India & Sri Lanka: General Observances

By way of imparting the knowledge amassed throughout our travels in India and Sri Lanka, this entry will be concerned with general observances made by myself and Louise. The differences in social activities to those common in the UK are, perhaps more so than the physical differences, what define India and Sri Lanka as wholly dissimilar to that which we consider the norm.

The Head Waggle

More prevalant in India than Sri Lanka, but by no means absent in the latter, the 'Head Waggle' is as flumoxing an action as any that confuse travelers. Whereas in all other countries we've visited, head movements to signify agreement or disagreement take two simple forms: nodding or shaking, respectively, the same cannot be said in this part of the world. Indians and Sri Lankans, seemingly undecided on which head movement to apply in any given circumstance, make do with responsding to questions with the Head Waggle. This motion involves an almost imperceptible wobbling of the head in the only direction not covered by nodding or shaking; that is to say, from side to side, as though they were moving each ear towards their shoulders in turn. This single movement can be used to mean either yes or no, leaving the inquisitor none the wiser as to their original query. This phenomenon is particularly prevalant amongst rickshaw drivers, who, upon being presented a destination and preffered price, invariably employ the Head Waggle. Essentially, the motion can best be interpreted as neither yes or no, but as 'whatever'. The chances are, if the rickshaw man disagrees your destination and/or price, he'll head waggle whilst pulling off into the distance leaving you on the side of the road.

Hygiene

As wide portions of both India and Sri Lanka are still classed as developing regions, we are not fool enough to assume the levels of hygiene will be to the extent of those in the modern Western world. This section, then, is concerned not with the lack of hygiene in some places, but with the Indian and Sri Lankan ideas of what constitutes cleanliness.

Whilst it has long been common knowledge amongst advanced countries worldwide that the cleanest looking implements or places can, in fact, be infested with microbacteria hell bent on their unsavoury crusade of dirt, this knowledge is not yet widespread throughout the Indian or Sri Lankan peoples. The tradition of using the right hand for the purpose of eating is adhered to by almost everyone here with vehement vigilance. The left hand, as most people know, is reserved to the cleansing of one's self after using the toilet. However, there are certain foodstuffs - naan bread, for instance - which need to be divided into smaller portions prior to eating, lest the diner should inadvertedly bite off more than he can chew. Thus, the left and right hand are used in unison to rip the bread apart. Now, whilst this is no less hygienic than any of the British late night boozers slopping kebab into their mouths having not washed their hands throughout hours of sordid revelry, it is the belief of most Indians and Sri Lankans that as long as the left hand is not the vessel whereby the food reaches the mouth, no germs can be imparted, as though the food itself cannot harbour germs at all. The idea is a simple one - if the dirt can't be seen, it isn't there.

Drinking

By no means disconnected with this skewed notion of clean eating is the odd way in which Indians and Sri Lankans drink. In both countries, you get nothing for free and judging by the way the natives consume liquid, even their saliva is a protected commodity. Faced with a bottle of water, the soon to be drinker will grasp the bottle with both hands - one at the base, the other about the neck - and lifting the bottle 6 inches above their head, tilt it and pour the contents into their mouths from that great height, looking not entirely dissimilar to Jessica Simpson holding a microphone aloft during a particularly heartfelt warble. The successful meeting of drink and mouth without slopping liquid down their fronts is actually a difficult feat to attain to the untrained drinker, and the truth is you aren't faced with sharing more than the contents of the bottle should you be offered a swig. But seeing as the water here is laced with impurities and bacteria likely to cause food poisoning of the worst kind (I speak from experience), the whole process seems somewhat pointless.

Hocking & Spitting

Perhaps the worst of all the social habits in India and Sri Lanka is the act of hocking vast quantities of phlegm and spitting it out wherever. Without lingering on the details (as they are not particularly nice), it is a common morning ritual of both men and women to make the most repulsive noises for frankly alarming lengths of time, as though not content with clearing the phlegm from their throat, they are intent of hocking up last night's dinner at the same time. Perhaps the worst aspect of this habit is the time of day at which it is undertaken, namely in early in the mornings. There's nothing quite like being woken up by the sound of a human impersonating a blocked drain.

Paan

The sight of men chewing Paan is something to which anyone traveling to India or Sri Lanka should become very accustomed. It consists of chewing Betel leaf mixed with areca nut, and often includes tobacco as an added ingredient. Those men who take up Paan as a habit walk around looking surly (for some reason) with bright red lips, intermittantly spitting the chewed concoction into great piles of red seeds. Until you know what paan is, the sight of these men wandering around seemingly freely bleeding from the mouth is downright alarming. And in fact, when you find out they're actually chewing a leaf the effect is only slightly diminished.

Friendliness

The Indian and Sri Lankan people are incredibly friendly and often willing to help where possible. True, many expect a tip for helping out, or are only being friendly because they are attempting to sell something, but on the whole it beats fearing for your life walking through Birmingham City Centre late at night. All in all, the people here are great, especially the kids who are inquisitive and interested in your different way of life. You don't have to embrace the bad habits to appreciate the good ones.