India, July 4 -- They say one can learn more about a person over lunch than in months of knowing them, and the truth of this was borne home to me last month.

A friend of many years invited me to lunch at one of Mumbai's finest restaurants. The meal was excellent. The conversation wandered from work to family to mutual friends. It was one of those unhurried afternoons where nobody looked at their phone.

As we rose to leave, the young man who had looked after our table stood nearby. He had done everything one expects of a good server: remembered who ordered what, never left our water glasses empty for long, met requests before they became reminders.

After our meal, my friend walked past him without a word. He didn't say "thank you" or ev...