Indian Cultural Awareness

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Indian Culture Awareness Social Etiquette / Business Customs: Good social etiquette in India would be not to bring some things up in conversation, such as Pakistan. India and Pakistan’s relationship is not very good because of historical events. Also if you need to call someone over do not wage your finger at them with an upward palm, this is seen as an insult, instead you must have your palm facing down and make a scooping motion with your hand. Whistling and winking at someone is also rude because they are perceived as sexual. Most common business customs in India are to address your Indian colleagues by their status, ie: Professor, Mr., Mrs., and so on, but you must follow their status with their last name, not first. Presenting business cards during a meeting is a necessary part of doing business you should bring a sufficient amount because cards are exchanged even in non-business situations. Time / Punctuality / Greetings: Punctuality is greatly appreciated by the Indians but generally the Indians feel that the main objective is not time and that time will not make a difference in planning out activities so generally they will be casual (late) about the time they arrive. When planning a meeting it is advised to plan it 3 months in advance, if you are making the meeting while you are currently outside the country it is best to let your business associates know that you will only be in the country for a short period of time. You should also confirm your meeting a few days before the actual meeting. Normal office hours are 10:00a.m to 5:00p.m, unless you are in a large city, they tend to have longer working days which can start at 7:30a.m and end at 8:00p.m. When greeting you should shake hands with the men but it should be brief and light, when greeting woman you should only shake hands if the woman reaches out her hand first. If the woman is not to reach out
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