain the six-day week for those who survive.

I don't think the boss was exaggerating. This is how most owners think even today, notwithstanding the fact that they have made peace with the five-day week. They want people to work hard because they believe that's ...