A Tiny Snippet of Ancient Tradition!
In any society there are timeless customs such as respect for the elders and teachers. Religion serves as a strong influence on our traditions and customs.
Within the Indian subcontinent there are very different cultural and religious beliefs, from North to South and from West to East.
For example, people from the North-east are very modest and humble in their behavior. These deep-seated and ingrained habits and beliefs instilled in their children are difficult to change or remove.
This can best be illustrated by an incident that my wife Vasantha Unnikrishnan experienced, while teaching at Sharjah Indian School in UAE. One day she was distributing the corrected notebooks to the grade 8 students. In order to complete this task as quickly as possible, she was calling out the names of the students, handing out two books at a time swiftly using both hands. And the students were equally helpful, running to the teacher to pick up their notebooks.
Suddenly, this rapid action comes to a standstill, as one boy comes, first bows in front of his teacher and then extends both hands to accept the book. This was a boy from Nepal and their culture demands receiving the book from the teacher with both hands as a sign of politeness and respect, making it a sacred event.
Vasantha is not new to this etiquette, since this is how we usually take prasadam from the temple priest. However, this unexpected act forces her to break the rapid stride, take the book with both hands and offer it to the boy, reciprocating in the same reverential manner! Then she resumes the fast-paced routine with the rest of the books.
Etiquettes in society are very important in several East Asian countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea, Japan, etc. In China and Japan, even business cards should be offered and accepted with both hands.
Recently the Indian Olympics contingent, before proceeding to Tokyo, was given special coaching on the unique culture, etiquette, and correct behavior of Japan. The Japanese word 'omotenashi' translates to Japanese hospitality and captures the way in which Japanese hosts pay attention to detail and anticipate their guests' needs. Omotenashi is a way of life in Japan, focused on always providing the best service and hospitality, expecting nothing in return.
https://www.toki.tokyo/blogt/2015/6/24/omotenashi-japanese-serving-philosophy
Many of us have heard about the elaborate Japanese tea ceremony. Still it is hard to believe that sometimes it takes up to a year to prepare for a single tea ceremony because the host needs to select the right flowers, tea set, hanging scroll, and confections to match the season and the guests’ preferences!
This can best be illustrated by an incident that my wife Vasantha Unnikrishnan experienced, while teaching at Sharjah Indian School in UAE. One day she was distributing the corrected notebooks to the grade 8 students. In order to complete this task as quickly as possible, she was calling out the names of the students, handing out two books at a time swiftly using both hands. And the students were equally helpful, running to the teacher to pick up their notebooks.
Suddenly, this rapid action comes to a standstill, as one boy comes, first bows in front of his teacher and then extends both hands to accept the book. This was a boy from Nepal and their culture demands receiving the book from the teacher with both hands as a sign of politeness and respect, making it a sacred event.
Vasantha is not new to this etiquette, since this is how we usually take prasadam from the temple priest. However, this unexpected act forces her to break the rapid stride, take the book with both hands and offer it to the boy, reciprocating in the same reverential manner! Then she resumes the fast-paced routine with the rest of the books.
Etiquettes in society are very important in several East Asian countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea, Japan, etc. In China and Japan, even business cards should be offered and accepted with both hands.
Recently the Indian Olympics contingent, before proceeding to Tokyo, was given special coaching on the unique culture, etiquette, and correct behavior of Japan. The Japanese word 'omotenashi' translates to Japanese hospitality and captures the way in which Japanese hosts pay attention to detail and anticipate their guests' needs. Omotenashi is a way of life in Japan, focused on always providing the best service and hospitality, expecting nothing in return.
https://www.toki.tokyo/blogt/2015/6/24/omotenashi-japanese-serving-philosophy
Many of us have heard about the elaborate Japanese tea ceremony. Still it is hard to believe that sometimes it takes up to a year to prepare for a single tea ceremony because the host needs to select the right flowers, tea set, hanging scroll, and confections to match the season and the guests’ preferences!
Comments
Post a Comment