When on foreign shores, don’t do as the Indians do

When not in India, forget what Indians do. It is just like the saying—when in Rome, do as the Romans do; while you all must have heard that phrase, you might have hardly got any opportunity to use it in your real life. But, things can turn real messy if you ever find yourself in such as fix. Now, you might ask, what fix?If you travel within India, you are more or less aware of Indian cultures and gestures, but what if you land somewhere unknown. In such a case, you might run into some trouble. Forget about culture and tradition, even a simple gesture can land you in jail. And it so happens that in a lot of situations while abroad, we rely only on gestures when being unable to interact verbally.
Further, a goodwill gesture in India might be insulting to the locals in other countries. So before hopping onto an international flight, make sure you equip yourself with all the pros and cons. Not that you will become GOOGLE in a few days, but you can surely learn the basics for a more relaxed trip. This article attempts to make things simple for you. Read on!

Here are some gestures, which you should avoid while outside India.
The ‘rock on’ sign

While in India we use this gesture casually, try not to act cool and make this gesture in countries, including Spain, Brazil and Colombia. It is often used to insult a person indicating that their partner is cheating on them. So, better be careful!
Cross fingers

Yes, we cross fingers at times, hoping nothing bad happens or when we do not want to make a promise (of course, trying to imitate Shahrukh Khan). This is what happens in India, but never try this when in Vietnam. Crossing fingers in Vietnam apparently indicates insulting someone by showing him/her the symbol for female genitals.

Palm out or ‘talk to hand’ gesture

This gesture is usually done to make the other person shut up, or say to stop a conversation with someone. This also means we are done listening. But while you are in Greece or Africa, don’t extend you palm out to stop someone. While in Greece, it means ‘go to hell’; in Africa, it’s a slang indicating the other person having more than one father. In Pakistan, this gesture represents a curse, and in Persian Gulf, this gesture is an insult used by women mostly.

The V sign

Ah, while in India it means victory, Australians and British people refer to this one as ‘up your ass’ expression.

The little finger

Never ask for the way to loo by showing your pinkie finger in the United Kingdom. This will mean that you are telling a man he has a little penis. Well, this comes as a shocker!

The ‘OK’ sign

Most of the time, this gesture is used to indicate great, fantastic, wonderful or mind-blowing. However, trying using this gesture when in Brazil, Turkey, Greece or the Middle East countries and you will know why we tried to alert you. These countries consider this gesture to be very vulgar and it is used to indicate or calling someone homosexual. Further, in Belgium and France, this means calling someone cipher.

Patting on head

When we feel affectionate towards someone, we mostly pat them on their head, and it is not offensive in our country. But this gesture is not considered cool in Buddhist countries. Buddhist actually believe that their spirits live on top of the head, so patting them on their head is something like invading their private space.

Head shake sign

It is assumed that the universal sign for saying ‘yes’ is nodding your head, while shaking head is for saying ‘no’. However, in Bulgaria and Greece, these gestures are reversed. Thus, if you also have this habit, you might find yourself in a serious confusion.

Table manners

Eating with elbows on the table is considered rude in Mexico. This normal action might hurt your host, who might think you are calling him stingy. Better be careful while you nibble your food.

Thumbs up

In most parts of the world, a ‘thumbs up’ sign means a simple ‘okay’ or assuring the other person ‘I agree’. But, if you try making this sign when in Italy, West Africa, Iraq, Iran, Russia and West Africa, you might find yourself in great trouble. In those countries, it is akin to ‘up your ass’.

So, when on foreign shores, give the Indian in you a break.