New Delhi, Oct. 20 -- The last quarter of the year is the season of the returning Indian diaspora; the weather starts getting better on the subcontinent just as it starts to get colder elsewhere. Weddings abound, reunions are planned, and the social calendar is brimming with festivities. Many of the said wayfarers transit through Mumbai, and if one is an equity analyst and enterprising enough, the local sales team can organise a roadshow for these global researchers with domestic clients. A company-paid business-class ticket is quite the bargain for spending a day shooting the breeze in Lower Parel and BKC.

Under the aforesaid scheme, Bertie was offered a joint meeting with a global commodity and a global hardware analyst-let's call them...