(Originally Published in 2002)
‘Queue’ is a true reflection of human behaviour. It confirms the existence of discipline in human behaviour and the benefits its offer to human being. In economic terms, a queue exhibits the demand-supply position. It is because of this economic constraint, many a time, the disintegration of discipline takes place and a queue becomes a crowd and leads to all sort of complications. Nevertheless, a queue is an interesting phenomenon, which needs to be imbibed by the human being unlike the ants which naturally inherited such a behaviour.
It is from the French word queue, from which the English word is borrowed, according to the dictionary meaning. Queue is a descendent of Latin c da meaning "tail." Latin c da is also the source of Italian coda, which was adopted into English as a musical term (like so many other English musical terms that come from Italian). A coda is thus literally the "tail end" of a movement or composition. According to sources, French queue appeared in 1748 in English, referring to a plait of hair hanging down the back of the neck. By 1802 wearing a queue was a regulation in the British army, but by the mid-19th century, queues had disappeared along with cocked hats. When the British stand in queues (as they have been doing at least since 1837, when this meaning of the word is first recorded in English), they may not realize they form a tail.
Queue is a very common scene in our country. Name anything, invariably you will find a queue. If there isn’t one, then perhaps it would be in all probability due to indiscipline or there is no demand. There are countless numbers of queue which when moves, move different things in our country and many queues change the life and lifestyle of individuals. These innumerable queues in our country on which thrive our countrymen for livelihood, survival, pleasure and prosperity and of course for peace of mind as well. What is the common element between ration shops, hospitals, registrar office, cinema hall, railway reservation counters, railway stations, local administration offices, airports, ports, temples and other places of worship and almost all public places in our country, is the queue. Thus the queues enjoy its importance from B to B (birth to burial) of human life, particularly a country like India where the demand and supply position is not balanced. It is because of this imbalance that the VIPs assume significant importance as they have the potential to ‘jump the queues’.
It is a common experience that when there is more than one queue and you change the queue from one to another, most of the time, the one you were in will start to move faster than the one you are in now. Over the years, thanks to the technological advancement, particularly, the information technology and telecommunication revolution, virtual queues have become a reality. "You are in queue…. Sorry, you are being held in a queue…… Thank you for contacting this service….. You are important to us….. Our advisor will be with you shortly…..”: these are the common replies one gets to hear over the telephone when approached for some services. Nevertheless, queues form an important aspect of our life.
There are three interesting queues which people particularly of Chennai could come across which are worth discussing.
The first one is outside a popular School. This is for collecting application form for admission in LKG. (Of course, if you are lucky enough, you will have to stand in three more such queues before your ward is admitted in LKG - one for submitting the filled up application, second for the interview and thirdly for making the payment). It is the proud parents who subsequently after the admission realize the worthiness of standing in such queues. This is a kind of school which can shape and mould the children in the right way and provide a good career path to them. This particular school issues a limited number of non-transferable candidate specific application forms only on two days. In fact, parents thronged upon the school premise on the previous day itself couple of years back that the school authorities had to display a board requesting the parents not to stay overnight on the platform for collecting the application form. The minute details that the parents have to submit along with the affidavit combined with a transparent computer based selection process for LKG admission make this affair entirely a different one. Especially for those of the older generation, most of whom must have got their admission in school based on their ability to touch the ear with opposite side hand covering their head. It is the journey started in this way of standing in the queue for LKG application form, which had produced many successful citizens later on. Truly, the queue outside that school for LKG application form not only an indicator of the demand-supply position but by all means reflects the reputation of the school, which it has gained over the years. Obviously, parents would love to be in such queues.
The second interesting queue is the one you would find outside the petrol pump on the Whites Road, Chennai. This petrol pump is of a public sector oil company, like any other petrol pump. The general tendency of any customer is to avoid a queue as long as it is inevitable. When there are many petrol pumps around why should people stand in a queue for filling petrol? If you look at the system over this particular petrol pump, one has to park their vehicle and go to the counter, pay the money, get the receipt and then only the fuel will be poured into the tank. Whereas in most of the other pumps, such an exercise is non-prevalent. But still, customers do not mind in doing this bit of exercise. What is so special about this pump? It is because the petrol pump is run by a southern based reputed Group of companies. It is again the reputation of the Group of companies which they gained over the years that the customers do not mind troubling themselves to be in the queue for getting the fuel. How important the reputation is?
The third interesting queue, of course, is the one which is the first stepping stone for the most coveted “green card” and the subsequent journey to get “citizenship of USA”, which many are crazy about. There can be volumes written on the experience of the queue outside the American Consulate at Chennai for ‘American visa’. This is one particular queue which changes the life and lifestyle of many. Sampath Muralidharan became ‘Sam’ Murli and Somasundarams became ‘Soms’ and so on after passing through this queue. All of them had this experience however inconvenient it was. Certainly, this queue is an enabler to success, fortune and prosperity for many.
Even though the queues at times test the patience and perseverance qualities in man, a stunning truth about the queue is that it gives a ray of hope for those who are already in it. The queues entertain only those who are disciplined, positive in their approach and aiming for results. After all, queues are the means for achieving the goals. This phenomenon is what could be called the Queueism.
Adopting Queueism in the Indian context, therefore, pave a way for imbibing discipline, having positive approach, showing persistence and perseverance towards achieving the goals. This is the secret of Queueism, an ‘ism’ worth adopting for our own good.
