No hugs, No kisses, say Namaste

New Delhi, 16th March 2020 Namaste, the Indian way of greetings has gained momentum regardless of cultural geographies all across the world with coronavirus originating reportedly from the seafood market of China and making inroads into almost 100 countries on earth.

The very traditional Namaste, the cultural lifestyle of Indian ethos once often substituted by Western greetings like handshaking, hugging, kissing or as such has turned out to be a preventive measure in the wake of deadly Covid-19 outbreak which has been termed as a pandemic by World Health Organization (WHO).

With the entry of the concept of globalization in the early ’90s, western lifestyles began to eat into the Indian socio-cultural practices. Those protectors who came out with iron hands to defend the Indian cultural traditions and drive out western cultural attacks were often faced with strong opposition from within the country. Adding to that, those Indian intellectual votaries were often looked down and branded as a rustic, hackneyed and anti-progressive school of thoughts.

But on the sharp contrast note, people irrespective of their social settings all across are turning to the use of Namaste for the protection of their lives.  Now what seems to be ringing a bell all around is to distance yourself from the western greetings that are prone to the contagion of the virus.

Those sitting in the apex chairs of different countries like American president Donald Trump or Prince Charles from England in spite of themselves have come forward to vouch for the Namaste culture that hardly allows any physical contacts but is steeped in love and respect of the highest degree one can think of.

Until yesterday the top communication skills trainer Dr Birbal Jha, who has been making much of handshaking while training in social graces and Spoken English has taken to streets, asking people to shake it off and adopt the traditional Namaste culture that is gaining currency and social trends.

Now the noted author Dr Birbal Jha is on a mission of making people aware of how to ward off coronavirus as there is there no sure cure to it. Taking the lead on 7th of this month, Dr Birbal under the banner of British Lingua launched a novel way of campaign-Namaste March from East Delhi which witnessed youth clinging placards to their chests and putting their palms together onto their hearts. The march appeals to both national and international audiences to revert to or adopt the Indian culture of salutation.

A placard in their hands reads ‘no handshakes, say only Namaste, please whereas another says, ‘stick to the Indian culture of greetings, and beware of western meetings! Others include ‘no embracing, no infection, no hugs, no kisses and no contagion. Up with the Indian Culture! Down with the Corona Vulture! Such was a dozen of slogans giving the message to passersby on the busy road on the day.

“No handshaking is shaking a virus off. Moreover, the yogic Namaste, taken from Anjali Mudra of Pranamasana, meaning I bow to the divine in you is very preventive when it comes to dealing with a germ”, says Dr Birbal Jha, who also heads British Lingua, an institute of communication skills training of international repute.

“The exclamatory namaskar, a part of the Indian culture, has been in practice since the Rig Veda, one of the four Vedas, paving the way for cheerfulness and the wellbeing of mankind. Hence, this ‘Namaste March’ has a lot to offer to the world given physical contacts being medically disallowed and therefore being frowned at”, adds social entrepreneur Dr Jha.