The nicest thing about visiting any other country is, for me, also one of the simplest. It's when the people around me make way. This doesn't sound like a big deal, but it can be for anyone who simply isn't used to this act of common courtesy. They do this unconsciously, opening doors for women, allowing senior citizens access to a bus, or slowing down at street corners in order to give pedestrians the right of way. There are no signs asking them to do this, and no laws that insist on their compliance, but much of this comes naturally because of the way they have been raised, and the power of emulation that can compel some people to do good as much as it can instigate others to start a riot.

I am always rudely awakened, every time I arrive in Bombay, by the sight of fellow passengers shoving each other in a rush to the nearest exit. This battle for position begins with the frantic opening of overhead baggage spaces, continues to the immigration counters, and culminates in knots of people around booking counters for pre-paid taxis. There are lines for all of these tasks, of course, but whether or not they are observed depends upon how lucky one is. It's almost as if we have a pathological need to be first, no matter how it affects the rest of us.