LONDON:
Kissing Indian women goodbye is out for young British businessmen and
professionals flying out to India to explore new job
opportunities.
And visitors
should be mindful of something that every Indian knows - their hosts are
terrible at timekeeping.
These
pointers to how to go about your business in India are part of etiquette classes
being offered by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) - the British
government's lead organisation supporting the promotion of bilateral trade,
business and investment.
The
classes, dubbed "cultural briefings", are part of an Insight India series and
are being held in London as part of the UKIBC's efforts to foster greater and
better understanding of Indian practices among young British professionals and
business people.
"Helping business
succeed in India is our priority and integral to doing business in India is an
understanding of its religions, politics and etiquette," said UKIBC CEO Sharon
Bamford.
According to the
British Council, there are already over 32,000 Britons who live in India and the
number is growing steadily.
The
etiquette lessons, taught by well-known culture experts, are aimed at giving
Britons an understanding of the different values and attitudes as well as
addressing stereotypes and
generalisations.
The
following are some key lessons from the UKIBC's "Indian business etiquette":
- Greet with a smile,
handshake and small talk
-
Saying 'Namaste' with a slight bow and palms together will be
appreciated
- With women, only
shake hands if they offer it. Do not kiss them in greeting or
goodbye
- Always address
colleagues with title followed by surname e.g. Mr Patel. Using a first name is
seen as being very familiar and
disrespectful
- Don't open
gifts until the giver has left the room. Don't seem too eager to open
gifts
- Indians are not always
punctual. So be patient and
flexible
- They may call on
weekends for discussing business. Don't be offended.