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When will we learn to queue up.............

Annually we waste crores ( ten of millions) of rupees in the process of tendering,buying,contracting and applying reflective white paint used to mark lanes on Indian roads. Most of us driving or being driven on Indian roads do not even bother to stay or drive in a lane.I try and most often end up in vain, as a looser being outwitted by a fellow criss cross lane driving expert or having my car scraped or dented by them.

I remember going to the movies as a kid.Irrespective of the movie the real treat was the Samosa (fried triangular pyramid-shaped pastry shell with a savory potato, onion and pea stuffing) and the Mangola( a bottled mango drink) during the 10 minute interval.Now picture this - Movie Theatre Canteen, lots of eats on offer and a melee of movie goers and just 10 minutes at hand before the second half of the movie begins.Action time begins with people one over the other, jostling and hustling for attention of the server. Am sure the canteen floor has seen many a Samosa on the floor every show, lots many people went back their shirts stained with tea, coffee or a drink over them. And this happens day after day, show after show, year over year.


Remember your last visit to a medical store to pick up a paracetamol or a Band Aid.You are being served and suddenly someone manages to brush past you and hand over his seemingly urgent prescription right over your shoulder and what more the medical store attendant starts multi tasking nonchalantly. This behaviour seems the done thing in India and if someone like me reprimands the attendant that he better attend to me as I was in queue first, I am looked upon strangely as if I just got of a spacecraft from Mars.

I have tried to go back to the root of this social problem and have come up with just one answer - We Indians just hate to queue up. In fact we are never taught to queue up ( it's a different story that we are not taught to say'Thank You' on being served, or'Please' when asking to be served and we never ever hold the door for the next passerby).

More coming up later.............

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