Cultural faux pas to avoid

15 July 2013 - 6:46, by , in Living in India, No comments

India is one country with many traditions and practices and so even an Indian sometimes gets confused over these. If you are travelling in India, avoid looking at the person of the opposite sex, because this doing this might get you in a serious problem and before complementing or shaking hands with the person of opposite sex please think twice.

Apart from the above mentioned, practices like kissing, hugging and some intimate things are not appreciated, avoid such things when you are in public. Also in India avoid eating or touching the food with your left hand, people of some religion would not be comfortable with that, because in most of the parts of the Indian subcontinent it is believed that the left hand should only be used for the bodily hygiene, so the right hand indeed is the right option for eating food. In order to avoid any kind of uncomfortable situation, it is always advisable to do research on internet, enquire from your friends, colleagues about the practices and habits of the area you will be visiting.

One should never enter the pooja (prayer) room with your shoes on, this habit is in fact practiced  in most of the parts of India, hence whenever you are entering a temple  or a religious place, always remove your shoes. Also when you are visiting an Indian house, gifts should always be wrapped in the bright colors leaving black and white as these two colors are considered unlucky.

These things can be sensitive, so make sure that you do not hurt the sentiments of people unknowingly. Before visiting a particular region, take proper guidance or advice from the person who is familiar with that religion and region.

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