I wore a backpack the whole time I was there. Carried the necessites with me like a turtle. In a crowd, I felt guilty because my packpack took up the space of one person. When I turned, I needed more space. I actually took up the space of two people, my backpack and I, and I felt very self conscious about this.
Indian people are gracious and seem to be adept at taking up only the space they occupy.
They have to. Life is crowded and their personal space finishes at their physical boundary. At first, I found it difficult to have everyone stand so close beside me. It felt like they were breathing down my neck, peering over my shoulder, standing on my feet. By the time I left, I was very comfortable with it.