There are many lies in this world. Some are big. Some are dangerous. Some have changed the course of history. But none have survived as successfully as the Indian classic: “I’m reaching in 5 minutes.”
The beauty of this sentence is that everyone knows it is untrue. The person saying it knows. The person hearing it knows. Even Google Maps probably knows. Yet the tradition continues.
A friend calls and asks where you are. You confidently reply, “Just five minutes away.” In reality, you may still be in the shower, searching for your missing keys, or trying to locate the left sock that vanished under mysterious circumstances. But spiritually, mentally, and emotionally, you are indeed five minutes away.
I remember once telling a friend I was “just five minutes away” while standing in front of my cupboard trying to decide what to wear. I hadn’t left the house. I hadn’t found my wallet. Yet somehow, in my mind, I was already halfway there.
Some people say India has a rich cultural heritage. They are right. This phrase is part of it. In fact, “five minutes” is not really a unit of time. It is a state of mind. A person can remain five minutes away for forty-seven minutes without experiencing the slightest contradiction. Scientists have yet to explain this phenomenon.
What makes the phrase fascinating is that most people who use it are not deliberately trying to deceive anyone. At that moment, they genuinely believe it. They are describing not where they are, but where they intended to be. They are imagining the version of themselves who woke up on time, left the house promptly, and resisted the temptation to spend 20 minutes scrolling through videos before getting ready.
In that sense, the lie is not really told to other people. It is told to ourselves.
Human beings are remarkably skilled at living slightly ahead of reality. We rarely describe our actual situation; instead, we describe our plans. “I’ll start studying tomorrow.” “I’ll begin exercising next week.” “I’ll call them later.” Our lives are crowded with imaginary future versions of ourselves who are organised, disciplined, punctual, and productive. Unfortunately, those versions rarely arrive. The real us eventually shows up instead — late, apologetic, and carrying a phone.
Perhaps that is why the phrase has survived for generations. It is not really about time. It is about hope. Every “five minutes” contains a small act of optimism, a belief that we are closer to becoming the person we want to be than we actually are.
Reality, of course, eventually catches up. The friend waiting outside has already ordered food. The movie has started. The meeting has begun. And you are still explaining traffic conditions that somehow affected a journey you had not yet started.
Yet maybe the reason this lie survives is not because people keep telling it, but because people keep forgiving it. We rarely feel genuinely betrayed when someone says, “I’m reaching in five minutes.” We roll our eyes, complain briefly, and then wait. Deep down, we understand. We have all said it ourselves.
Perhaps that is because the phrase is not really a lie at all. It is a request for patience — a small plea for understanding between who we are and who we hoped to be.
After all, all of us are five minutes away from something: five minutes away from starting that project, making that phone call, fixing that habit, or becoming the person we keep promising ourselves we will become. The difference is that some journeys take a little longer than expected.
About 47 minutes, give or take.
dagamjeter@gmail.com
Published - August 09, 2026 04:36 am IST