This post has been published in DNA newspaper dated 30th April:Please, fall in line
I can’t remember how many times, I have used this line in supermarkets, outside trial rooms, in stores and in countless other places. This is not an exaggeration, but in general we Indians seem to be “queue-blind,” or is it IQ blind. The other day, I was at the mall on a Saturday. It was really packed with people. I was waiting outside the trial room with a couple of stuff in my hand to be tried. There was a support staff who was also there. As soon as the door of the trial room opens, a teenager tries to barge in. She had to be blind to find me transparent. I had to raise my voice and say, “excuse me, there is a queue, and I am ahead of you.” The support person was giving her angry looks too. Without batting an eyelid, the teen says that she did not see. I said, “You do now” and went in.
Many times, we find people trying to break the queue when they just walk to the head of the line simply because they just have a couple of items for checkout. The polite thing would be to ask permission from the person whose spot you are trying to take, and they might just allow. But, if someone just barges in rudely, I make sure that they will not get to break the queue. At an ATM too, the experience is bad. It is extremely rude to try and enter when another person is using the ATM, but there are people who have to be told that — step out, and await your turn. Then, if you go to places like a xerox shop, kirana store, and other single-window outlets, you will find people clamoring from all corners and occupying every inch of space. A newcomer does not know from where to approach. There is no queue here. Might works here, and your ability to catch the eye of the hassled shopkeeper! Queue — what is that animal? People just step on each others’ toes and show that they are blind. Hey, and the same scenario prevailed even at the PSK’s (Passport Seva Kendra) xerox counter. Educated and uneducated — we are pretty uniform in our ill manners.
Unless there is a person specifically directing you to form a queue, we always tend to push our way through. Well, so much for our exalted culture and manners that we tom-tom at every given opportunity. In my experience, we are an extremely uncouth species of people trying to push our way through everywhere. No, the rules are known alright, but the following will be done on a situation basis. I feel the only way to teach such people a lesson is to not keep quiet and raise your voice when someone infringes on your rights. I remember once waiting at the airport in Mumbai, I walked up to this shameless chap smoking inside the Terminal in a non-smoking area. I had to ask him to stop smoking twice. He gave me a look of extreme loathing that I tried hard to match. But, he finally walked away from there after putting out his cigarette.
Even at the temple, have you seen how people try to press against each other. What kind of craziness is this? Even though, there is a queue, it is excruciating to be sandwiched between people.
By the way, just in today’s newspaper, it was written that Bangalore has the distinction of India’s worst motorist behavior. No doubt about that! I have been experiencing it every single day on the road. We have the most cruel drivers towards pedestrians, women, kids, and people with disabilities. I have personally seen that many drivers will menacingly honk, speed or flash their lights angrily if someone dares to try and cross the road. Everyone except the pedestrian has the right of way. The bigger the vehicle, the bigger the dadagiri is. Try merging on to the road in heavy traffic. No one will let you.
How and when will we learn to be civilized human beings?
PS: Many people have commented that this must be taught at home and in school. That most certainly is true. Kids will learn good manners at home first. But, what happens if they start flouting rules despite knowing that they must follow them? Most of these same folks live docilely in foreign lands following each rule and are polite to the hilt. So, what happens when they are in India? They forget their manners, or they don’t know how to behave? Neither. They ignore everything and behave shoddily! Most important reason is that they know that they can get away with it either through muscle or plain apathy. That is the saddest part.
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