Even today, on Independence Day, despite it being a dry day, you must be going in the evening to a friend’s place – for drinks and khana that you won’t have to pay for. Ergo, free. The trick to enjoying a free lunch is to embrace the guilt-free delight of getting something for nothing. No need to consider that maybe the ‘tandoori treat’ could be the bait for yet another ‘team-building’ exercise. Or that a free I-Day gift will mean listening to a bureaucrat speak about the nation, or – god forbid – the future of this country. But free things do exist, even in an India’s generosity that is dependent on your credit worth and standing.