From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Likely a calque of Classical Persian دیر آید درست آید (dēr āyad durust āyad, literally “come late, come safe”) which is also present in Urdu as an adverb.
دیر آئے دُرُسْت آئے • (der āe durust āe) (Hindi spelling देर आए दुरुस्त आए)
- better late than never
