Today’s dispatch does not address a place we are visiting or cultural curiosity, but a national body gesture which I have encountered many times thus far in my time in India. For those of you who have been in India, I am almost certain this will be a familiar. For those of you who have not had the opportunity to visit this wonderful place, you may be forgiven for wondering why you read this blog in the first place.
What I am blithering on about is the slow, sideways nod that you are offered once you have finished a transaction or an inquiry with an Indian. It is a gesture of welcome at the end of our “business”. The gesture is a graceful but definitive sideways nodding of the head. The chin appears to lead a slow and graceful open “figure eight” movement – a ripple that starts high on the left, arcing right and then looping back leftwards to end an inch or so lower than the point of origin. This gentle, weaving motion is posed in counter-synch to the upper torso – almost giving the appearance that the head, while nodding, is suspended on a slinky-coiled neck. This reminds me, oddly, of the “bobble head” figurines that grace the dashboards and rear-windows of cars in Langford, BC or (insert your own local locale here). There is nothing casual about this gesture. It is slow and deliberate and is often accompanied by a warm smile and trans-fixed eyes which, when performed with great aplomb can be most enchanting. So taken have I been with this gesture that I’ve decided to embark on a study of this happy nod in the interest of learning how to deliver it myself (with no success to date, according to Patty). But stay tuned to this site for the latest, breaking news on this particular pursuit. Who knows, it could be my first step to becoming a Bollywood choreographer!
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