Why Bombay?

As the gents in the scene say to Lane, he’s done everything right. Trimmed the fat, increased billings, and not any word of company morale sinking.

Why on earth would they send him to Bombay? I can’t imagine any ad firm had any significant presence in India in the mid 1960s. I get the WHY - they’re sending him to a place where he’ll be stuck and essentially die a slow death. No career opportunities. No room for growth. Just exiling him to a corner of the world where he’ll not grow and they won’t hear from him again.

But, why? Usually a guy that does Lane’s job, that does all he’s supposed to, would be in line for a promotion, not exiled.