India, Aug. 30 -- My five-year-old goes to an international school in Gurgaon. Why did we choose it over CBSE/ICSE? Well, I can give a well-rehearsed five-minute monologue to proselytise CBSE simpletons. But in reality, I just followed what the most accomplished guy on my social radar did. They sent their kid to an IB (International Baccalaureate) school, and so did I.

As a parent, you will always look to other parents for clues in decision-making, excluding your own - old folks who are forever plotting for you to have the (n+1)th kid.

Schools have always been a class-marker in India. Earlier, it was the famous boarding schools that parents boasted about - Doon, Mayo, Lawrence Sanawar, etc. But, once law & order improved and kidnappings...