Pranaam

I found this suuuuper interesting and important for me to remember in the IDEX volunteer guide. As I shake hands so often in my own career, I will have to practice not taking a man's offer to handshake:

Especially in more traditional settings such as villages, the safest way to greet someone is to make pranaam, which involves folding your hands together in a prayer gesture in front of your chest (no bowing, as in some East and Southeast Asian countries). This is especially appropriate in greeting women of any age. The gesture of pranaam can be accompanied by the standard Indian greetings “namaste” or “namaskar”. This combination can be used to say hello and goodbye.

Women volunteers are encouraged to make pranaam to both women and men, as occasionally some Indian men use the Western tradition of handshaking as a way of making inappropriate physical contact with strange women. Refusing a man’s outstretched hand while making the pranaam gesture is not only appropriate but in some cases it will gain you considerable respect. Male volunteers, however, should feel comfortable in shaking hands with Indian men. Handshaking in India has become very popular in recent years and many Indian men prefer to shake hands as it reflects comfortabilty with modern/western codes of behavior.