India, July 24 -- I have written earlier in this space how age has turned me from an inveterate people pleaser to someone who simply can't be bothered. No longer do I try to lubricate conversations at parties when there is a lull in proceedings. No longer do I say yes when I really want to say no. And no longer do I accept invitations out of a sense of duty rather than the prospect of enjoyment.

But with every passing year, the stuff that I simply can't engage with increases in leaps and bounds. Here is just a short summary of some things that I have dropped from my to-do list. And, honestly, it has made my life much easier and better.

Dinner parties that have more than 50 people in attendance are no longer for me. I find it excruciatin...