IndianMaze

This is a unique feature of Asian (and particularly Indian) that what is communicated may not necessarily be what is meant. This becomes even more complicated when combined with the expressions and body movement. I have been utterly confused at times when the answer is yes but the head movement is from shoulder to shoulder which to my understanding depicts a no. Is it because of subconscious disagreement or is there another issue that is linked to more social issues? In any case, yes or no is also a function of the context of discussion. As is an old adage in Sanskrit मौन स्वीकृति लक्षणं (silence is an indicator of agreement). Is it a universally acceptable practice? Psychologists, NLP specialists, please decipher for my benefit!

This post originated from the news item that shares of one company were offered to employees of another which happened to be a customer. The whole idea of appropriateness or otherwise of behaviour is deeply rooted in the socio-cultural fabric of the society. Different cultures view gifts very differently. In many parts of Asia, it is perfectly all right to give/accept a gift that is more like a souvenir and is not measured by the cost/value of the gift. This is more pronounced in Middle East where it is a part of culture to offer gifts that are not "cheap". Is an offer of a merchant banker to a fancy dinner (with Chateau Margeaux, caviar et al) or invite to a 18 hole golf course in Scotland with best of malts, salmon, Grouse shooting, fishing et al different from offering a Mont Blanc or Waterman to a business associate? Where does the thin line vanish differentiating a gift from a bribe? As is said in Indian mythology that everything that you see is a result of the context t...

Sex, greed, dishonesty, lies,superstitions.........DEATH We got to talking of difficult situations arising out of children's' behaviour. My colleague, Panks, narrated a (horror) story. On accompanying his father to a family bereavement, this child asked as a matter of fact what happened. On getting an answer that grandpa's younger brother died, he shouted in the presence of the whole group "That's not right. Grandpa is older and should have been dead first." Normal outcome - shut the child by hook or crook (a spank here and there), shut the mouth with one hand, lift with another and evacuate faster than hurricane evacuation. On another occassion, I was chatting with my South African boss during a long journey in the serene mountainous drive through the Scottish Highlands and the discussion arrived at Indian culture and social behaviour. As usual, provoking is the name of the game in such scenarios. He got on to the journey of testing my limits of mental toler...