Every January, Bertie is made to sit for the salary revision conversations for his household staff. To be sure, the conversing is done by the missus. Bertie's brief is to sit with a solemn face ...

Last Monday, a groggy Bertie was sleepwalking around his office building in search of his caffeine fix. That’s when he bumped into an old friend who is the India economist at a foreign brokerage.