The Great Indian Queue

The Queue System: A Civilised Invention Indians Love to Defeat

I was listening to a recent BBC podcast that listed fifty — or fifty-one, depending on who you ask — inventions that changed the modern economy. The list ranged from the humble paper clip to diesel engines to the atomic bomb.

If I were allowed to indulge, I would like to add one more invention to that list: the queue system.

An Invention That Makes Civilisation Possible

Imagine how disorderly everyday life would be if we did not have a system where people patiently waited their turn — standing in a line, confident that they will be served simply because they arrived before someone else.

The queue is one of the simplest expressions of fairness. No hierarchy, no negotiation, no strength — just order.

What a Queue Is Supposed to Be

Wikipedia defines a queue as a first-come, first-served arrangement for goods or services — whether at a grocery store, an ATM, a ticket counter, a bus stop, or a taxi stand.

In theory, it is a triumph of social cooperation.

The Indian Interpretation

But Indians, being Indians, have created our own parallel version of the queue — one that respects the idea in principle while undermining it in practice.

Some Familiar Observations

a. There will always be someone attempting to break the queue using ingenious, morally flexible methods.

b. If you maintain even a polite gap with the person in front of you, the person behind will quietly occupy that space, as though it were an unclaimed resource.

c. Age, pregnancy, or physical discomfort rarely earn automatic consideration.

d. Many will not wait to be called. They will approach the counter pre-emptively, assuming opportunity favours initiative.

e. My personal favourite: three or four people standing shoulder to shoulder at the counter, transforming service into a competitive sport.

Why Do We Resist Queues?

The question is not whether this happens — it does, consistently — but why.

One explanation is competitiveness. We are conditioned to believe that waiting is losing, and that getting ahead — by any means — is proof of intelligence.

The problem, of course, is that every small advantage is gained at the expense of someone else. The queue, which is meant to neutralise competition, becomes the very arena in which it is expressed.

Beating the System as a Virtue

In many Indian contexts, beating the system is admired. It signals cleverness, resourcefulness, and street-smarts.

Unfortunately, the queue is one system that collapses the moment it is treated as optional. When no one believes the rules will be enforced, everyone rushes to exploit them first.

A Small Test of Civic Trust

Standing in a queue is a quiet act of trust — trust that others will wait as you do, and that fairness will be rewarded.

Our discomfort with queues may say less about impatience and more about how little faith we have in shared systems.

Until that changes, the queue will remain one of modern civilisation’s greatest inventions — and one of our most consistent failures.