A namaste to greetings

While the world tries to recover from one of the deadliest pandemics of the past 100 years, perhaps it is time for us to reconsider the tradition of handshakes, write Giselle Harrison & Lakshmi Nair

As social animals, we have always had an innate need to bond with other human beings. From the day we are born, the first of our senses available to us is that of touch. Many researchers have determined that human touch has a lot to do with one’s physical and mental well-being. The shaking of hands, hugging each other, a pat on the shoulder while greeting a friend or even a high five. All of this was considered normal, if not essential, to the daily rituals of one’s life ... at least until a few months ago.

These are strange times, the times of the coronavirus. With new norms kicking in on working from home, social distancing, self-quarantines, all to the effect of avoiding human contact, we can’t remember when we last hugged a friend, let alone gave a colleague a handshake. We’re at the very crux of re-defining the new normal to human connection. And as we look around, our Indian roots beam with pride as we start to see our very traditional namaste make its way back from the shadows, to becoming a global trend. Even US President Donald Trump pointed out that India, with her contactless greeting, seemed to be well ahead of the curve when it came to controlling the spread of the virus.

For the uninitiated, the namaste is usually spoken with a slight bow of the head while one’s hands are pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointing upwards, thumbs close to the chest. In Sanskrit, this strange-sounding word means, the divine spark in me bows to the divine spark in you, or to put it simply, at this moment as we connect, I offer you the best in me as I strive to draw out the best in you.
While it initially gained popularity in the western world because of the practice of yoga, this respectful gesture of greeting people is now making a large comeback as the virus-proof greeting of the future. The more we read, the more aware we are of the different forms of contactless greetings that exist around the world. Any glance at history shows us that crises and disasters have continually set the stage for change, very often for the better. Ironically, we often perceive resistance to be bad when in fact, it’s the first sign that people are taking change seriously. So if you find yourself holding back to embracing a new culture, or a new practice during this age of the pandemic, revel in the thought that your mind has already taken the first step to acknowledging and accepting this imminent change.