India, Aug. 6 -- By Dr. R. Balasubramaniam

If patience is truly a virtue, then every employee in my office building - the venerable STC building (officially known as the Jawahar Vyapar Bhavan) on Janpath, New Delhi - should be eligible for sainthood. It is not because we have suddenly become paragons of meditation and self-restraint. It is due to the interminable, soul-testing, career-shortening wait for the elevator.

Now, before you assume I am just being dramatic, let me paint a picture. You step into the building, refreshed and enthusiastic (or as enthusiastic as one can be before the first coffee of the day). You press the button for the lift. You wait. You check your phone. You look around aimlessly. You check your phone again. You...