Namaste here to stay?

At such times, a hello is too informal and hence namaste works. Also in video calls, only upper torso is visible.

HYDERABAD: Is the era of handshake over? Khyati Bhatt, body language consultant and founder of Simple Body Talk, a company that focusses on building a niche in non-verbal communication, says, “Given formal meetings are now being done online, namaste is a great boon. Video calls are going to remain the new effective way of meeting even business partners for the first time.

At such times, a hello is too informal and hence namaste works. Also in video calls, only upper torso is visible. So the namaste form of greeting would be visible. So why does she think it works? “”Hands close to heart, bowing down to show respect for each other.

We bring our torso close to the counterpart showing we trust them. Even head bowing down is a great way of showing I trust you. Namaste is a little distant, and rapport building cannot be as effective as handshakes where touch helps release feel good chemicals in body,” she adds. 

For those of us who also understand our meeting counterparts by the feel of the handshake and hence know what needs to be done to build better rapport would now need to start decoding same messages through the various types of namaste being done. However, before that foreigners need to be taught how to do the namaste well, she says.  

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