India, Oct. 23 -- From the time we are children, one lesson is drilled into us by the adults around us: Be polite. Be polite no matter how irritated you are. Be polite no matter what the provocation. Be polite even if the other person is not. Be polite because good manners cost nothing. I could go on, but you get the general drift.

It's only when you grow up and become an adult in your own right, that you realise politeness is not always the answer no matter what the question. On the contrary, life throws up many occasions on which it does not pay to be polite at all - in fact, it has the opposite effect. Don't believe me? Well, allow me to count the ways:

How do you react when you get a present you absolutely loathe? Well, if you are a...