Human beings make history and sometimes do so consciously,” the distinguished historian JM Roberts once wrote. “They can only do so,” he added, “with materials they find at hand, the ideas they and others have confidence in, their notions of what is possible, and what is impossible – in short, within conditions set by circumstance and the past.” If one may be pardoned for introducing a...

More real-life examples of how to be pleasant and courteous

I was on a trip to Chennai with the CEO of a company and we checked into a five-star hotel. “Can we meet after an hour, so we have time for some discussions before dinner?” he asked. I said that was fine. When I went to his room later, I saw a bottle of whisky wrapped in gift wrapper on the table. It was a gift to him from the hotel....