Perhaps the most notable form of non-verbal communication in India is the Indian head bob. Not a nod of affirmation, not a shake of disagreement, but a motion somewhere in between. And what does it mean? It depends. The head bob can mean a number of different things, so it can cause a great deal of confusion for foreigners travelling to India for the first time (hence the huge number of travel posts devoted to answering the question, “What the heck is all this bobbling about?”). The meaning of the bob is often situational. Sometimes the bob can mean, “No,” while other times it is a silent, “Yes.” From my experience in India, the head bob is most often used in a positive manner. Generally, it is a non-verbal expression of “accha” (good) or “teekay” (ok), two words heard again and again in India. It can mean, “I understand,” or, “I’m listening.” It can be used as an alternative to saying, “Thank you,” which is not a very common expression in India. A rickshaw driver is much more likely to bob his head upon receipt of payment than to say thank you. It can be used as a gesture of kindness or acknowledgement, as when passing someone on the street or sitting next to someone on a train or bus.
I found the head bob to be irritating or confusing when it was the response I received when asking a yes or no question, especially for the first few weeks I was there. Do you mean yes, or do you mean no? After awhile though, it became hardly noticeable. And of course, a couple months in, there came a day when my friend caught me doing the head bob, without my even being conscious of it. Being surrounded by the gesture at all times was contagious! So, for the next two months I was there, I was being a bobble-head like everyone else. The habit wore off pretty quickly when I returned to the US, but not before evoking a few laughs from my friends. The bobble is an interesting, rather non-committal form of verbal communication specific to Indian culture.
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