Stay in the lane

Summary: She left on time, with a cushion built in. Traffic stopped the car. Her driver got out to find an alternate route and arrived an hour late instead of 15 minutes. Most investors in a flat market do exactly the same thing.

Summary: She left on time, with a cushion built in. Traffic stopped the car. Her driver got out to find an alternate route and arrived an hour late instead of 15 minutes. Most investors in a flat market do exactly the same thing. I had planned to visit a friend for a cup of coffee. We fixed a mutually convenient time, checked Google Maps, and both calculated when to leave. The app showed 55 minutes, a normal commute in Mumbai, where the distance between two points matters far less than the time it takes to cover it. I left office promptly, having earned a reputation for punctuality, with a cushion of a couple of minutes built in. A short distance later, traffic came to a halt. My driver waited, assuming it was a routine signal delay. Five minutes passed. The car did not move. We both rechecked Google Maps. It showed a 10

This article was originally published on May 20, 2026.