"It's like the difference between `What's your problem?' and `How may I help you?' In India, there's no real distinction,'' Nair says. ``Over the phone, they are not the same. Americans read into the way things are said."

"The Indian government has also gotten involved. In a set of cluttered offices at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in the Indian capital of New Delhi, government workers file papers and work the phones from dawn until dusk, six days a week, to deliver the ultimate business-friendly promise to foreign companies: They can start a business in India within 24 hours. By the next work day, the government will provide all needed permits, utility contracts and import waivers."