Rashmee Roshan Lall - Times News Network

London, Jun 21: Mumbai manners may have struck bottom on the world league table of 'city civility', with India's financial capital now suddenly receiving the Raspberry Award for the 'rudest city' on the planet.

The Reader's Digest raspberry was handed to allegedly mulish, mutinous Mumbai after a 35-city survey by the pocket-sized magazine.

Waggish etiquette experts said the survey might reflect the magazine's pint-sized worldview but the Digest’s British chief editor insisted it was compiled by reporters in the principal city, in each of the 35 countries where it is published.

The exhaustive or bare-essentials, depending on your point of view — civility test saw Digest reporters compiling mental flowcharts of politeness after putting residents of disparate cities through their politeness paces.

These involved three basic tests — holding the door open for someone right behind you; helping a passer-by pick up a dropped newspaper or pile of documents; thanking shoppers after their retail experience.

In all of these, said the Digest, Mumbai hit rock-bottom in the manners league table. But not far behind was Bucharest, capital of Romania, which is barely seven months away from becoming a fully paid-up member of European Union.