India, June 28 -- Leaders then were far more sensitive to the inconvenience caused by their motorcades. Today, however, among the many small indignities that ordinary Indian citizens endure on a daily basis, few are as symbolic of the distance between the rulers and the ruled as the familiar announcement: "Route laga hai." The phrase has now entered the lexicon of public helplessness. It means that a VVIP is on the move somewhere, and therefore the lives of thousands of citizens must be put on hold.

Traffic comes to a standstill. Cars idle endlessly. Schoolchildren are delayed. Office-goers miss appointments. Flights are missed. Fuel is wasted. Tempers fray. Yet citizens are expected to accept the inconvenience with resignation, as thoug...