Hin-dos and Hin-don'ts

The world of today is a global village. With the given statistics of outsourcing, growth of multi-national corporations and immigration, the white and the black and the brown and the yellow at the turn of the century, are becoming used to dwelling in a monochromatic harmony. And as this global economic market is feeling threats of cross-cultural and organizational issues every now and then, subjects like organizational behaviour and corporate communication are emerging as compulsory core courses in International business study programs. My husband happens to be a student at the Schulich school of business in Toronto and I recently came across an assignment that was due for his second semester core course submission. The "Team Case Analysis" describes the situation of Ellen More, an U.S. citizen, who encounters a number of problems while working on a project in Korea. While analyzing her situation, what emerges as the root of the problem, is a cliched yet serious   East vs. West interpersonal relationships issue. It appears that the conflict between the N. American and the Korean team members is a result of the differences in their perspectives on communication.  While Koreans are influenced by Confucianism and place emphasis on social relationships, collectivism and allegiance to a group, Americans are more inclined towards individualism. Although Ellen attended most of the after work parties to familiarize herself with the Korean team members, her lack of orientation with Korean culture hindered her ability to foster interpersonal relationships extending beyond the business transactions. At those gatherings she was always considered as a “foreigner” who adheres to the notion of self-reliant individual.

As Confucian philosophy tends to be more patriarchal, gender biases may also have played a role in Ellen’s lack of success with the team. In fact, many companies refuse to send women managers abroad because they believe that foreigners are so prejudiced against women that the female managers will not succeed (Alder, 1994). For Ellen, the stereotype of women and their abilities as leaders in Asia may have created significant roadblocks in leading and managing the project. 

        Over the few decades India has burgeoned into a global back office. She has been able to effectively meet the growing international demand for call center outsourcing services by providing cost-effective services and customer-oriented call centers. The voice and accent trainers at these centres train hundreds of young men and women to mimic accents and conversational mannerisms of the countries that they serve like America and Australia and give them new names; so Samrat becomes Sam and Nalini becomes Nelly to win the confidence of the Western client. With such new avenues opening up, many non residential Indians (expats) and foreigners are flocking to India to take up positions in the higher tiers. However trite or banal it may seem, it is worth the mention that the work culture in India can strike you like a bolt from the blue if you’re not prepared. Google it and you will find several films like Outsourced and Angrez that will give you the perfect picture. It is always better to stick to the major metropolitan cities like Calcutta, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi, and Chennai  as working in smaller towns and rural areas may prove to be frustrating not only because of power failures, substandard transportation and communication snags but also because of the cultural barriers that one is bound to experience.

           Having said this let me explain myself better. Given below, is the current distribution of Population by religious groups, as per Census 2001:

Of the total population of India in 2001, 80.5 per cent are Hindus while Muslims account for 13.4 percent and Christians 2.3 percent respectively of the total population. In absolute numbers, approximately 828 million are Hindus while Muslims are around 138 million out of India’s total population of approximately 1,029 million. Sikhs account for 1.9 per cent of the total population. The proportion of Buddhists, Jains and other religions are 0.8 per cent, 0.4 per cent and 0.6 per cent respectively. 

It is clear then that the unique demographics of India make it a cradle of millions if not billions of cultural practices, beliefs and attitudes. Hindus being majority of the population, India is often perceived as Hindu-sthan or the land of the Hindus, despite its multi-religious make. Meera Nanda, an author and a visiting fellow at the Jawaharlal Nehru University remarks that the middle-class Indians are becoming actively religious as they are becoming prosperous. The last decade has seen the proliferation of powerful new god-men, a massive rise in temple rituals, the creation of new gods, and the increased demand for priests. Hinduism has entered public life as well with politicians regularly using pujas and yajnas in their campaigning. She also notes that the state is enabling this Hinduization with the help of the private sector. From actively promoting religious tourism, to handing over higher education to private sector institutions, some of whom use religious trusts to run these institutions and impart ‘value-based’ education, to giving away land at highly subsidized rates to gurus and god-men, many of the privatization measures of the government are linked with the promotion of Hinduism.

I was born in a Hindu family and grew up studying the Old and the New Testaments, while educating myself at a Christian Missionary school, which was once home to Mother Teressa, internationally known as a humanitarian and advocate for the poor and helpless. Many of my Canadian neighbours express their surprise at this and I am often asked why I did not go to a school made for the Hindus, like many Muslims in our country go to the Madrasahs. And I always reply in the words of a great author:

No matter what community you take, if it has lived long enough in India it will bear the marks of that other-worldliness which has been the main feature of our spirit for fifty centuries. (Mukerji, Disillusioned India)

So, despite the occasional maliciousness and chaos of communal riots, we keep partaking in each others festivals, celebrations and cultures; and yes, we all go to missionary schools.

Now, this is not about how much harmony we live in. This is about the harmony that a foreigner would need, to make it in this land of baffling extremities. Having witnessed many cross-cultural queries and misunderstandings, I have taken it upon myself to write this article, to make certain things easier and more predictable. Here below is  an urban, Hindu, Bengali Indian woman's understanding of the traditions and ways of communicating with others in India, that will give a new comer quite a bit of ground to start taking his steps to a greater understanding of this part of South East Asia.

I call these observations, the Hin-dos and the Hin-don'ts!

Some Hin-dos at Office-

• Namaste- When greeting business colleagues it is polite for Indians to hold their hands together below the chin, nod or bow slightly, and say namaste. It is an old Hindu practice which was meant to be translated as the physical show of one's respect for the other, believing that there is a God inside all. So, it is much like a praying posture. With time this practice became secular. And in the 21st century India handshakes are also considered appropriate.                                                                      
• Love talking in our mother tongue- Well, Who doesn't. If you want to become a Roman quickly in this Rome, try infusing a few words of Hindi or some other local language into your speech. It exudes a semblance of brotherhood and gains you acceptance by your colleagues especially in places like Kolkata and Mumbai. In Kolkata, knowing and utilizing the concept of dada has its own benefits. Greeting an older man as Dada, is equivalent to calling him big brother, and people in Kolkata like it because it acts as a verbal display of respect. Similarly, you would address an older woman didi.

• Up close & personal- Don’t be too offended if your peer tries to get too personal. He is probably trying to make conversation and break the ice.The typical Indian is quite inquisitive. Most will not shy away from inquiring about your marital status, family, health, dogs, cats or even salary. Some will even offer unsolicited advice on your personal life. Be polite but firm. While you do not need to give away your entire biography, it is important for you to make these connections. Since most people here are family-oriented; so, inquire about your colleagues families would help you score their amiability.

• Siestas- The invention of time an author once said is a Western phenomenon. Here in the tame tame East, we seldom go wild with work. A Business Meeting beginning half an hour after the scheduled time is not uncommon. Indians appreciate punctuality but may not reciprocate it. It is advisable to make appointments at least one month in advance and confirm them when arriving in India. A flexible schedule will prove useful.And although arriving late is not encouraged, it is not punished either. My advice to a new comer will be to try to be tolerant of distorted time-schedules. Indians don’t believe in speed and can always conjure up a proverb or two to support this ancient practice. A proverb of the like in my mother tongue says: Shobure mewa phawle; meaning, patience brings about good results.

•  Yes Boss- Traditionally a caste society with roots in Hinduism, Indian culture places a high importance on authority and status. Communication between levels is relatively closed so valuable insight or suggestions from employees in lower positions will rarely be shared with their superiors. In traditional firms employees address their bosses as “Sir” or “Madam”. However, being on a first name basis with your boss is catching up. This trend began with the arrival of the Business Process Outsourcing & IT industries in India. Be observational about the work culture.   Within the system of hierarchy in the Indian work place, senior colleagues and especially elders are obeyed and respected. Discussions are almost always lead by the most senior person.Final decisions rest with the highest-ranking business executives, therefore it is important to maintain strong relationships with senior figures in Indian business. However, despite the distinguished hierarchical system, the relationship between an Indian boss and his employee can be similar to that of close relatives; often reminiscent of a relationship between father and son or older and younger brothers. This is a direct influence of the community life experienced for thousands of years in India and the ancient Hindu practices of Guru and Shishya (teacher and student) and Agraj and Anuj (elder and younger)                                                                
• Consider feet are unclean- Footsie or the action of touching someone else's feet with one's own (e.g. under a table) translates as flirtation in the West or often also as a surreptitious interaction or cooperation. Indians however consider the feet unclean; therefore you must never point your feet at a person or try communicating something by means of touching someone's feet with your own. If a situation occurs when you need to show a surreptitious interaction or cooperation, you may wink at your partner or silently nod your support. However, it should also be remembered that this pattern of non-verbal communication usually occurs between two men; as winking at a lady will be understood as a disrespectful action.

• Mr., Ms., Mrs.- Do use titles wherever possible, such as “Professor” or “Doctor”. If your Indian counterpart does not have a title, use “Mr”, “Mrs”, or “Miss”. Indians always consider this as a mark of respect.

•  Participate- Like in other Asian cultures, community eating and drinking is an important part of establishing relationships in India. Unless you are suffering from a gastrointestinal syndrome (stomach upset, ache, indigestion, acidity, etc) avoid refusing any food or drink offered to you during business meetings as this may cause offense. In addition, it is useful to bear in mind that traditionally, Hindu Indians are vegetarians and do not drink alcohol.

•  Fasts- That Hindu Indians have many Gods and Goddesses is a well known fact. What is lesser known is that there is a fast day dedicated to many of these Gods and Gddesses.
•  Monday                                                                                                                                  Monday is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is said that Lord Shiva is easily pleased. Therefore many people observe Upvaas (fasting)on Monday. Those devotees observing fast only eat food once. People visit Lord Shiva shrines and conduct pujas, especially, Ardhanarishwara puja. The mantra ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ is chanted continuously. Siva devotees also read Shiva Purana. Unmarried women observe the Vrat (votive fasting rites) to get good husbands. Others observe it for a happy and prosperous family life. 
•  Tuesday                                                                                                                                 Tuesday is dedicated to Lord Ganesha, Durga, Goddess Kali and Lord Hanuman. Most devotees visit Devi and Hanuman shrines. Those people who fast avoid taking food containing salt at night.
•  Wednesday                                                                                                                       Wednesday is dedicated to planet Mercury and Lord Vithal, an incarnation of Krishna. Green color leaves, especially Tulsi leaves, are used in Pujas. The day is highly auspicious for starting new ventures and it is believed that those who observe the Vrat are bound to get blessed with fortunes. People also give alms on the day 
• Thursday                                                                                                                              Thursday is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and his incarnations. Pujas are conducted using milk, ghee etc. Food is only eaten once and that too containing milk products. People read Srimad Bhagavad Purana on the day. 
• Friday                                                                                                                                         Friday is dedicated to Mother Goddess – Mahalakshmi, Santhosi Ma, Annapuraneshwari and Durga. Sweets are distributed on the day. Those devotees observing the Vrat make it a point to eat at night.
•  Saturday                                                                                                                                   Saturday is dedicated to alleviating the bad influence of Lord Shani. The Vrat on this day is mainly observed by those people who believe in Hindu astrology. Black is the color of the day and people visit Shani shrine or Navagraha shrines. Food is only consumed once on the day                                                                                                               
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  Then again, the days and the deities dedicated to the day vary according to the province, class and  castes of the people observing the rites. You can always ask your colleagues before arranging an office outing or after office gustatory venture, to confirm if they will be able to join.

So much for now, see you soon with more Hin-dos in Joyee Nation!!