Namaste, is a traditional Indian way of greeting people that actually means, “I bow to you.” Namaste is a Sanskrit word associated with both Hindu religion and yoga. It is usually spoken with a slight bow and folding both the hands together. This gesture is widely used in the parts of the world where Indian religions are well built.
With pandemic disease “COVID-19” or as we commonly know, CoronaVirus, being recently the highlight of the news and a major concern worldwide, western culture of shaking hands seems to have lost its essence. This is because it is being noticed that Coronavirus is spreading rapidly all over the world wherein the cause of spreading is touching, shaking hands and coming in closer contact with the infected individual.
Considering the situation, Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu has invigorated Israelis to espouse the Indian form of greeting “Namaste” in order to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. COVID-19 has already been a global urgent concern due to which various preventive measures are being taken across the globe. It has been spreading to new areas crossing the death toll of 3000 from the virus.
| Total Corona Virus Cases | 1,45,931 |
| Deaths | 5,440 |
| Recovered | 72,553 |
Impact on the countries Shaking hands vs Namaste
| Countries | Greeting style | Close contact(Yes/No) | Total cases of COVID-19 |
| China | Handshake | Yes | 80,824 |
| Italy | Ciao – Handshake with smile | Yes | 17,660 |
| Iran | Kiss or shake hands/Salaam | Yes | 11,364 |
| South Korea | Shake hands/bow | Yes | 8,086 |
| Spain | Kiss on each cheek | Yes | 5,232 |
| Germany | Handshake/kiss – Guten Tag | Yes | 3,675 |
| USA | Handshake | Yes | 2,329 |
| Switzerland | Handshake | Yes | 1,139 |
| India | Namaste | No | 83 |
| Japan | A Bow/Handshake | Yes | 738 |
| Thailand | Wai(Namaste) | No | 75 |
| France | Kiss on each cheek | Yes | 3,661 |
With the above table, you can clearly identify the countries sharing closest contact with each other as their greeting style are majorly affected whereas, countries following Namaste are still in a better position.
China, being the highest affected and also the origin of this disease has the highest population across the world wherein, India is the second in population index. Despite being the second most populous country in the world, India has least affected cases of Corona. Hence, the Indian greeting style and Vedic forms are no less to find an alternative to prevent the disease from spreading. Who knows, India might invent or discover the cure for this disease. As of now, we can just take precautions and pray for the world as the “world is right now taking a break.”
Due to the fact that countries are isolating themselves from the rest of the world, the global economy has been paralysed. A sudden downfall in business and travel has been noted. Whereas online business sphere has ballooned with this isolation.
To keep a static flow at this point, online gaming and recreational activities have proven to be the best. While sitting at home, one can play poker games online to keep themselves involved in some innocuous activity as well as earning potential.
Don’t fret even if you don’t know how to play, you can always learn to play poker at numerous Indian poker sites that have dedicated learning modules.
Stay Safe!
