Namaste - the best form of greeting ? !

Being a city-bred South Indian I've never used the term Namaste to greet anyone in my entire life. I've always felt it traditional and out of sync with the current gen X,Y,Z.

I didn't realise that this word would come haunting me when I started travelling. In the past three years almost every foreigner who meets me, says Namaste, in the course of our conversation once they realise I'm an Indian. I feel good that people know this great word and wondered why we dont use it more often.

Well! How much is it used now? I've never heard anyone use it in the corporate world . As far as I know it's still used in many parts of India to greet elders and show respect in the family or society. Recently, someone asked me to explain the importance of Namaste and whether it was used often. I hope I did a decent job of saying that India is a mix of the modern and the traditional, east and the west and etc.

That's one part of the story...

Now it's come up again in the context of the H1N1 scare. Many researchers have commented that Namaste seems to be the best form of greeting to avoid the spread of the virus. The other common form of greeting - the Handshake has been asked to be placed on the shelf atleast until the pandemic reduces. The European form of greeting is almost out of vogue now and governments of various countries are trying to ban the Peck. In fact Spain has gone legal with it as they greet strangers too with a peck on both cheeks (thats as traditional as u can get).

So why Namaste and what's it? A summary:

Namaste, Namaskar or Namaskaram simply means "I bow to you." When spoken to another person, it is commonly accompanied by a slight bow made with hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointed upwards, in front of the chest - The Anjali Mudra.

In the simplest of terms it is accepted as a humble greeting straight from the heart and reciprocated accordingly. Happy to meet and greet.

The whole action of namaste unfolds itself at three levels: mental, physical, and verbal.

Mental submission. It recognizes the equality of all, and pays honor to the sacredness of all.

Physical. Firstly the proper performance of namaste requires that we blend the five fingers of the left hand exactly with the fingers of the right hand. The five fingers of the left hand represent the five senses of karma, and those of the right hand the five organs of knowledge. Hence it signifies that our karma or action must be in harmony, and governed by rightful knowledge, prompting us to think and act correctly.

Verbal. The sonority of the sacred sound 'namaste' is believed to have a quasi-magical value, corresponding to a creative energy change. This transformation is that of aligning oneself in harmony with the vibration of the cosmos itself

Namaste is in essence equivalent to meditation, which is the language of our spirit in conversation with god, and the perfect vehicle for bathing us in the rivers of divine pleasure.

I'm totally humbled with this research and findings and hope to respect this form of greeting more and try to use it effectively.

Hope this summary inspires a few others too.

(detailed article on http://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/namaste/)

Burquini - C'est Quoi?

Wow what a word! It's hilarious and outrageous at the same time.

For those ignorant - The Burquini is a hybrid designed by Australian designer Ahead Zanetti. A cross between a burqa and the much smaller bikini, it's essentially pants with a long-sleeved A-line tunic (thigh or knee-length) complete with a head covering. Designed for muslim women. It's also very pleasing to the eye.

I question the designer's mental state and the customer's stability! On a serious note here are the pointers laid down for a Muslim Women's Dress code the Hijab:

1. Clothing must cover the entire body, only the hands and face may remain visible (According to some Fiqh Schools).
2. The material must not be so thin that one can see through it.
3. The clothing must hang loose so that the shape of the body is not apparent.
4. The female clothing must not resemble the man's clothing.
5. The design of the clothing must not resemble the clothing of the non-believing women.
6. The design must not consist of bold designs which attract attention.
7. Clothing should not be worn for the sole purpose of gaining reputation or increasing one's status in society.

Allah has stated in the Quran that women must guard their modesty. " Say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty ; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear thereof. " [Quran : 24.31]

This is what is proposed and followed by most Muslim women. So, I wonder Why Zanetti ever came up with the idea of a Burquini when the very word Bikini raises testerone levels in Men. The situation gets crazier with some women claiming to follow the religion actually sport this at beaches and swimming pools.

No wonder some countries who are trying to ban the Burqua completly based on "laicite" (secularim) and rights of individuals are confused whether Muslim women are in favour of this Ban or Not as some of them wear Burquinis AND Burquas! - Like the famous confused Sarkozy!

Poor confused souls I must say! I feel we should first decide on the ban of Burquinis and then talk of the burqua.

(Note: These are quotes from reputed newspapers and the Quran. I put it together purely as a thought and reflection! )

Our friendly Neighbourhood!

I'm talking of India and the friendly neighbourhood it finds itself in right now. It's extremely worrying and the sudden interest the US has had trying to turn Indian into an ally says it all!

Between the Taliban neighbour and the LTTE clashes India seems to be between the devil and the deep sea on quite the literal basis. One can't miss out on the Bangladeshi and Tibetian protests over some piece of land which belonged to them in 500 BC! None of the internal situations in each neighbouring country stops their folk from immigrating lock stock and barrel legal or illegally into India!

I always felt that the Indian govt. and the total Indian attitude to such situations has been kind of laid back. I've never seen an aggressive stance on any issue. It's either the dead bat approach or the cat which closed its eyes approach. This is a sure shot method to promote insurgency.

The situation is outright scary in the current scene of elections where the govt has turned selfish to gather votes rather than maintain some stability and security. You cant blame the govt officials as they might easily say its upto the army to maintain the security. But even the armed forces require some assertive leadership and their leadership looks to the govt for directions so its a confirmed mess.

One might wonder how all this affects NRIs. But I feel it affects them more as India is the anchor for them- the greatest source of stability and security. Any and every news about India is keenly followed and greatly magnified and thoroughly analysed. Patriotism is at its peak in all desi groups abroad and at its best. Overall the situation India faces, with its terrifying neighbours is more frightening than all these stories about recession and job losses!

When will India come out of this - Do unto others as you would like them to do unto you - peaceful approach?

This is SP expressing her deep set fears...

The Touch Wood Talismans!

The range of the Evil Eye extends beyond all boundaries and instills fear across cultures. "The Evil eye is a belief that the envy elicited by the good luck of fortunate people may result in their misfortune." - Wikipedia

This week I was invited to a beauty parlor opening ceremony where I observed new methods to ward of the evil eye. The owners were Syrians settled in Germany and finally moved to Belgium. I dont know which of these cultures influenced them to break wine bottles by hitting them against each other as a symbolic gesture to ward of the Evil eye! I've heard of clinking glasses but this was something new to me and obviously lots of fun especially when we all got very dirty with the wine and champagne flowing all over the place and spilling onto us. Later, all the close friends were also asked to break some more bottles. I understood that the more noise we made there were better chances to drive away the evil - whoever or whatever that was! This was followed by lots of singing and dancing and shouting and general masti.

Reminded me a lot about the Indian house warming ceremonies where we break tons of coconuts, invite friends and pray to Ganesha and do Vasthu Shanthi puja followed by Satyanaryana Vratam! Man that's a lot of work and sure shot means of getting dog tired! But it's considered a MUST to drive away the evil.

Some interesting and other common methods to ward off an evil eye are - Apotropaic Talismans - Greece, Nazar Talismans - Turkey, amulets, Blue concentric cirlces on the Hamsa Hand - Middle East, Cornicello in Italy, The fish of the Jews, The Arthi by the Indians, The Eye of Horus in Egypt, 'Mashallah' by the Muslims, and many more jewelry and trinkets, etc. The easiest way is to say Touch wood after you say something which might invite the evil eye!

These have been used over centuries and are followed religiously for all events and situations where its felt necessary to ward off an evil eye. It might sound illogical in this Modern scientific world and some of us may laugh it off by calling them traditional superstitions. However, the fact remains that 95% of the world still follows THESE very same rituals and traditions. (source Wiki).

Knock on wood my attempts to research and write continue...

Coup de grâce - EXIT mercifully?

In other words Mercy Killing or Euthenasia! I know this is an old and quite a sensitive topic. I'm not going to get into whether it's Right or Wrong.

I have a neighbour, a very old lady living alone, who suffers from time to time with various ailments. Yesterday the ambulances and the nurses were all over the place trying to strap her onto the stretcher, while she continued talking to me. She kept alternating between prayers and some delirium and said it would be better to die in a dignified manner. That got me thinking about the laws and I was shocked to discover that I'm living in a country which has many pro-Euthenasia laws. I must have read about it earlier but it has to hit you to make you realise it!

Some basic thought provoking facts:
- The term euthanasia comes from the Greek words "eu"-meaning good and "thanatos"-meaning death, which combined means “well-death” or "dying well".
For me, "Dying well" means being remembered with love by friends and family and having made that tiny little mark in the world.

- This term was very loosely used by the Nazis for their famous acts of Genocide. Wiping out a complete race may have effectively helped them find their way to Hell!

- Euthenasia can be Voluntary or Involuntary. It can be Passive, Non-Active or Active. It can also be in the form of 'Assited Suicide'.
Choose your style and move to a country that supports it. It's SIMPLE! What a choice!

- Most religions in the world support forms of Euthenasia mostly the Passive form. Some call it Charity, some call it God's Call. Some Samurai rituals are akin to the active euthenasia techinques.

Now who can really believe there's God if our scriptures say we shouldn't prolong life unnecessarily - hanging on by a bare thread is supposed to be Insulting as per most religions!!!

The Belgian law allows 'assisted suicide' form of euthenasia and it was the second country in the world to make euthenasia legal. Allow people to Live in Dignity and to Die in Dignity is the motto. Some people here actually believe that it allows them to sleep happily knowing that they have this CHOICE.

I don't know whether we are aiming at relieving the Body or the Soul in these contexts. It's a humbling thought to realize that Death is inevitable but accepting that it's the Cycle of Life makes it easier to live - I feel!

Today I heard from the hospital that the old lady is better and might come back home soon. Let's pray for her and may God help her with her choices...