Here is the Mystery, why the South Indians don't shake Hands and Rather greet with a Vanakkam

Whenever we visited any of our relatives or met an elderly relative, we were taught not to say Hello, but to greet with Namaste. I always wondered why we had to do that when all my friends said ‘Hello’ and shook hands. I believed shaking hands was the way to go till I learnt about the significance of Namaste!

Vanakkam– Tradition and spirituality :

Namaste, a Sanskrit word, is made up of two words namely Namas and Te. Namas means ‘to bow’ and Te means ‘to you’. Hence, Namaste means I bow to you out of respect.

When you say Namaste, you bring your hands together with the fingertips touching each other. Then, you slowly bring your hands towards the centre of the chest where Anahata chakra is located. This chakra is associated with love and compassion, which is known to act as a spiritual connection between God and our material self. 

Vanakkam– Logic and science:

The scientific reason for greeting with a Namaste is interesting — When we join our hands to greet someone, we exert pressure on the fingertips. The nerves (pressure points) in the fingertips are connected with nerve endings of the ears, the eyes and the part of the brain responsible for creating long-term memories. When we join our hands in Namaste, these pressure points are activated, which in turn helps us remember the name, face and other details about the person we greet. 

Bringing your hands close to Anahata chakra activates the chakra, which in turn transmits positive energy to the person you are greeting. Also, Namaste forms an important part of various yoga mudras like vrikshasana(or ‘the tree pose’) and virabhadrasana  (or ‘the warrior pose’) as the chakras are balanced through various asanas. 

How to do it the right way?

Here is the right way to greet with Vanakkam

• Stand straight; bring both the hands close to each other by bending your elbows.
• Now, join both the hands at the palms with your fingertips touching each other and thumbs slightly apart.
• Slowly bring the hands near your chest.
• Bend slightly your head when you say ‘Vanakkam'.

Handshake Vs Vanakkam:

Many of us carry hand sanitisers, remember to wash our hands in the washroom and take a shower every day. But, when it comes to shaking hands, why don’t we stop to consider where those hands might have been? I have been subjected to a wet handshake (the one where a person just washed), sticky handshake (ever met a 5-year old), ‘oops my hand’s are icky’ handshake, but never ever cringed at the idea of a Namaste. It’s time to bring back the cool in the desi and forget about clammy hands and yucky fingers!

So what’s your style of greeting – A handshake or a Namaste? Please tell us what you think in the comments section.