Over 200 years of colonial rule in India ensured that, even today, more than 90% of our citizens will show exceptional regard for "the white man".  A local daily recently carried an interesting article on this subject, outlining how almost every sphere of our lives demonstrates this peculiar behaviour.  The doorman will stiff his back a wee bit straighter for a fair-skinned guest… the waiter will first serve the table with the whites… no matter where you go or what you do, you will see "unfair" treatment meted out to those who look like the British that ruled us for years.  It’s in our genes, now.

As I read that article, I am reminded of another peculiar trait of almost all Indians : Queueing Up!

You go to a rock show, and you see a long queue that no one has asked for.  You see people at the railway station, and they will form a straight line at the drop of a hat.  If you find yourself on a flight, you’ll see us in a queue formation, waiting to de-plane, even before the aircraft has stopped taxiing. 

Those below the poverty line queue up to get their daily supply of water (for the 1 hour that running water reaches their settlement!)  Those just above (the poverty line) will queue up several times a month for access to the public distribution system.  Middle class citizens will queue up to pay their utility bills.  Bank account holders will queue up simply to update their bank account statements.  Even the more affluent will queue up outside ATMs, to withdraw their own money!

Every where we go, we Indians simply *love* to stand in a line. 

No one minds.  No one objects.  No one insists that the system be improved or made more accessible.  It’s in our genes, now.

I don’t know if it is the result of a 200-year-old British rule or a 50-year-old, post-Independence, government that has resulted in this oddity.  But, it sure lends new meaning to the term : Queueing Theory!