Modern life is a lot about waiting. I’m not the first person to notice this. But in India I realised that there is a fine art to waiting. Cultures which have probably traditionally involved a lot of waiting due to their size and structures are already better set up to “wait” than say a culture like Western Europe where we expect things to happen on time and with little inconvenience.
So for example traditional Indian dress helps you to wait better, because the sari is just one simple piece of cloth which can be used as a sheet or something to sit or rest on. A cotton handkerchief which many Indian men seem to carry can be used to cover your eyes or face, whilst you are sleeping or resting in public. Food which consists of several dishes such as a thali or Southern Indian “meal” can be more easily packed up into several containers. And not insignificantly being able to eat it with your fingers eliminates the need for a table and cutlery.
The one slightly less optimal thing that stood out to me in India which is maybe less to do with waiting, and more to do with travelling, is the paucity of rucksacks in India. I wonder (without any basis for this supposition) if it is somehow lowering your status in India to carry things on your back, for my travelling partner and I were the only ones with rucksacks – I’m of course ignoring any other non-Indian travellers.