| Scenario | Do This | Avoid This | |----------|---------|-------------| | Eating with hands | Use only your right hand (left is for hygiene purposes). | Reaching for a communal dish with your left hand. | | Finishing a meal | Leave a small amount on your plate to show you’re full. | Cleaning your plate completely (implies you’re still hungry). | | Offering food | Say “Thoda aur?” (a little more?) at least twice. | Taking the last piece without offering to others. | | Water | Accept only sealed bottled water unless in a trusted home. | Refusing water when offered in summer (it’s considered rude). |
| Person | Greeting | Gesture | |--------|----------|---------| | Elder or guru | Namaste (palms together) or touch their feet ( pranam ) | Slight bow | | Same age friend | Hello, Hi, or Kaisa hai? | Handshake or fist bump | | Professional contact | Namaste or formal handshake | Add “ji” after name as respect | | Auto-rickshaw driver | Namaste bhaiya (brother) | Nod + smile | desi web series uncut
| Festival | When (approx) | What happens | |----------|---------------|----------------| | Diwali | Oct–Nov | Crackers, sweets, gift-giving. Many businesses close for 3–5 days. | | Holi | March | Color throwing, water guns. Keep electronics safe. Don’t wear new clothes. | | Eid (Eid al-Fitr) | Variable | Sweet dishes, community feasts. Muslim-majority areas shut down. | | Durga Puja (Bengal) | Sept–Oct | 5 days of pandal-hopping. Kolkata becomes a non-stop carnival. | | Ganesh Chaturthi | Aug–Sept | Idol immersion processions block major roads in Mumbai & Pune. | | Scenario | Do This | Avoid This