Two Leaflets from Dragoman About India

The Famous Head Wobble

The head wobble or Indian head shake refers to a common gesture found in South Asian cultures, most notably in India. This form of non-verbal communication is sometimes referred to as the Indian head shake or as travel journalist Stephan Wilkinson has described it, ‘a vague cock of the head’. The motion usually consists of a side to side tilting of the head in arcs along the coronal plane.

Technique: Indians do not nod yes and shake no. Try either one and they will stare at you baffled and draw their own conclusions about what you mean. This may stem from some aversion to committing too completely to any one course of action since all things are fated and one can never be sure of what one will do, or because it is never prudent to to make promises, or because a betray of eagerness is the worse way to begin negotiation. In any case the preferred gesture of assent – if that is indeed what it means – is the head wobble. Facing forward with you head in a relaxed position, tilt your head loosely from side to side as though it is wobbling on the topmost vertebrae of your spine with the springy motion of one of those sad looking dogs that that people fix to the dashboard of their cars.

Useage: Those the gesture is most often translated to mean yes, as if it exists in direct correlation to the nod, the wobble is layered with nuance, like a Twilight Zone’s devil ‘as you wish’ and the motion ranges in meaning from ‘’Right away, sir!’, to ‘I feel you pain, but honestly I can’t be bothered to help you’. The shades of meaning generally depend on the number of wobbles. For instance, five or six wobbles in either direction indicates servile humility, (perhaps concealing a significant hike in price), while a detached half wobble to the left, eye partly closed suggests near total indifference.

The Indian head wobble is a source of much confusion and wonderment amongst foreigners, especially the first time one is confronted with it. The confusion is made even worse when the wobble is silent. Without speech to give any clues to the message it’s supposed to convey, it’s easy to feel bewildered.

However, once you discover the meaning of the wobble and its many uses, what is really surprising is how infectious this gesture becomes. Anyone who has spent a considerable amount of time in India is likely to have caught themselves unconsciously wobbling their head. Even Indians who don’t normally wobble their heads very much will automatically do so in response to another head wobble.

So, what is the mysterious and often comical head wobble all about? In essence the non-verbal head wobble is the equivalent of that multipurpose and omnipresent Hindi word ‘accha’. It can mean anything from ‘good’ to ‘I understand’. The most common use of the head wobble is to respond in the affirmative. For example, if you ask someone if the train is going in your direction and they wobble their head in reply, it means ‘yes’.

The head wobble is also often used as a sign that what is being said is understood. For example, if you tell someone that you will meet them at a certain place at 5’oclock, and they wobble their head at you, it means that it’s fine and they will be there. 

Other situations where you are likely to encounter a head wobble include: as an alternative to ‘thank you’ which is not commonly said in India; or to acknowledge someone’s presence. This can be particularly uses if you see someone you know across the street but can’t shout out to them, or don’t want to take your life in your hands by crossing the street (that bit was added by me). 

Indiateresting Facts:

India is the world’s largest, oldest, continuous civilization.

India is the world’s largest democracy.

India never invaded any other country in the last 1000 years of history.

India invented the number system, zero was invented by Aryabhatta.

When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established the Indus Valley civilization.

There are 300 000 active mosques in India more than any other country including the Muslim world.

Sanskrit is the mother of all the European languages.

Chess was invented in India.

India is one of the few countries in the world that gained independence without violence.

India has the second largest pool of scientists and engineers in the world.

India is the largest English speaking country in the world.

India is the only country in the world other than the US or Japan to have built a super computer.

India has the largest number of post offices in the world.

The largest employer in the world is the Indian Railways, employing over a million people.

India was one of the world’s riches countries until the time of British rule in the early 1700’s.

Christopher Columbus, attracted by India’s wealth had come looking for a sea route to India when he discovered the Americas by mistake.

The Bailey Bridge is the highest bridge in the world. It was built by the Indian army in 1982.

The Vishnu Temple in the city of Thrupathi built in the 10^th century, is the world’s largest pilgrimage destination. Larger than either Rome or Mecca, an average of 30 000 visitors donate $6 million US to the temple everyday.

Varanasi also called Benaras, was called the ancient city when Lord Buddha visited it in 500 BC, and is the oldest, continuous inhabited city in the world today, (I thought that title belonged to Damascus).

Martial arts were first created in India and later spread to Asia by Buddhist missionaries.

Yoga has its origins in India and has existed for over 5000 years. 

The name India is derived from the River Indus, the valleys around which were the homes of the early settlers.

The Persian invaders converted it into Hindu.

Algebra, trigonometry and calculus are studies which originated in India.

The world’s highest cricket ground is in Chail, Himachal Pradesh, built in 1893 it is 2444 metres above sea level.

Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to mankind. The father of medicine Charaka consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago.

India exports software to 90 countries.

Jainism and Buddhism were founded in India in 600BC and 500BC respectively.

Islam is India’s and the world’s second largest religion.

Jews and Christians have lived continuously in India since 200BC and 52AD respectively.

Sikhism originated in the holy city of Amritsar in the Punjab. Famous for housing the Golden Temple the city was founded in 1577.