Surprised Looks and Nodding Heads

It is always interesting to know what amuses people. I am quite easily amused as you can see…and it seems that a lot of other people are like that too.

At work, we recently had what I what I consider the pleasure, of working with two guys from India. Luckily…they both had a great sense of humor and we were able to develop what I consider great friendships with them both which continue to this day even though one of them now has returned to India and the other I see infrequently.

So…when we were told that we were about to work with some more of these beautifully gentle, good natured and very funny people…we could not help but have a small laugh at the traits and cultural differences that had been such a source of jokes (mostly at their expense…but in a good way) that we had shared together.

If you have ever worked with our friends from the sub continent…you will have noticed that they tend to have a few things that we… “westerners”… think of as pretty funny.

Firstly…be prepared for the surprised looks…they come think and fast. A surprised look is basically the answer to almost any question you might choose to ask. “How are you today?”…answer…a surprised look….”What are you having for lunch?”…answer… a surprised look…”would you like sugar in you overly hot cup of coffee?”… answer..a surprised look….”Can you calculate the ratio of the gravitational pull created by the orbit of the moon in comparison with that of the other terrestrial planets and the nett effect on tidal movement during the equinox?”….answer..a surprised look.

I am told…although by wildly unreliable sources…that most educational institutions in India actually hold a course named “Surprised Looks 101” and that it is compulsory for anyone who intends pursuing any type of career in the IT industry.

I am also advised that there is a degree called… “Master of Clickery majoring in Surprised looks” I know it seems improbable…but somehow…after working with all these guys..I tend to believe it.

We had anticipated that we might get a lot of these surprised looks from our new arrivals…and so far …we have not been disappointed.

The other very obvious thing that we tend to notice is that to nod in the negative in most Indian dialects…in fact means “yes”. This tends to lead to quite a bit of confusion. Not just for us…but for them as well…you see…half way through a “No’ nod…that really means yes to them….the nodder… begins to realise that the noddee…(person observing the nod) will perceive the “yes’ nod as meaning a “no” nod …and will do a mid nod change of direction. This gives the casual observer the impression that the nodder is not actually nodding at all…but rather making very unnatural neck movements…….and giving every indication that the nodder has absolutely no idea whatsoever the content of any converstion he might find himself engaged in.

Just imagine Peter Sellers saying…”Goodness gracious me”…and you will get the exact idea of what I am talking about.

Sit three of these guys down next to each other…talk to them…ask them some questions….and I defy anyone to not be bombarded by childhood memories of stuffing balls into clowns mouths at Luna Park!

My god…to think..in this time of Global Warming and Carbon Footprints….with the energy exerted by a billion Indians nodding their collective heads…If we could only harness that energy and use it for goodness…instead of confusion…I am sure that we could power a smallish community for months on end!