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There are taboos in India, like elsewhere in the world, which cause
extreme offence. This is a list of minor taboos which lead to an immediate
negative reaction in India. But none of these is likely to kill a relationship
completely, if it happens by accident. In India most people are very tolerant
of foreigners’ mistakes. The usual reaction is to laugh at the error,
forgive it, then move on. Because India has such enormous internal diversity,
it is impossible even for Indians to know the right thing to do every
time.
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(even newspaper) or even touching them with you feet. This is
because books are a metaphor for the Goddess of learning and it is believed
that insulting her would make you illiterate and unwise.
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It is a minor taboo to use the same hand for eating and also for taking
food from a common dish on the dining table. The reason is that Indians
believe other people’s saliva is unhygienic. Tasting and taking
a sip from others’ glasses (especially mixing men’s and
women’s) is regarded as violation of private space. In some households
it is normal to drink liquids from a glass without letting the glass
touch the lips. This is very common in the south, in Tamilnadu.
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While on a visit to a temple, men should look out for special rules.
In some temples tourists are not even allowed to walk into the most
holy areas with their shirts on!
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Asking which caste an Indian belongs to is regarded as uneducated unpleasant
behaviour.
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Vegetarianism is understood very differently in different parts of India.
If you are entertaining an Indian, remember that removing meat from
a dish does not make it vegetarian.
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