India Customs Followed in India You Should Know About
By Rajeev
So, you would like to know about Indian customs. Well, that is good. If you are interested to know about it you would surely take care that you’d follow India customs while you are in India. This will not only lead you to have a peaceful vacation in India, but you will also be able to please the Indians.
That helps to have good relations. There are certain things that are not allowed or considered rude behavior. Make sure that you understand well about the Indian custom before you land there.
The Indian Traditional Way of Greeting a Person
The first lesson is about the Indian traditional way of greeting a person. It is done by bringing two hands together like you do for praying and say ‘Namasthe’ or ‘Namaskar’. If you find hard to pronounce it correctly or not feeling confident in telling it correctly you can just do the greeting gestures which can surely bring a smile on the person’s face you are greeting.
You will very soon notice that Indian people do not often look into the person’s eyes while they are talking. This way of communicating should not give you an impression that they don’t like you or lack confidence.
This is just the part of India customs and their culture. Unlike Western culture, you will not find Indian people showing intense affection even to their spouse in public. Make sure that you too don’t make such affectionate gestures in public. It can be an indecent scene for the eyes of an Indian.
One of the most important things about Indian customs is to avoid grabbing someone’s attention. That’s especially to a woman by winking or whistling. Sometimes such behavior can lead you into deep trouble. It is a fact that Indian women are quite beautiful. But that doesn’t mean that they should like such impolite gestures.
Be Careful Addressing or Greeting Women; Follow The Indian Traditional Way
It is a traditional Indian culture that the only man who can touch a woman in public is her son. Not just that, Indian women mostly don’t talk to other males. At the most they utter is ‘Namasthe’ to the strangers. If you happen to see two men or two women holding or kissing each others cheek don’t misunderstand them as homosexuals. They are either good friends or relatives.
You should never point your finger towards a person as this gesture is considered as rude behavior according to India custom, especially to the elder people. According to Indian culture, one can point the finger only towards the person who is lower than you.
However, the accepted way is to stretch your hand with the palm facing downwards and also curving your finger a little bit to avoid confusion. You should never point a finger even towards a waiter. If you want to call a waiter in a restaurant you can make either some sort of hissing sound or just clap your hands asking to attend you.
Last but not the least, you will find many beggars in India. There is no special India custom to treat them. However, staring at them can be taken as an insult by the Indians. You just need to be kind and normal to them.