2009/6/1 ss <[email protected]> > > In India. > > Well that depends on what you are doing. >
Yes, of course. This is merely a data point. At the risk of sounding too generic: having a long commute amplifies some stress factors that are not not universal and will not make sense to someone in the west until they have first hand experience out here. In my case, after that nightmare with the insurance agency, I dumped them and switched to ICICI Lombard, which let me buy it online. ICICI also cost some 30% more, but at that point I was very happy to pay the markup. The main problem is that folks with hurried lives are still a minority in urban India -- too small to to make an economic case for making things easier for them. Far too few service providers are bothered with this. Have to courier a document but the shop's closed? Just come back later. There's no dropbox. Have to pay your LIC premium? Why yes, they take online payments, but first visit your branch and apply for permission. What's that, you want to withdraw cash at the ICICI ATM across the road but your HDFC card won't work? Didn't RBI mandate this should just work? Well yes, but what are HDFC ATMs for then? Go find one in your neighbourhood. And no, your ICICI card won't work in an HDFC ATM. I figured the only way to remain sane was by joining the mainstream and leading an unhurried life. If this puts me in the category of those people who are mysteriously of lower productivity when in India, so be it. The price of added productivity is not worth it. I'd rather be unhurried and focus on doing something meaningful. (Lest someone not get it, I typically have 60+ hour workweeks.) -- Kiran Jonnalagadda http://jace.zaiki.in/
