Archive · 4 Oct 2026
‘Patong Can Wait’ Uses Travel Satire to Examine Indian Behaviour
In this funny book, two friends want to travel to Patong.
Before they can go, they have to pass a made-up test about how to behave in public.
The test covers things like waiting in line, being polite to workers and sharing space with others.
The story jokes about people studying for good scores without truly learning to be considerate.
It also looks at how some tourists behave badly when travelling.
The book does not say that all Indian travellers act the same way.
It reminds readers that videos online can make a few incidents seem like they happen all the time.
Its main idea is that travelling well means respecting the people and places you visit.
Serbjeet Sidhu’s social satire follows childhood friends Siddu and Dudee, whose trip to Patong is delayed by a fictional behaviour examination required for a passport.
At the Global Sanskaar Institute, candidates prepare for tests on topics including queue discipline, buffet etiquette, public volume and respect for service staff.
The book pokes fun at treating courtesy like an exam to pass, suggesting that scoring well does not necessarily mean understanding good behaviour.
It addresses concerns about inconsiderate conduct by some Indian tourists while cautioning that viral incidents can make exceptional behaviour seem representative of everyone.
The review says the book uses broad, brisk humour to encourage travellers to be more aware of local customs, public spaces and other people.
- Who
- Author Serbjeet Sidhu and the fictional childhood friends Siddu and Dudee.
- What
- A review discusses ‘Patong Can Wait’, a social satire about a fictional behaviour exam for Indian travellers seeking passports.
- When
- The review describes the book as having contemporary relevance but gives no publication or event date.
- Where
- The story features the Global Sanskaar Institute and the friends’ planned trip to Patong.
- Why
- The book uses humour to examine social behaviour and encourage greater awareness and responsibility among travellers.
Criticism of conduct
Caution against generalization
Tourist behaviour
Criticism of conduct
The book satirizes inconsiderate conduct, including disregard for public spaces, inappropriate bargaining and discourtesy toward service staff.
Caution against generalization
The review warns that online circulation can amplify exceptional incidents until they seem representative of all Indian travellers.
The satire’s approach
Criticism of conduct
Exaggerated situations make familiar behaviour harder to overlook and give the book’s social criticism comic force.
Caution against generalization
The characters are described as comic representations rather than psychologically deep figures, and readers seeking subtle humour may find the situations broad.
- Book
- ‘Patong Can Wait’
- Author
- Serbjeet Sidhu
- Genre
- Social satire
- Central characters
- Childhood friends Siddu and Dudee
- Fictional institution
- Global Sanskaar Institute
- Fictional requirement
- An International Social Behaviour Qualification Examination before obtaining a passport
- Destination
- Patong