Sample this: You are at a party, and your friend’s spouse starts hitting on you. What are you supposed to do? Or, you are sipping a drink, nicely sprawled on a lounger, when someone introduces you to another guest. Now, should you stand up or stay seated? What’s the right thing to do when you are out with others for a meal and no one reaches out for the bill? Should you hand out your visiting card to everyone or be discreet? What should you wear to a board meeting, or an office party, or to the gym? How must one carry oneself to leave a lasting impression?

We all find ourselves in more than just one of these situations and wonder about the correct response. And that’s where etiquettes and grooming trainer Rukshana Eisa’s The Golden Code comes in handy. Besides offering answers to the questions above, the book has a lot on the right conduct . After all, as Shweta Bachchan Nanda rightly writes in the Foreword to the book, ‘manners never go out of style’. And Eisa writes, “Etiquette should be an extension of who you are. What we do in private defines who we are in public.”

Eisa doles out tips and pointers on communication, including body language; how to dress for various occasions; hot to behave as a guest or a host; effective personal grooming; how to conduct oneself in tricky social situations, such as when you forget someone’s name or how to react when someone belches while talking to you. A chapter is also dedicated to one’s well-being that includes workout, gym etiquettes , skincare, nutrition and more.

Some of the things the book will teach you include: when having a social meal, you need to get rid of the pip in your mouth, gently make a fist in front of your mouth; collect the pip in the fist; and gently put it in a napkin or under the plate in front of you. Also, if you happen to make an awkward sound (read fart, belch, etc.), excuse yourself and carry on with the conversation or whatever action you were doing. If someone else happens to do the same, say, ‘it happens to the best of us’, and carry on without missing a beat.

First impressions are made in the first three seconds, says Eisa. So make a great one. Pick this book up to ensure it lasts with your manners, for chivalry will always be cool

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