Wobble, bobble!

My client team is about as multinational as you can imagine – Chinese, Indian, Malay, Dutch, English and American. And everyone gets along very well. But one cultural oddity really had me scratching my head for the first few days – the Indian head bobble.

For those who haven’t experienced it, this gesture is a side-to-side tilting of the head – which at first I took to mean “no” as per when a westerner shakes their head. But that meaning didn’t make sense in the context it was typically being used, when someone was listening to someone else speak. So I did a little research to confirm my suspicions…

The meaning of the bobble is myriad but is usually in response to another individual’s request or comment. It usually signifies an acknowledgment of something or a sign of enjoying something immensely (usually accompanied with a wide eyed look). Other meanings it could have include:

• “You’re welcome,” or “of course”
• “Goodbye”
• “I don’t know” or a shrug. Usually accompanied with hands turned up and a shoulder shrug.
• “Ok Ok”
• “I’m giving you the answer I think you want to hear”
• “I hear the words that are coming out of your mouth”
• “I really want the answer to be yes…”

In other words, it means all things to all men and is highly dependent on the context. Which means I’m bound never to understand…