Greetings Sans Contact: Namaste! ๐
Greetings sans (without in French) contact is the most desirable method in this pandemic era. New forms of non-contact greetings are evolving in social circles. However, India's ageless 'namaste' is the best contactless greeting ever invented by the mankind!
And this is a suggestion to the Director-General of World Health Organization, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, to adopt 'namaste' as the universal method of hygienic and contactless greeting, sans any country boundaries or community barriers.
The international social media has already made the namaste emoji ๐, depicting two hands pressed together and fingers pointed up, quite universal. And much before the era of social media, the iconic mascot Maharaja of India's flag carrier Air India, has been welcoming passengers across the world with folded hands!
The emojipedia.org site describes the emoji-ology of folded hands ๐ as a gesture of greeting, thanks, request, prayer as well to express sentiments such as gratitude, compassion, reverence, respect, tranquility, hope, peace, and praise.
Namaste is an expression of respect and high regard to the other person, recognizing him as a fellow human being worthy of dignity, and used while welcoming a relative, guest, or a stranger. Namaste can be used to greet while you meet or depart, and also during any time of the day. It can be used to greet a single person, to salute a group of persons, or to address and acknowledge a mass of people in a rally.
Having lived for three decades in UAE, a land that proudly hosts the highest density of a diverse group of people representing all countries and communities of the world, I have seen it all! Starting with the classic hands shake, the act of welcoming your friends and loved ones covers gestures such as just smiling, nodding, uttering a formal Salam Walekum or Hello, putting your hand on your heart, making a light hug, air kissing on the cheek, rubbing noses and foreheads, bumping noses, waving your arm, clapping your hands, sticking your tongue out, and just bowing.
Just as the International Day of Yoga, celebrated annually on 21 June following its inception in UN General Assembly to promote global health, harmony and peace, let us hope that Namaste will be adopted as the new universal mode of greeting by the active support and encouragement of WHO and the United Nations.
And this is a suggestion to the Director-General of World Health Organization, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, to adopt 'namaste' as the universal method of hygienic and contactless greeting, sans any country boundaries or community barriers.
The international social media has already made the namaste emoji ๐, depicting two hands pressed together and fingers pointed up, quite universal. And much before the era of social media, the iconic mascot Maharaja of India's flag carrier Air India, has been welcoming passengers across the world with folded hands!
The emojipedia.org site describes the emoji-ology of folded hands ๐ as a gesture of greeting, thanks, request, prayer as well to express sentiments such as gratitude, compassion, reverence, respect, tranquility, hope, peace, and praise.
Namaste is an expression of respect and high regard to the other person, recognizing him as a fellow human being worthy of dignity, and used while welcoming a relative, guest, or a stranger. Namaste can be used to greet while you meet or depart, and also during any time of the day. It can be used to greet a single person, to salute a group of persons, or to address and acknowledge a mass of people in a rally.
Having lived for three decades in UAE, a land that proudly hosts the highest density of a diverse group of people representing all countries and communities of the world, I have seen it all! Starting with the classic hands shake, the act of welcoming your friends and loved ones covers gestures such as just smiling, nodding, uttering a formal Salam Walekum or Hello, putting your hand on your heart, making a light hug, air kissing on the cheek, rubbing noses and foreheads, bumping noses, waving your arm, clapping your hands, sticking your tongue out, and just bowing.
The Sanskrit word namaste, coming from the Vedic literature, is formed from namaแธฅ, meaning “bow” and tay, meaning “to you”. Therefore, namaste means “I bow to you” or “I bow down to the divine in you” or more broadly "the divinity in me bow down to the divinity in you".While greeting, the word namaste is usually spoken with a slight bow, hands pressed together, palms touching, fingers pointing upwards, and thumbs close to the chest. The Vedic wisdom tells us that each of us carries a divine spark within us and the namaste gesture is an acknowledgement of one soul by another.
Just as the International Day of Yoga, celebrated annually on 21 June following its inception in UN General Assembly to promote global health, harmony and peace, let us hope that Namaste will be adopted as the new universal mode of greeting by the active support and encouragement of WHO and the United Nations.
Now that the Tata group is all set to take over Air India and fly the Maharaja by January next year, this is also a request to Ratan Tata to retain the legendary Namaste logo and take it to higher heights and glories.
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