New Delhi, Aug. 7 -- There was a time when etiquette meant knowing which fork to use, when to stand, how to address an elder, or how not to embarrass yourself at a formal dinner. Manik Kaur has little interest in rescuing that version of etiquette. Instead, in Everyday Etiquette: The Art of Mindful Living, she argues that grace is not an ornament of privilege but a daily practice of awareness. Etiquette, in her hands, is less about performance than presence, less about polish than kindness. That premise, established in the book's preface and reinforced throughout its five-part structure, is what gives this work both its emotional warmth and its contemporary relevance.

The book begins where the best books on character often do: at home. K...