What's a housewife's favourite line? Sorry, wifey, no offence meant, but you're always taken for granted.

Guess what the busy husband tells his spendthrift spouse? Please don't take all the moolah for granted.

Come to think of it, it's amazing how much we do take for granted. When I sit in an auto-rickshaw, I am sure the driver knows how to get to this back of the beyond place I am heading for.

My maid is supposed to know she's to clock in late on Sundays. The film ending has to be the heroine marrying the hero. And isn't it obvious the girl's father foots the marriage bill?

For that matter, men are never wrong. Mothers-in-law are bad and fathers-in-law can only be henpecked.

Your education begins with kindergarten and ends in 12^th standard. No you can't drop out in the 10^th standard to study in some polytechnic.

Schools can only open in June, you frown on the ones with a January to December schedule. CBSE students turn out better than State Board students.

No homework in UKG? Something is wrong with this school. Holidays can only be taken in June even if you have no school-going kids at home. And yes, children can read only children's magazine. College is where you freak out, not schools.

Nuns don't party and monks don't talk. Creative people can go mad, drink crazy and still get accepted. Sales and marketing personnel must smoke and drink. Their job demands it.

South Indians eat idli and dosa and North Indians eat daal-chaaval. All sardarjis go "Oy! Puttarru!' and all their songs need to have balle, balle!

Deepa Mehta must make controversial movies and if Anu Malik is original, chances are his music is straight out of a Scandinavian folk song.

The government takes our opinion for granted. The municipality takes it for granted we can put up with bad roads, potholes and blinking lights.

The cable channels take it for granted we'll put up with anything in the name of soap. The policeman takes it for granted the bribe will come through.

And so it goes.

Isn't it funny everything in life takes us for granted? And if you think I took you for granted with this, why, that's quite true!

Illustration: Dominic Xavier