Indian head bobble gif

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Besides the heterogeneous nature of being an "Indian", the wobble is just agreement. The person who's wobbling their head is agreeing to what is being said. It's mostly a "Go ahead and say what you want, I'll do what I want to do after you're done". I didn't grow up in India, so I can see it for what it is, but I am Indian, so the subtleties are visible to me. Take all of this with a huge grain of salt. That's roughly how I'd interpreted it from interacting with colleagues, an acknowledgement. Yeah, it's definitely not an agreement.

Indian head bobble gif

In Thanjavur city, in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, street markets are flooded with a particular type of bobblehead toy. The brightly painted clay bommai, usually the figure of a classical dancer or an old couple as a set, comes in two parts: the full body and the head that sits loosely on a small hinge extending up from the neck. A slight tap on the head, or even a vigorous breeze, can set off the head shaking from side to side in an almost circular fashion. This is the closest imitation of the unique Indian gesture that often leaves visitors to the country flummoxed. One thing all travellers to India talk about — apart from the dreaded Delhi Belly, of course — is the great Indian head nod. The great nod is also called the Indian head wobble, bobble, waggle or the headshake. There are pages of writing devoted to it on the internet, not to mention demonstration videos, to demystify it for the traveller. A casual search on YouTube throws up dozens of enthusiasts — both Indians and foreigners — attempting to explain the Indian head nod. A few years ago, one such video even went viral , attracting more than a million views in just a week. Does it mean a clear yes? Is that a kind no? A maybe? A sign of uncertainty? Annoyance perhaps?

It is somewhat like an infinity sign, or a numeral eight lying down. People talk about American accent, but a Texan, a Californian and a New Yorker just to pick 3 of many examples will sound very distinct. My colleague a Kerala native begs to indian head bobble gif :.

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Foreigners have time and again wondered why Indians often bob their heads while conversing. Although the nod is as common as a cold in India, no one really knows why Desis have a tendency to express their words with a head movement. People from other countries often make fun of the Indian head bobble. Most people believe that the head wobble was first noticed in the South Indian dance form Bharatnatyam. The Parivahitam head movement is a basic move of the dance form where the dancer continuously brings their head from one side to the other. This could explain why the head nod is more prominent in the southern parts of the country and fades out significantly further north. Wikimedia Commons. Back in , scientist Charles Darvis explained in his research paper that nodding is a non-verbal form of communication. For most Indians, the nod is the perfect way to express their emotions without actually saying anything in black or white.

Indian head bobble gif

The peculiar Indian head shake, wobble, or bobble is the source of much confusion and wonderment among foreigners, especially the first time one is confronted with it. It looks like a cross between a nod and shake, but does it mean "yes"? Or, does it mean "no"? Or, even "maybe"? The confusion is increased when the gesture is silent. However, once you discover the meaning of the head wobble and its many uses, what's really surprising is how infectious this gesture becomes. Anyone who's 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. A lot of the time, they don't even realize they're doing it! So, what's the mysterious head wobble all about?

Deleterious synonym

If you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc. Gigablah on July 24, root parent next [—] My colleague a Kerala native begs to differ :. Not a yes or no just a periodic acknowledgement that they are following what you are saying as you say it. Unless you purchase the Rush Design AddOn option, you should expect to have the final product delivered in approximately weeks for a Standard Order and weeks for a Rush Order. Do people writing about India in the west even know that there is an entire part of the country where people look more "East Asian" than "Indian"? It's an interesting phenomenon which is spread widely enough in India and throughout the Indian diaspora that you can call it that. Just FYI - India is not a homogenous society. Additional Picture. Add to cart. It means 'I am willing to talk to you and even agree with you if you play nice, but at the same time I am looking at you, inspecting you and trying to understand where this is going'. Besides the heterogeneous nature of being an "Indian", the wobble is just agreement. Availability: In Stock. Add to cart View.

The head bobble , head wobble , or Indian head shake refers to a common gesture found in South Asian cultures, most notably in India. The motion usually consists of a side-to-side tilting of the head in arcs along the coronal plane. In India, a head bobble can have a variety of different meanings.

See available personalization Addon options. In these cases, this vague movement comes through as the perfect compromise, allowing the viewer to interpret what they want, while leaving wriggle room for the speaker. By Charukesi Ramadurai 23rd July Our products are sold all over the world and have been featured in Magazines and TV. Geninuely curious, where in India this is pretty common? Margot Bigg, a British-American travel writer who lived in India for more than five years and has written guidebooks on the country, is of the opinion that different types of head nods mean different things. Left View. In my own experience, the faster the shake, the more enthusiastic the agreement — especially when used with raised eyebrows for added emphasis. If you have to be that specific, perhaps the employee picked it up elsewhere? People talk about American accent, but a Texan, a Californian and a New Yorker just to pick 3 of many examples will sound very distinct. There are hundreds of British or Chinese, Japanese etc accents. Trying to write up a black and white interpretation of such things is no more effective than it would be if the article was reversed, trying to tell people in India what it means when Americans move their eyebrows. Pradeep Chakravarthy, a writer from Chennai and a corporate behaviour consultant, says that this gesture is the Indian way of both dealing with grey areas and leaving the door open in all major and minor relationships.