namaste

Her hands still folded in a 'namaste' , Lakshmi, whose husband has been out of a job for the last five years, keeps gazing down the road even after Sonia's convoy is out of sight.

The customary greeting is to press one's palms together in front of the chest and say ‘ 'namaste' ’.

The standard greeting in Fiji Hindi is ‘ 'namaste' ’.

The old stationmaster greeted her with a 'namaste' and offered her a cup of tea.

Or the leader you have been watching all the while on the idiot box, with his trademark election smile and hands joined in a 'namaste' .

The waiter gives the usual response, ‘Namaste, 'namaste' ,’ his hands joined in silent prayer, his head bowed in traditional deference.

In India or Thailand, the preferred greeting is not the handshake, but the 'namaste' - hands with palms together under chin area (as if in prayer) with a slight bow of the head.

The 'namaste' gesture bespeaks our inner valuing of the sacredness of all.

He stands listening quietly to another music of his own world, shyly doing a 'namaste' or shaking hands and looking embarrassed if called upon to respond.