Blended Solutions

India: Communication Styles

Polite and friendly. Indianstendtobeverypolite.Theywillalwaystreata Aperian Global
guestwithcourteousness.Foreignersshouldexercisethesametypeofcourtesy. blends web tools
Ifyouloseyourtemper,forexample,youarealsolikelytolosesomedegreeof and services to
authorityandrespect. help our
customers
WheninvitedtoanIndianhome,youarelikelytobeaskedanumberof succeed globally.
questionsaboutyourself.Itisexpectedthatyouwillshowthesameinterestin Visit our website
yourIndianhostsbyaskingabouttheirfamilies,theirinterestsandhobbies,etc. below to learn
Meetingswillusuallybeginwithsocialbanterbeforeeventuallygettingaround more about our
tothebusinessathand. five practice areas:

See Also: Hospitality | VisitingaHome Global

Leadership
High-context communication. CommunicationinIndiaishigh-context, Global Innovation
meaningagreatdealofcontextualinformationisknownaboutthepeoplewith Global Teams
whomyouinteractanddobusiness.Becauseoftheculture'semphasison Global Diversity
long-termrelationships,itisassumedthatthereisasharedunderstanding Global Learning
betweenmembersofagroup.Thus,thereislittleneedtorepeatinformationthat
hasbeenbuiltupovertime.Itisimportanttopayattentiontonon-verbalclues,
asIndianswillnotusuallystatewhatisconsideredobvious. Global Teams
See Also: Long-TermPartnerships
Indirectness. InIndia,directstatementsarerare.AnIndianwillmostoften If you are working
tellyouwhatyouwanttohear.Avoidingthetruthinthiswayisnotseenasbeing in virtual teams,
offensive.Thetendencytotalkaroundanissuewithoutansweringdirectlyis youll want to
especiallytrueifanIndianwouldhavetosay"no"inresponsetoaquestion. check out
Aperian's Global
Theword"no"hasanegativemeaninginIndia.Asaresult,itispossiblethat Teams Online
Indianswillagreetoarequestthattheydon'tintendtohonor.Ortheymay (GTO) web tool.
answerintheaffirmativebutbedeliberatelyvagueaboutanyspecific Please contact us
commitment.Thus,youareforcedtolookforother,nonverbalcues,suchasa for more
reluctancetocommittoanactualtimeforameeting.Youmightalsoconsider information.
whethertheaffirmativeanswerisbeingsaidwithenthusiasmorwithcaution.

See Also: BeingTooConcise | ReadingbetweentheLines | Polite&Courteous Contact Us

KeyPoints: Aperian Global

Indiansplacegreatvalueonpolitenessandbeingcourteous
U.S.
Meetingswillusuallybeginwithsocialbanter +1.415.321.7900
Indiancommunicationstyletendstobehigh-context,relyingheavilyon
theenvironmentandnon-verbalcuestogetthemessageacross Denmark
+45.35.37.30.59
AnIndianwillmostoftentellyouwhatyouwanttohear;avoidingthe
truthinthiswayisnotseenasbeingoffensive France
Theword"no"hasanegativemeaninginIndia;theymayagreetoa +33.1.44.17.18.56
requestthattheydon'tintendtohonororjustanswerintheaffirmative webtools
butbedeliberatelyvagueaboutanyspecificcommitment @aperianglobal.com
www.aperianglobal.com

India: Establishing Credibility

Becauseoftheemphasisongroupinterdependenceandlong-termrelationships,
muchbusinessinIndiaisdoneonapersonalbasis.Itisimportanttobuildtrust
withpotentialbusinesspartnersandtocultivatearelationship.Ifpeoplehaven't
beenconvincedthatyouarereliableandtrustworthy,theyarenotlikelytobe
inclinedtodobusinesswithyou.
Introductions. InIndia,credibilityisgenerallyestablishedbyexploring
mutualacquaintancesandconnections.Ifpossible,initialintroductionsshouldbe
madebypeoplewiththesamestatusasyourselforhigher.Ifanintroducercan
vouchforyourcharacter,thenthereisreasontotakeyouseriously.Relationships
inIndiacanbeestablishedquitequicklyifgenuineinterestandmutual
advantagesaremaintained.

Formalintroductionswillmostoftenincludeeverydegreeapersonhasearned.
Wheresuchalistingofcertificatesandeducationaldegreesmightseem
pretentioustopeoplefromothercultures,degreesearnrespectandstatusfor
theirownersinanIndiansetting.ForeignbusinesspeopleworkinginIndiamight
alsoputtheireducationalcredentialsonabusinesscard,includingthenameofa
prestigiouscollegeoruniversityifpossible.

See Also: ConversationTopics | Hierarchy | BusinessCards

Long-term commitment. Whenaforeignmanagercomesintoacompany,
oftenpeoplewillfeelthatthispersonhasonlyashort-termcommitment.Ifthis
person'sstyleandpolicyrepresentonlyatemporarychange,thenpeopleoften
seenoreasontoinvestthemselves.Thesuccessfulforeignmanagerwill
communicatetotheIndianstaffthatthereisalong-termorganizational
commitmenttoanypolicychanges,inordertogetfullcooperationand
implementation.

See Also: FormingDeeperRelationships

Social networks. InIndia,peopleknowoneanotherthroughalargenetwork
ofrelationshipsincludingtheextendedfamily,differentlevelsofschooland
college,andothercommunityties.Businessrelationshipsbothaddtothis
networkandarebuiltuponit.Foreignerscanenterintothissocietybybeing
genuinelyinterestedingettingtoknowtheirIndiancolleagues.Indiansgenerally
donotseparatehomelifefrombusinessorprofessionallife.

See Also: Collectivism&Family

Hiring a local representative. Makinginitialcontactwithprospective

businesspartnerscanbedonedirectly,butitisoftenadvantageoustobe
introducedorreferredbyathirdparty. Itisalsopossibletoretainalocalagent
torepresentyouinIndia,whohasestablishedrelationshipsandcontactsand
whounderstandsthelocalsystemandregulations. IfyoudohireanIndian
representative,checkreferencescarefullytobesureyouarehiringareputable
andsuccessfulindividualtohelpdevelopcriticalpartnerships.

See Also: Recruiting&Hiring

KeyPoints:
InIndia,credibilityisestablishedbyexploringmutualacquaintancesand
connections.
ThesuccessfulforeignmanagerwillcommunicatetotheIndianstaffa
long-termorganizationalcommitmentinordertogetfullcooperationand
implementation
High-statusintroductionscanhelpestablishyourcredibility
Indiansdonotgenerallyseparatehomelifefrombusinessorprofessional
life
Makinginitialcontactwithprospectivebusinesspartnerscanbedone
directly,butitisoftenadvantageoustobeintroducedorreferredbyathird
party
IfyoudohireanIndianrepresentative,checkreferencescarefully

India: Obtaining Information

India'sisahigh-contextculture:peoplearemorelikelytoshareinformationif
theyunderstandthereasonitisbeingrequestedandhowitisgoingtobeused.
Providingmorecontextisoftenaveryeffectivewaytogainpeople'sinputand
perspective.Othermethodsinclude:

Discussingandrethinkingissuesamongcolleaguesinformally
Discussinganissuefromvariousperspectivestodeterminethemeritsof
onecourseofactionoveranother
Inquiringandbeingcuriousaboutwhatproblemscouldpossiblyarise-an
effectivewaytogetadvancedwarningthataprojectdeadlinemaybein
danger.

See Also: Indirectness

Secret and sensitive information. Secretinformationrarelyremainssofor

longinIndiansettings. Peoplefrequentlyexchangeinformationanddiscussthe
problemsandissuesassociatedwiththeinformation.MostIndiansarevery
closelynetworkedviafamilyconnections,businessinteractions,schoolties,
neighborhoodgatherings,andotherassociations,anditiscustomarytoengagein
givingandreceivinginformationamongallthesegroups. Trytomaintain
informalrelationshipsinmanydifferentwaystostayintheinformationloop.

See Also: Humility

Information from outside contacts. Gatheringmoresensitiveinformation-

suchaslearningaboutaperson'scharacteroraboutthereputationofasupplier
-iseasilymanagedbystayingincontactwithcolleaguesatothercompaniesand
governmentagencies.InIndia,peopleoftendofavorsforoneanother,andin
returnexpecthelpwhentheyneedit. Businesspeoplewhomeetoneanotherin
thesamesocialcirclesorbelongtothesamebusinessorganizationswilleasily
andwillinglyexchangeinformationandexperiencesoverlunchesanddinners.

See Also: Payments/Bribery | BusinessEntertaining

Information sharing between levels. Betweenpeopleondifferentlevelsof

theorganizationinformationwillbeshared,butonlyindirectly.Fromanearly
age,peoplearetaughttorespectpersonsofageandauthority,andaformal
politedistanceisusuallymaintained.Scenariosmayariseinwhichajunior
personwouldliketopassonsomeinformationbutisunsurehowtobridgethe
gapofposition.Ifgiventheproperopportunityandtherightsetting,junior
peoplewilloftensharewhattheyknow.

See Also: Hierarchy

KeyPoints:
ToobtaininformationinIndia,alwaysprovidecontext:Discussamong
colleaguesinformallyandfromvariousperspectives;inquireandshow
curiousityabouttheproblemsthatcouldpossiblyariseiftheysharecertain
informationwithyou
SecretinformationrarelyremainssoforlonginIndiansettings:maintain
informalrelationshipswithallrankstostayintheinformationloop
Businesspeopleinthesamesocialcircleswillgenerallybewillingto
exchangeinformationandexperiencesoverlunchesanddinners
Ifgiventheproperopportunityandtherightsetting,juniorpeoplewill
oftensharewhattheyknow

India: Persuading Others

Appealing to traditional values. Topersuadeothersofthevalueofanew
position,trytoappealtothetraditionalvaluesofIndiainsomeway,whetherin
religious,social,orhistoricalcontext.Indianadvertisersoftenusesuchallusions
intheirpackagingorbillboardpublicity.Ofcourseyoumustbecarefulnotto
appealtoonegroupattheexpenseofalienatinganother.However, certain
valuesaresharedacrossreligiousandpoliticallines,including:

Importanceofcaringforelderlyfamilymembers
Beliefinthelawofkarma(seebelow),respectforreligiousfestivalsand
holidaysofwhateverreligioustradition
CommitmenttotheIndianvalueofdemocracy.

See Also: Spirituality

Addressing issues face-to-face. Speakingwithpeopleface-to-faceisoneof

thebestwaystouncovertheunderlyingproblemsandobjections.Mostoften,
objectionswillnotberaisedinaformalgroupsettingbecausesuchbehavior
wouldbeconsideredimpolite.Butifyoucandrawouttheproblemsandmediate
thedifferencesoutsidethepublicpresentation,youwillbeinamuchbetter
positiontosucceed.

See Also: NegotiationStyle

Offering a bargain. Thisisanotherveryacceptablewaytopersuadepeopleto
supportyourpointofview. Offeradealinwhicheachpartygivesalittleand
gainsalittle.Ifthenegotiatingcanbecontinuedinaseriousbutfriendlyway,
youwilloftenbesuccessful.
 See Also: Bargaining

Addressing the long term. IntheIndiancontext,themostpersuasive

argumentswillbebasedonlong-termself-interestratherthanshort-termgain.
FromIndianphilosophicalschoolstothestreetsmartsorkioskvendors,thereis
anemphasisonlong-termgoalssuchas:

Savingforadaughter'swedding
Savingmoneybytravelingbyscooterratherthanbuyingacar
Bargainingwithhalfaneyetothegoodofthecustomerinordertobuilda
reciprocalrelationshipforthefutureratherthanaquicksaleinthe
present.

See Also: Long-TermCommitment

The law of karma, acoreelementofthegeneralIndianworldview,creates

theawarenessthatpresentactionsinevitablygenerateconsequencesforthe
future,whetherinthislifetimeoranother.Thismakesitimpossibletoignore
thefuturecompletely.

Long-term partnerships. ItmakesgoodsenseinIndiatoestablish

long-termpartnershipswithsuppliers,customers,andcolleagues.The
assurancethatabusinessrelationshipwillreachintothefutureisoneofthe
mostsignificantelementsdeterminingcooperationandhardworkinthepresent.
Ifyourcompanyplansalong-termpresenceinIndia,itwillhavegreatereasein
establishingitselfintheIndianmarket.

See Also: SocialNetwork

KeyPoints:
Speakingwithpeopleface-to-faceisoneofthebestwaystopersuadeand
uncovertheunderlyingproblemsandobjections
Offeradealinwhicheachpartygivesalittleandgainsalittle
Themostpersuasiveargumentswillbebasedonlong-termself-interest
ratherthanshort-termgain
Rememberthatthelawofkarmacreatestheawarenessthatpresent
actionsinevitablygenerateconsequencesforthefuture,whetherinthis
lifetimeoranother
Establishlong-termpartnershipswithsuppliers,customers,andcolleagues

India: Presenting Ideas

Oneofthemostimportantelementstorememberwhenpresentingnewideasto
abusinessaudienceinIndiaisto respectyourlisteners'expertiseand
experience-perceivedarrogancecreatesanextremelynegativeimpressionand
interfereswithopennesstowardnewideas.

See Also: Humility

Using statistics. Asageneralrule,Indiansofallgenerationsappreciatethe

useofwell-preparedvisualssuchascharts,graphs,andmaps.Supplementinga
proposalorpresentationwithstatisticsthatsupportaparticularactionisan
excellentwaytogetpeople'sattentionandapproval.However,youshouldbe
readytoexplainanddefendyourstatistics-youmaybequestionedaboutthem.

Language sensitivities. AlthoughbusinessmeetingswithWesternersinIndia

willusuallybeconductedinEnglish, beawarethatIndiaisacountrywithmany
recognizedregionallanguagesandhundredsofdialects.Languageisanissue
thatcarriesmuchpoliticalandculturalsensitivity.

Regionallanguagesareasourceofprideinmanyareas,andfornon-Hindi
speakerstheimpositionofthemajornorth-Indianlanguage,Hindi,onallof
Indiaasoneofthetwonationallanguages(theotherisEnglish)isavery
sensitiveissue.Bearthisinmind,anddonotattempttogainfavorbypeppering
yourdiscoursewithHindiexpressionsunlessyouaresureofyouraudience's
attitudetowardthatlanguage.
 See Also: Language

KeyPoints:
Respectyourlisteners'expertiseandexperience-perceivedarrogance
createsanextremelynegativeimpression
Indiansofallgenerationsappreciatetheuseofwell-preparedvisualssuch
ascharts,graphs,andmaps
BeawarethatIndiaisacountrywithmanyrecognizedregionallanguages
andhundredsofdialects
Theimpositionofthemajornorth-Indianlanguage,Hindi,onallofIndiaas
oneofthetwonationallanguages(theotherisEnglish)isaverysensitive
issue

India: Managing Meetings

Status. MeetingsthatincludeIndiansfromdifferentlevelsofhierarchywillbe
runquiteformally.Seatingarrangementsandformalintroductionswillreflectthe
statusandpositionofthoseattending.Thosewithmorestatusareexpectedto
speakfirstandmostforcefully.Thosewithlessstatuswillgenerallynot
disagreewiththeirsuperiorsinapublicforum,regardlessofwhattheymaythink.

See Also: SocialHierarchy

Formal vs. informal. MeetingswithIndiancustomersandsupplierstendto

beformalaffairs,withpeoplebeingrecognizedandhonoredfortheirtitles,
educationaldegrees,awards,andanyotherdesignationsofstatus.Statuswill
alwaysbeacknowledgedinformalintroductions,seatingarrangements,orderof
speakers,andwhodeferstowhom.Whileformalmeetingsaresometimesused
aswaystodemonstraterespectforhonoredguests,realbusinessisusuallydone
outsideofformalmeetings.

Inmoreinformalorinternalmeetings,Indianstypicallygreeteachotherupon
arrivalandaseatattheheadofthetablewillbereservedforthemostsenior
person.Thereareunlikelytobemanymeetingsbetweenindividualsof
significantlydifferentrankorstatus.Beyondthis,however,thereareno
significantritualsorexcessiveformalities.

View of time. Also,thelongerviewoftimeinIndiameansthatIndiansare

unlikelytobeworriedaboutthelengthofameeting.Thereisnotlikelytobea
strictadherencetoanagendanorasenseofurgencytocometoadecision.

See Also: Punctuality

Using English. Meetingswithforeignersarealmostalwaysconductedin

English,thede-factolinguafrancaofIndia.However,ifeveryoneinasmallunit
speaksacommonlanguage,peoplemayspeaktheirownlanguagefor
day-to-dayactivities.

See Also: Language

Expressing disagreement. Overtlydisagreeingwithcolleaguesorsuperiorsin
apublicmeetingisconsideredimpoliteinIndia. Besensitivetosubtlesignsof
disagreement,andlearntophraseyourownviewsinthesamediplomatic
terms.Donotassumethatpolitenodsandsuperficialwordsofassentindicate
realagreement.Onlywhenparticipantsenthusiasticallystatetheiragreementin
theirownwordscantheybeassumedtoagree.

See Also: ExpressionofEmotion

Serving refreshments. Refreshmentsarealmostalwaysservedatmeetings

asawaytoshowrespectforguests.Usuallytheserefreshmentsconsistof
coffee,tea,softdrinks,andcookies(called"biscuits").AnIndianhostwhodoes
notofferrefreshmentsisconsideredrude,andperhapsismakingastatement
thattheguestisnotreallywelcome.

KeyPoints:
MeetingsthatincludeIndiansfromdifferentlevelsofhierarchywillbemore
formalthanthoseamongpeers
Seatingarrangementsandformalintroductionswillreflectthestatusand
 Seatingarrangementsandformalintroductionswillreflectthestatusand
positionofthoseattending;thosewithmorestatusareexpectedtospeak
first
MeetingswithIndiancustomersandsupplierstendtobeformalaffairs;
realbusinessisusuallydoneoutsideofformalmeetings
Thereisnotlikelytobeastrictadherencetoanagendanorasenseof
urgencytocometoadecision
MeetingswithforeignersarealmostalwaysconductedinEnglish
Besensitivetosubtlesignsofdisagreement,andlearntophraseyourown
viewsinthesamediplomaticterms
Refreshmentsarealmostalwaysservedatmeetingsasawaytoshow
respectforguests

India: Virtual Communication

Telephone. Inthisrelationship-orientedculture,peoplearemorelikelyto
prefertocommunicatethroughphoneconversationsorstoppingbysomeone's
deskthansendingane-mail.Remember,thismeansthatthereisnotalwaysan
e-mailchainordocumentationofadiscussionordecision.

Conference calls. Conversationscangetveryanimatedandpeoplemaytalk

overeachother,whichisdifficultforthosedialing-inremotelyforthemeeting.
Setagroundrulethatallparticipantsmustidentifythemselvesbeforespeaking
toincreaseproductivityandclarity.Thismayneedtobereinforcedbytheteam
leader.

Forbrainstormingsessionsitisparticularlyimportanttoinformteammembers
ofthetopicsaheadoftime,sothattheycanhavetimetothinkaboutitand
comepreparedtothemeetingratherthanbeaskedtocomeupwithideasonthe
spot.

See Also: ManagingMeetings

Time difference. Asonmanyglobalteams,thetimedifferencebetweenIndian

membersandtheircounterpartsacrosstheworldcanbegreat. Ensurethatyour
Indiancolleaguesarenotalwaystheonestakingthelatenightorearlymorning
calls -evenifhe/sheisthelonememberoftheteaminIndia-byrotating
team-conferencecalltimes.Otherwise,youcaninstilltheimpressionthatthey
arenotvaluedasmuchasothersontheteam.

Cell phones. CellphonesarewidelyusedinIndia;colleaguescommonly

answertheircellphoneduringameetingtotellthecallerthattheyareina
meetingandwillcallthemback.Cellphonesdon'talwayshavevoicemailand
voicemailonofficephonesisnotusedasheavilyasitisinothercultures.Tryto
rememberthatyourIndiancolleaguesdon'tintendtobeimpolite.However,the
protocolofturningoffthephonewhengoingintomeetingsisfollowedwhen
specified.
Being too concise. Whileyoumaypreferaconcise,to-the-pointstyleof
communicatinginfaxes,e-mail,andevenvoicemail,thisapproachhasits
limitationsinIndia.Politenessanddemonstrationofregardforstatusand
authorityareessentialtobuildingsuccessfulbusinessrelationships,whetherat
thepeerlevelorwithsubordinates.Arequestthatfeelsmorelikeacommand
mayproducefeelingsofresentmentandanger.

Indiansmaysometimesmisinterpretyourconcisecommunicationasbeing
intentionallycurtorarrogant.Theywillrarelyconfrontyouwiththisfeeling,but
attitudestowardyoumaycoolandtheactionyouhaverequestedmaysimplynot
getperformed.WhenIndiancolleaguesdonotfeelrespected,theymaysimply
withdrawratherthandiscusstheissue.

See Also: ResolvingConflict

Written communication. Indiaisahigh-contextculture,sothemore

backgroundinformationyougive,thebetter.Startingyourcommunicationwitha
personalgreetingandshowinganinterestintherelationshipratherthanjustthe
taskathandwillgoalongwaytowardbettercommunicationandincreased
responsivenessinthelongrun.
Toincreasethelikelihoodofacompleteresponseandpossiblyheadoffaseries
oftime-consumingquestions,alwaysbeclearabout:

Whyyouaremakingarequest
Howyouwillusetheinformation
Whatspecificallyyouareaskingthereadertodoorgiveyoufeedbackon.

See Also: ObtainingInformation

KeyPoints:
Indiansaremorelikelytoprefertocommunicatethroughphone
conversationsorstoppingbysomeone'sdeskthansendingane-mail
Forbrainstormingsessionsitisparticularlyimportanttoinformteam
membersofthetopicsaheadoftimesotheycanpreparetheirideas
EnsurethatyourIndiancolleaguesarenotalwaystheonestakingthe
late-nightorearly-morningcalls
CellphonesarewidelyusedinIndia;cellphonesdon'talwayshave
voicemailandvoicemailonofficephonesisnotusedasheavily
Whileyoumaypreferaconcise,to-the-pointstyleofcommunicatingin
faxes,e-mail,andevenvoicemail,thisapproachhasitslimitationsin
India.Indiansmaysometimesmisinterpretyourconcisecommunicationas
beingintentionallycurtorarrogant
Startingyourcommunicationwithapersonalgreetingandshowingan
interestintherelationshipratherthanjustthetaskathandwillgoalong
waytowardbettercommunication

India: Conversation Topics

AppropriateTopics
InappropriateTopics
Humor

Appropriate Topics
Indiahasafascinatinghistoryandrichregionalandlinguisticdiversitytoexplore.
AskingyourIndiancolleaguesaboutculturalandhistoricalpointsofinterestwill
demonstratethatyouhaveanopenattitudeandbemuchappreciated.

Peopleareveryproudoftheregioninwhichtheygrewup.Althoughtheymay
nowbelivinginalargercity,colleagueswillverymuchappreciatecuriosity
abouttheirhomestateorregion. Othertopicsthatcanhelptobuildrapportfor
buildingrelationshipsinIndiainclude:

Family
Sports
Sightseeingandtravel.

Bothwomenandmenshouldbepreparedforquestionsthatmayseemvery
personal,particularlyaboutthefamily.InIndia,itisquiteacceptabletoask
othersabouttheirage,maritalstatus,andfamilymembers.Answerthese
questionsasopenlyasyoucan.

See Also: WomeninBusiness

Inappropriate Topics
Unlessyouknowtheotherpartyquitewell,itisusuallyinappropriatetodiscuss
politicallyorculturallysensitivetopics:

Governmentandpolitics
PovertyandthestandardoflivinginIndia
HumanrightsinIndia
ReligionandconflictsbetweenreligiousgroupsinIndia

Humor
UnlikesomeWesternbusinesspeople,mostIndianbusinesspeoplewillseldom
beginapresentationorameetingwithhumor,althoughhumormaybeused
laterontobuildrapportwiththeaudienceorparticipants.

KeyPoints:
Showcuriousityaboutcolleagues'homestatesorregions
Bepreparedtoanswerpersonalquestions
Unlessyouknowtheotherpartyquitewell,avoidpoliticallyorculturally
sensitivetopics:Governmentandpolitics;povertyandthestandardof
living;humanrights;religionandconflictsbetweenreligiousgroupsin
India
Don'tintroducehumorimmediately

India: Language
TheIndianConstitutionrecognizes22officiallanguages,buttheremaybewell
overathousandlanguagesanddialects.Italsodeclaresthateachstateisable
tochoosetheirownofficialstatelanguage, andEnglishcanbeusedforall
officialpurposesaswell.Indiansareproudoftheliteratureandartformsthatare
associatedwiththeirparticularlanguage.

English. BecausebusinesspeoplecomefromdifferentpartsofIndia,meetings
inlargecompaniesaregenerallyconductedinEnglish,thede-factolinguafranca
ofIndia.However,ifeveryoneinasmallunitspeaksacommonlanguage,people
willusetheirownlanguageforday-to-dayactivities.Atmeetingswherepeople
fromothercountriesarepresent,thelanguagewillgenerallybeEnglish,even
wheneveryoneexcepttheforeignguestspeaksthesameregionallanguage.

Hindi. Hindiistheofficialnationallanguageandtheprimarylanguagefor30%
ofthepopulation. HindiisspokenmainlyinnorthernIndiaandiswidely
understoodacrossIndiabutlesssointhesouthernstates.Fornon-Hindi
speakers,theimposingofHindionallofIndiaasoneofthetwonational
languages(theotherisEnglish)isaverysensitiveissue.Bearthissensitivityin
mind,anddonotattempttogainfavorbypepperingyourdiscoursewithHindi
expressionsunlessyouaresureofyouraudience'sattitudetowardthatlanguage.

SeeAlso:Language

KeyPoints:
TheIndianConstitutionrecognizes14officiallanguages
Eachstateisabletochoosetheirownofficialstatelanguage
MeetingsinlargecompaniesaregenerallyconductedinEnglish
HindiisspokenmainlyinnorthernIndia

India: Effective Leadership Styles

Listening. Authorityisexpectedtoaccompanyposition,butthoseinauthority
mustgeneratecontinuedsupportbymeetingregularlywithcolleaguesand
subordinates. Managerswillbenefitinthelongrunfromkeepinglinesof
communicationopen,bothverticallyandhorizontally.While itisimpolitetobring
problemsdirectlytoasupervisororaformalmeeting, itisacceptabletospeak
aboutconcernsprivately.

Inaculturethatvalueshospitality,warmth,andopenness,asaforeignmanager
youcanoftenlearnmanyofthesecretstosuccessfulleadershipsimplyby
listeningandbeinggenuinelyopentolearningfromyourIndiancolleagues.

See Also: ReadingbetweentheLines | ObtainingInformation

Family life/work-life overlap. Indiansexpecttogettoknowtheir
co-workersandsupervisorsoutsidetheworkenvironment-andoutsidethe
formalhierarchyofposition.Manycompaniessponsorpicnicsorotherevents
whereemployeesandtheirfamiliescanenjoybeingwithoneanother. Indians
donotexpectaclearseparationbetweenfamilylifeandworklife.Rather,the
twoworldsareexpectedtooverlapandintersect,sothatallhaveabettersense
ofhowtoworktogether.

See Also: Collectivism&Family | FamilyEvents

Implementing change. Toputnewsystemsintoplace,amanagershouldbe

firmbutpatient,understandingthefactorsthatworkagainstchangeinIndia.
ChangedoestakeplaceinIndia,butoftenataslowerpacethaninsomeother
countries.Thisdoesnotmeanthatyoucannoteffectchange,simplyremember
thatchangemaytakelongertoestablish.

KeyPoints:
Authorityisexpectedtoaccompanyposition,butthoseinauthoritymust
generatecontinuedsupportbymeetingregularlywithcolleaguesand
subordinates
Indiansexpecttogettoknowtheirco-workersandsupervisorsoutsidethe
workenvironment
Thereisgenerallynotaclearseparationbetweenfamilylifeandworklife
Toputnewsystemsintoplace,amanagermustbefirmbutpatient

India: Recruiting and Hiring

InIndiansociety-whereoneisapartofalargenetworkofextendedfamily
members,classmates,andsocialandbusinessassociations-thefirststopfor
thoselookingforjobsandthoserecruitingnewtalentisamongthepeoplethey
know.

See Also: SocialNetwork

Demand for recruits. Graduatesofparticulareducationalinstitutionsare

vigorouslyrecruitedbyhigh-levelcompanies.Forexample,theIndianInstitutes
ofTechnologyandManagementtrainmanyofthebestgraduatesintheworldin
theirfields.Searchfirmscanbeveryhelpfulinverifyingthequalificationsand
experienceofcandidates.

Compensation. Inbusinessessuchascomputertechnologyand
telecommunications,thegraduatesareinsuchdemandthattheyarewritingtheir
owntickets.Tohireandretaintheseemployees,companieshavebegunlooking
beyondsalarytooffermoreintangiblekindsofcompensation,including:

Sophisticatedrecreationfacilitiesoncompanycampusesavailableto
employeesandtheirfamilies
Personalleaveandflextimetocareforillorelderlyfamilymembers
Transportationtoandfromworkatvaryinghours
Opportunitiesforfurthertrainingabroad.

KeyPoints:
InIndiansocietythefirststopforthoselookingforjobsandthose
recruitingnewtalentisamongthepeopletheyknow
Graduatesofparticulareducationalinstitutionsarevigorouslyrecruitedby
high-levelcompanies
Searchfirmscanbeveryhelpfulinverifyingthequalificationsand
experienceofcandidates
Companieshavebegunlookingbeyondsalarytooffermoreintangible
kindsofcompensation,includingsophisticatedrecreationfacilities;
personalleaveandflextime;Transportationtoandfromwork;
opportunitiesforfurthertrainingabroad

India: Motivating Employees

GeneralmethodsformotivatingemployeesinIndiainclude:

Offeringtheopportunityoffurthertraining,especiallyinanothercityor
country;thiswillstrengthenlocalemployees'identificationwiththelarger
company
 company
Providingawardstorecognizethespecialeffortsofindividualemployees;
thesearequitecommonandverymuchexpectedinabusiness
environment
Publiclysinglingoutindividualsforcommendation-alsoverycommonand
wellacceptedinasocietywhereitcanbeeasytogetlostinagroupeffort.

See Also: Training | GivingFeedback

KeyPoints:
General methods for motivating employees in India include:
Offeringtheopportunityoffurthertraining,especiallyinanothercityor
country;thiswillstrengthenlocalemployees'identificationwiththelarger
company
Providingawardstorecognizethespecialeffortsofindividualemployees;
thesearequitecommonandverymuchexpectedinabusiness
environment
Publiclysinglingoutindividualsforcommendation-alsoverycommonand
wellacceptedinasocietywhereitcanbeeasytogetlostinagroupeffort.

India: Giving Feedback & Evaluating Employees

GivingFeedback
EvaluatingEmployees

Giving Feedback
Whencriticismiscalledfor,provideitinaprivateratherthanpublicvenue.Itis
consideredveryinappropriatetocriticizesomeoneinfrontofothers. In
addition,whileIndianmanagerscansometimesbeverydirectincritiquingthe
workoftheirsubordinatesinprivate,foreignmanagersshoulddotheirbesttobe
asrespectfulaspossible:

Beopenanddirect,whilebeingverycarefultocritiquetheperformance
andnottheperson
Praisethoseareaswherethepersonhasworkedwelltosoftenthecritique
Avoidanytonethatmightbeconstruedascondescendingorinsulting.

See Also: Conflict

Lack of confrontation. Workerswhofeelwronglychastisedorinsultedwill

mostlikelywithdrawratherthandiscussthesituation.Inagoodjobmarket,an
Indianemployeemayevenchoosetofindanotherpositionratherthanconfronta
superior.Ifthisisapersonwhoseworkyouvalue,workoutwaystorecognize
his/hercontributionswhilealsomakingsuggestionsforchange.

Indirect feedback. CriticalfeedbackfromIndiancolleaguesmayalsocometo

youindirectly.Youmayhearobliquestatementsabouthow,inthefuture,you
mighthandleasituationdifferentlyorhowanotherpersonmightnothave
handledasituationwell.Feedbackathigherlevelsmaycomeintheseindirect
ways,leavingyoutoponderthemonyourown.

See Also: ExpressingDisagreement

Evaluating Employees
RegularperformancereviewsmaynotbecommoninIndia.Itislikelytodepend
onthecompany,withreviewsmorecommoninlargeWesternorglobal
companies. Evenwhenthereareperformancereviews,theyarenotalways
importantwhenconsideringemployeesforpromotionsorsalaryincreases.

Fairness. Indianmanagersandsubordinateswillexpectyoutodemonstrate
fairnessinevaluationprocedures.Doingsowillgoalongwaytobuildingyour
acceptanceasamanager. Expectationsandgoalsforperformanceshouldbe
clearlylaidoutfromthebeginningsothattheevaluationcanproceedasdirectly
andfairlyaspossible.

Family responsibilities. WhenevaluatingIndianemployees,keepinmind

thattheywillfrequentlyhaveseriousfamilyresponsibilities,including:

Caringforelderlyparents
Participatinginnumerousfamilygatherings
Simplyhandlingday-to-dayissuesofliving,whichcanbemore
time-consuminginIndiathaninsomeothercultures.

See Also: Collectivism&Family

Whenpossible,managersshouldassesstheoverallperformanceandoutputof
anindividualratherthanstrictadherencetohours.Atthesametime,asin
everysociety,amanagermustalsowatchforpeoplewhosimplyarenotdoing
theirjob.Whenmakingsuchjudgments,looktoatrustedIndiancolleaguefor
adviceandassessment.

Expectations. Keepinmindthattheforeignhomeofficemayhavedifferent
expectationsforaparticularpositionthanisexpectedlocally.Forexample,ifyou
expectthatsomeoneinaparticularpositiontobeproactiveandindependentin
solvingproblems,youmayneedtobalancethatwiththeunderstandingthat
leadersinIndiaareexpectedtoprovidetheirreportswithmoredirection,and
thatIndianstendtoworkmoreinterdependently.

KeyPoints:
Donotcriticizesomeoneinfrontofothersandbeasrespectfulaspossible
Clearlylayoutperformanceexpectationsandgoalsfromthebeginning
WhenevaluatingIndianemployees,keepinmindthattheywillfrequently
haveonerousfamilyresponsibilities
LeadersinIndiaaregenerallyexpectedtoprovidetheirdirectreportswith
quiteabitofdirection

India: Resolving Conflict

Conflict between co-workers. Conflictswillusuallyberesolvedinprivate.
Evenwhenaconflictisgoingonamongcolleagues,ifaskedaboutitinapublic
settingtheywilllikelyimplythatthesituationisfine.Youaremuchmorelikelyto
learnwhattherealissuesarewhenyouspeaktothemprivately.Thenyoucan
alsoassesswhatsolutionsmightwork.

Whenresolvingconflictswithsubordinates,managersshouldasserttheir
authority.Withpeersitisimportanttoworkouttheissuesthroughthe
relationship.Youmightspeaktoacolleagueinaninformalsetting,forexample,
whereyoucanbehonestinsharingyourreservationsorconflicts.Themutual
investmentintherelationshipwillbethefoundationforworkingouttheconflict.

See Also: Conflict

Reading between the lines. Becauseitisimportantnevertoshow
disagreementinpublic,itisequallyimportanttoreadbetweenthelines.If
therearelotsof"buts"inthestatementsofagreement,thepersonistellingyou
indirectly(butinaperfectlyclearwayfromhis/herpointofview)thatthereisno
realagreement.Onlywhenbothpartiestotheconflicthavestatedthe
agreementintheirownwordsshouldyouconsidertheissueresolved.

Thelengthstowhichpeoplewillgotoavoidconflictandconfrontationcannotbe
underscoredenough.Silenceonamatterthathadpreviouslybeencontentiousor
unresolvedisagoodsignalthatyoushouldbeaskingmorequestionswitha
curiosityaboutwhatmightstillbeleftunsaid.
Expression of emotion. Itisconsideredpoorformtoexpressemotional
responsessuchasangerinanIndianbusinesssetting.Peopleseldomdisagree
openly.Disagreementsmaybebubblingunderthesurface,butitisconsidered
rudetovoicethesedifferences.Displeasureorothernegativeresponseswillbe
expressedinmoresubtleways,suchasacoolnessinthetoneofvoice,oran
otherwiselukewarmdemeanor.

See Also: Gestures&BodyLanguage

KeyPoints:
KeyPoints:
Trytoresolveconflictsinprivate
Withsubordinates,managersshouldasserttheirauthority
Learnhowtoreadbetweenthelines-disagreementsareoftennot
expresseddirectly
Controlyouranger-peopleseldomexpressmuchdisagreementopenly

FIELDNOTES
CommentsfromotherGlobeSmartusersrelatedtothistopic.

Conflicts Sep11,2007
MyexperienceintheITfield-havingspentthebetterpartofadecadeintheUSand
thenrelocatingtoIndia-showsthatIndiandevelopersintheUSareverydifferentin
behaviorthanthoseinIndia.Generally,theyaremuchmoreaggressiveand
opinionated(inapositivesense)thantheircounterpartsinIndia.Theyarealsomore
openinvoicingdisagreementsespeciallyinteammeetings.

India: Building Teamwork

India'scultureissomewhatamenabletoteam-buildingbecauseofthegroup
consciousnessthatalreadyexists.Verylittleisaccomplishedasaresultsolelyof
individualinitiative,so thereisunlikelytobemuchdifficultyingettingagroupof
employeestoworkcooperatively.

Insomeways,however,Westernbeliefsaboutteambuildingarelikelytodiffer
fromthoseinIndianbusinessculture.
Conflict. InmanyWesterncultures,conflictisnotnecessarilyseenina
negativelight;itiseventhoughttobeapreludetocreativity,ifmanaged
correctly.However, Indiansaremoreaversetoconflict,andeffortstodealwith
conflictopenlyinagroupenvironmentarelikelytoberesisted.

Age/status issues. Peopleatdifferentstatusorhierarchicallevelsmaynot

worktogethereasilyinateam,unlessthosewhoaremoreseniorareallowedto
maintaintheirpositionofauthorityandthoseinmorejuniorpositionsareallowed
tomaintaintheirattitudeofrespectanddeferencetoageandexperience.
Acknowledgethisdynamicofageandstatuswhenevaluatingthepotential
effectivenessofateamandwhenconsideringthebestcombinationofteam
members.

See Also: Hierarchy

Individual competition. ThecompetitivenatureofschoolinginIndiaisdeeply

ingrained;peopleinthesameageclassarealmostexpectedtobeincompetition
withoneanother. Becauseofthis,anindividualmayhesitatetoletothersknow
ofamistakeoraproblem.Thismayalsokeepsomeonefromsharinginformation
ifitwouldmaketeammembersmoresuccessfulandpossiblyincreasetheir
statusinthemanager'seyes.Tomanagethis:

Reinforceandrewardthesuccessoftheteamratherthantheindividual
Rewardthosewhodoshareinformationandareforthcomingwith
problems
Harnesstheircompetitivenessintoteamthinking
Emphasizethefactthateachpersongainswhentheteamsucceeds.

See Also: PracticalChallenges

KeyPoints:
ThereislittledifficultyingettingagroupofIndianemployeestowork
cooperatively
Indianstendtobeaversetoconflict,andeffortstodealwithconflictopenly
inagroupenvironmentarelikelytoberesisted
Keepinmindage/statusdynamicswhenformingteams
Overcomeindividualcompetitivenessbyemphasizinggroupidentity
India: Making Decisions
Hierarchical process. MostofteninIndia,thepersonwiththemost
institutionalauthorityisexpectedtomakedecisionswhichsubordinatesarethen
empoweredtocarryout.Whetherinthefamilyortheworkplace, decisionsare
generallydeferredtotheseniorindividual.However,dependingontheamount
ofbureaucracybuiltintoaparticularcompanyorgovernmentalagency, decision
makersmayexistupanddownthelinesofauthority.Themoredecisionmakers
involvedintheprocess,themorepeopletherearewhomustbecourtedto
expediteaproject.

WhenjoininganewcompanyorofficeinIndia,employeeswillusuallyexpecta
hierarchicalarrangementofpowerandauthority.Evenifahierarchyisnotin
place,itwillprobablyevolve.Toworkeffectivelywithahierarchicallyorganized
companyorgovernmentagency,establishgoodrelationswiththepeoplemaking
thedecisionsateachlevel.

See Also: Hierarchy

Getting input from others. Themanagerisalwaysexpectedtomaintain

authority,butitisagoodideatoinviteinputfromothers.Ifyouareinaposition
tocreateadifferentorganizationalmodel,youwillfindthat youngpeoplein
Indiawillbeflatteredtobeincludedindecision-makingroles, evenifthey
protestthattheydonotyethavetheexperience(orstatus).

See Also: ObtainingInformation

KeyPoints:
Decisionsaregenerallydeferredtoseniorindividuals
Employeeswillusuallyexpectahierarchicalarrangementofpowerand
authority
Asaforeignmanager,inviteinputfromothers-youngpeopleinIndiawill
appreciatebeingincludedindecision-makingroles

FIELDNOTES
CommentsfromotherGlobeSmartusersrelatedtothistopic.

Approach for Requests

"WhenImadearequestforsomeonetohelpmeonaprojectIwasoftenaskedby
thatpersontosendanemailtotheirmanagerandcopythemonit.Thiswouldthen
betheopeningfortheirmanagertodiscussandapprovetherequestedproject.The
benefittodoingitthiswaywasthatIwassurewhatIwasrequestingwasfeasibleand
inanappropriatetimeline.Thatmeantthatitwouldsimplybeanapprovalprocess
ratherthananegotiationaboutthescopeandtimeframe"

India: Building Relationships

Initial introductions. RelationshipsinIndiacanbeestablishedquitequicklyif
genuineinterestandmutualadvantagearemaintained.Initialintroductions
shouldbemadebypeoplewithyoursamestatusorhigher,ifpossible.Ifa
mutualacquaintancecanvouchforyourcharacter,thenthereisreasontotake
youseriously.

Aninvitationtoyourcolleagues'homeshouldbereadilyacceptedasagood
opportunitytobuildtherelationshipoutsideoftheworkenvironment.

See Also: Introductions

Forming deeper relationships. Onceyouaresomewhatfamiliarwithpeople,
invitingthemhometomeetyourfamilyandhavedinnerisaveryacceptableway
tobuildabusinessrelationship.Thisrelationshipwillcarryoverintothe
workplaceandultimatelymakeiteasierforyoutoworktogether.Indiansare
verywarmandhospitable,butyoushouldnotmistakethisforadeep
relationship.ShowinghospitalitytoguestsisanimportantpartofIndianculture.
Inorderforadeeperrelationshiptoform,however,youmustdemonstratethat
youareinterestedinalong-termfriendship.

Socializing. Workingcolleaguesoftensocializeoutsidetheworkplaceduring
weekendsandevenings.IntheIndianenvironment,gettingtoknowapersonin
thecontextofhis/herfamilyandnon-worklifeisessentialtothetrustnecessary
forbuildingalong-termbusinessrelationship.Invitationstosomeone'shomeare
anhonorandshouldbereadilyaccepted.Youshouldextendreciprocalinvitations
toyourhometoshowyourinterestingettingtoknowyourcolleagues.

Key contacts. BecauseIndiaisahierarchicalsociety,businessdecisionstend

tobemadebythemostseniorindividuals.Thus, mostcontactsshouldoccur
withthehighest-rankingpeopleinacompany,unlessyouarereferredto
anotherindividual.Middlemanagersareunlikelytohavetheauthoritytomake
manydecisionsaboutnewbusiness.

See Also: Long-TermPartnerships| EstablishingCredibility | SocialNetwork

KeyPoints:
Initialintroductionsshouldbemadebypeoplewithyoursamestatusor
higher
Aninvitationtoyourcolleagues'homeshouldbereadilyaccepted
Workingcolleaguesoftensocializeoutsidetheworkplaceduringweekends
andevenings
Trytoinitiatecontactswiththehighest-rankingpeopleinacompany

India: Negotiating
Thenegotiatingprocessisoftenaplacetosocializeandtobuildtrust.Becauseof
theIndianemphasisoninterpersonalrelationships,muchtimeandeffortmaybe
spentgettingtoknoweachother,buildingfriendships,anddevelopingabasisfor
trustandreliability.

Negotiation style. Agreatdealofnegotiatingisdoneinprivate,social

settings. Suggestionsmaybemadeinformally,ordealsdiscussedinprivate.In
thesecases,theactualnegotiatingsessionismostlyaformality.Itmaybemore
ofasocialeventheldtofinalizewhathasbeenlargelyagreedtobehindthe
scenes.

However,whileIndiansaremostinclinedtostrikeadealwithsomeonethey
knowandconsidertrustworthy,anothertypeofnegotiationsessionalsogoeson.
Whentwocompaniesarenotaswell-acquainted,orwhencompromisesstillneed
tobereached,agreatdealofbargainingmaybedoneduringaformal
negotiationsession.

Bargaining. Bargainingisunderstoodtobeanessentialpartoftheprocessof
negotiatinginIndia,akindofcompetitivegameinwhicheachsideideallygains
alittleandlosesalittle.(Asabusinessvisitor,youwilllikelyevenneedto
bargainforthetaxifaretoyourhotelifyoudonothaveadriver.)Indiansseem
toenjoytheactofcompetitivebargaining.

Nosideiseverexpectedtoplaceallthecardsonthetableattheoutset.Ifyou
announceyour"lastoffer"toosoon,theothersidemaynotbelievethatitisin
factyour"lastoffer"andmaycontinuebargaining.
Inatruebargainingspirit,rememberthatdealsareneverdoneuntilthefinal
agreementhasbeenreached.Yourcounterpartmaybeforeverinsearchofa
betterdealuntilthecontracthasactuallybeensigned.

See Also: SocialNetwork | OfferingaBargain

Polite and courteous. TheIndiansemphasizepolitenessintheirbusiness

dealings.Therearenotagreatmanyformalrituals,butyourcounterpartswillbe
politeandcourteousandexpectsimilarbehaviorinreturn.Socialconversation
willnearlyalwaysprecedeanydiscussionofbusiness.Likewise,don'tbe
surprisedtoreceiveaninvitationtodineinthehomeofyourIndianhost.

See Also: Hospitality | VisitingaHome | CommunicationStyles

Negotiating team. Negotiatorsareselectedbasedontheirknowledgeofand

involvementwithanissue,butseniorityandagearealsotakenintoaccountin
thisstatus-conscioussociety.Inmanycases,theoldestindividualsarealsothe
highest-rankingandthemostprominentdecisionmakers.

Reaching agreement. NegotiatingwithIndianbusinesspeoplecanbedifficult

Reaching agreement. NegotiatingwithIndianbusinesspeoplecanbedifficult
forforeigners,becausetheyoftendonotreadthesubtlesignalsof
disagreementandhearonlythefewverbalindicationsthatsoundlike
agreementtothem.InIndia,courtesydemandsthatpeopleagreepolitely,but
withinthecultureeveryoneknowsthatsuchpolitewordsmaynotimplyaction.
OnlywhenanIndiannegotiatorclearlystatestheagreementinhis/herown
wordshasagenuineunderstandingbeenreached.

Indianscertainlyutilizecontractsandhaveawell-developedlegalsystem,but
overallthereislessemphasisonlegalissuesthaninmanyWesternnations.
Theirfocusduringnegotiationsismorepersonalandlesslegalistic.Individual
partsofanagreementareusuallyopentocontinueddiscussionandchangeuntil
afinalcontractissigned.

See Also: BusinessEthics | ReadingbetweentheLines

KeyPoints:
Agreatdealofnegotiatingisdoneinprivate,socialsettings
Whentwocompaniesarenotaswell-acquainted,agreatdealof
bargainingmaybedoneduringaformalnegotiationsession
Bargainingisunderstoodtobeanessentialpartoftheprocessof
negotiatinginIndia
Socialconversationwillnearlyalwaysprecedeanydiscussionofbusiness;
don'tbesurprisedtoreceiveaninvitationtodineinthehomeofyour
Indianhost
NegotiatingwithIndianbusinesspeoplecanbedifficultforforeigners,
becausetheyoftendonotreadthesubtlesignalsofdisagreement

FIELDNOTES
CommentsfromotherGlobeSmartusersrelatedtothistopic.

Saying "No" for Requests

"OneofmyIndiancolleaguestoldmethatevenifIaskedhimforamilliondollars,a
requestheclearlycouldnotfulfill,thatinsteadofsayingnohewouldstillsay"I'lltry".
Hesaidthatnomatterwhattherequestwas,itissimplytoorudetosaynosodirectly"

India: Selling
Selling
CustomerService

Selling
Regional differences. Significantdifferencesinbusinessculturearefound
amongthenorthern,southern,eastern,andwesternregionsofthecountry.
Accordingly,marketresearchhasfoundthatpeoplefromdifferentareasofthe
countryrespondtodifferentmarketingstrategies(e.g.,differentpaymentplans)
andevenhavedifferentperceptionsastowhatconstitutesanecessity.

Customer Service
Somecultureshavecometoexpectanddemandacertainlevelofcustomer
servicethatsimplydoesnotexistinIndia.ButthisdoesnotmeanthatIndian
consumersdonotpreferasystemthatoffersstrongercustomerservice.There
areendlessstoriesinIndiaofpeoplewhobuyfaultygoodsandwhotaketheir
supplier/retailertosmall-claimscourt.

Quality assurance. Inthepast,consumerswererestrictedbybothlimited

choicesinthemarketandthemuchhighercostofitemsofbetterquality.
However,asmoreIndianfamiliesaresupportedbytwowageearners,many
peoplehavetheincometobuymoreexpensiveproducts,andwilldosoifthey
canbeassuredofquality.Middle-classconsumersinIndiaarelookingfor
better-qualityproductswiththeservicetoguaranteethisquality.
KeyPoints:
Peoplefromdifferentareasofthecountryrespondtodifferentmarketing
strategiesandevenhavedifferentperceptionsastowhatconstitutesa
necessity
Thelevelofcustomerserviceexpectedinmanycountriesisgenerally
lackinginIndia
Middle-classcustomersarewillingtopayforqualityassurance

India: Dining, Entertaining & Hosting

BusinessEntertaining
DietaryHabits&Restrictions
Food&Drink

Business Entertaining
Hosting gatherings. Itisimportanttohostperiodicgatheringsforbusiness
colleagues,bothwithinandoutsideyourcompanyinIndia.Infact,somekindof
eventshouldbehostedforeveryoneinvolvedinyourbusiness:clients,
distributors,suppliers,andothers.Thesegatheringsareexpected; anyonewho
doesbusinessinIndiaisobligedtodemonstratehospitalitytowardeveryonewith
whomthecompanyinteracts. Otherwise,thecompanywillhavefewadvocates
tohelpfindwaysaroundinevitablebureaucratichurdles.

Visiting a home. Business-orientedsocialoccasionstendtobeheldaround

dinners ratherthanlunches,althoughpeopleoftensocializeonSunday
afternoons,gatheringforabigmealinthemiddleoftheday.FormalIndian
dinnerpartiestendtostartaround7or8intheeveningwithdrinksandsnacks,
butdinnermaynotbeserveduntilwellafter10pm.

Dietary Habits & Restrictions

WhenhostingIndiancolleaguesandfamilies,itisimportanttobeawareofthe
dietaryhabitsandrestrictionsofyourguests,suchas:

ManyIndiansarevegetarians,butpeoplewholiveonthecoastandthink
ofthemselvesasvegetariansmayalsoeatfish.
Thestrictestvegetarianseatnomeatoreggs(includingcakesorpuddings
thatmightcontaineggs).
Inthenorth,manypeopleeatchickenandmutton.
CertainHindusectsnevereatonionsorgarlic.
Muslimsnevereatpork.

Inaddition,thereareagreatnumberofpotentialfastingdaystowhichpeople
adhereaccordingtotheirpersonalreligiouspractices.

Inquiring about diet. Becausethesedietaryhabitsandrestrictionsareso

importantandvarysowidely,peoplearenotoffendedifyouaskthemabout
theirrestrictions.Infact,itisquitecommonforIndianhostseithertomakea
varietyofdishesthatwillaccommodatedifferentdietarypracticesortoasktheir
guestsaheadoftimewhatfoodstheydoanddonoteat.

Alcohol consumption. DrinkinghabitsvarywidelyacrosstheIndian

population:

Alargesegmentofthepopulation,includingmanyHindusandalmostall
Muslims,donotdrinkalcoholatall.
Manybusinessmenwhohavelivedandtraveledabroadwilldrinkbeer,
wine,andliquorsuchasbourbonandscotch.
Manyrestaurantsofferbeer;severalIndianbeercompanieshavegrown
quitesuccessfulinthepast20years.
ManyIndianswilldrinkatbusinessdinners,whetherinahomeora
restaurant,butitisnotgenerallyacceptabletobecomeintoxicated.

Food & Drink
Curry. TheunforgettablearomaofIndiaisnotjusttheheavyscentofjasmine
androsesonthewarmair.Itisalsothefragranceofspicessoimportantto
Indiancooking,especiallytopreparingcurry.Theword "curry"isanEnglish
derivativeofkari,meaningspicesauce,butcurrydoesnot,inIndia,comeasa
powder.It isthesubtleanddelicateblendingofspicessuchasturmeric,
cardamom,ginger,coriander,nutmeg,andpoppyseed.

Likeanartist'spaletteofoilpaints,theIndiancookhassome25spices(freshly
groundasrequired)withwhichtomixtherecognizedcombinationsormasalas.
Manyofthesespicesarealsonotedfortheirmedicinalpropertiesand,likethe
basicingredients,varyfromregiontoregion.

Mughlai cuisine. Mughlaicuisineisrich,creamy,deliciouslyspiced,and

liberallysprinkledwithnutsandsaffron.Theever-popularTandooricooking
(chicken,meat,orfishmarinatedinherbsandbakedinaclayoven)andkebabs
arealsonortherncuisine.

AlthoughnotallHindusarevegetarians,vegetabledishesarecommon,
particularlyinsouthernIndia.Broadlyspeaking,meatdishesaremorecommon
intheNorth,notably:

Murg makhani (butter chicken)
Rogan josh(curriedlamb)
Gushtaba(spicymeatballsinyoghurt)
Biryani(chickenorlambinorange-flavoredrice,sprinkledwithsugarand
rosewater)

Southern Indian food. CoconutisamajoringredientofsouthernIndian

cooking.Onthewestcoastthereisawidechoiceoffishandshellfish:Bombay
Duck(curriedorfriedBohmbeelfish)pomfret(asalmondish),andKerala kari
meenarejustafew.Anotherspecialtyistheparsi dhan sak(lamborchicken
cookedwithcurriedlentils)and vindaloo.FishisalsoafeatureofBengalicooking
asindahi maach(curriedfishinyoghurtflavoredwithturmericandginger)and
malai(curriedprawnwithcoconut).

Starches. Inthesouth,riceisthestaplefood;whereasinthenorth,riceis
supplementedandsometimessubstitutedbyawiderangeofflatbreadssuchas
rotis, pooris, chapatis,andnaan.CommonthroughoutIndiaaredal(crushed
lentilsoupwithvariousadditionalvegetables)anddahi,thecurdoryoghurtthat
accompaniesthecurry.Besidesbeingtasty,itisagood"cooler";moreeffective
thanliquidswhenthingsgettoohot.

Inthesouth,curriesaremainlyvegetableandinclinedtobehotter.Specialties
include:

Bhujia (vegetablecurry)
Dosa, idli, andsamba (ricepancakes,dumplingswithpickles,and
vegetableandlentilcurry)
Raitas (yoghurtwithgratedcucumberandmint)

Sweets. Theseareprincipallymilk-basedpuddings,pastries,andpancakes.
AvailablethroughoutIndiaiskulfi,theIndianicecream,rasgullas(cream-cheese
ballsflavoredwithrosewater),gulab jamuns(flour,yoghurt,andground
almonds),andjalebi(pancakesinsyrup).Westernconfectioneryisavailablein
majorcenters.

Fruit. Alsoavailableisanabundanceoffruit,bothtropical(mangoes,
pomegranates,andmelons)andtemperate(apricots,apples,andstrawberries).
Itiscommontofinishthemealbychewingpanspicessuchasaniseedand
cardamomwrappedinabetelleafasadigestive.

Snacks. Besidesthemaindishes,therearealsocountlessirresistiblesnacks
availableoneverystreetcorner,suchasBhel Puri, samosa, fritters, dosa,and
vada.Forthemoreconservativevisitor,Westerncookingcanalwaysbefound.
Indeed,thebeststylesofcookingfromthroughouttheworldcanbeexperienced
inthemajorcentersinIndia.
Soft beverages. Tea(orchai)isIndia'sfavoritedrink,andmanyofthe
varietiesareenjoyedthroughouttheworld.Itwilloftencomeready-brewedwith
milkandsugarunless"traytea"isspecified. Coffeeisincreasinglypopular.
Nimbu pani(lemondrink),lassi(icedbuttermilk),andcoconutmilkstraightfrom
thenutarecoolandrefreshing.Softdrinks(usuallysweet)andbottledwaterare
widelyavailable.

Bottled water isusuallyessentialforvisitorsandissoldeverywhereinIndia,

butmakesurethebottlesareproperlysealed.

Alcoholic beverages. AhugevarietyofexcellentIndianbeerisavailable,as

wellasgoodIndian-madegin,rum,brandy,andwine.

Restaurantshavetableserviceand,dependingonareaandestablishment,will
servealcoholwithmeals.MostWestern-stylehotelshavelicensedbars.Inalmost
allbigcitiesinIndiacertaindaysoftheweekareobservedasdrydayswhenthe
saleofliquorisnotpermitted.

KeyPoints:
Business Entertainment
BusinessentertainmentisanessentialpartofdoingbusinessinIndia.
Business-orientedsocialoccasionstendtobeheldarounddinners;people
oftensocializeonSundayafternoons.
Hostsmusttrytoaccommodatetheeatinghabitsandrestrictionsof
guests.
Drunkennessisnotacceptable.

Food & Drink

Curryisthesubtleanddelicateblendingofspicessuchasturmeric,
cardamom,ginger,coriander,nutmegandpoppyseed.
Mughlaicuisineisrich,creamy,deliciouslyspiced,andliberallysprinkled
withnutsandsaffron;Tandooricookingandkebabsarealsonorthern
cuisine.
CoconutisamajoringredientofsouthernIndiancooking.
Inthesouth,riceisthestaplefood;whereasinthenorth,riceis
supplementedandsometimessubstitutedbyawiderangeofflatbreads.
Westerncookingcanalwaysbefound.
TeaisIndia'sfavoritedrink;coffeeisincreasinglypopular.
Makesurewaterbottlesareproperlysealed.
AhugevarietyofexcellentIndianbeerisavailable,aswellasgood
Indian-madegin,rum,brandy,andwine.
Certaindaysoftheweekareobservedasdrydayswhenthesaleofliquor
isnotpermitted.

FIELDNOTES
CommentsfromotherGlobeSmartusersrelatedtothistopic.

Nightlife in India Feb02,2005

NightlifeinIndiaisnolongerjustaboutculturalperformancesanddances.It'svery
muchahipandhepcrowdthatenjoysitsboozeandmusicallthroughoutthenight.
True,thisisthescenarioonlyinmajorcities,butwith25statesandabout3-4major
citiesineachstate,that'sareallygoodnumber.I'veworkedinChennai,India,andI
wouldsaythatthepartiesandclubswouldbenosmallerthaninwesterncountries.In
afewmetros,nightlifeextendsbeyondpartiesandclubbing.Youcanshop,dineand
watchmoviesoranyotherthingthatyouwishtodo.

Decorated Cakes for Gifts

"Whenvisitingaprivatehome,Ifoundthatdecoratedcakesfromabakerywere
excellentgifts."

Visiting Indian Homes

 "SeveraltimesinIndia,mywifeandIwereinvitedtoprivatehomeswherethehosts
didnoteatwithusbutonlyservedus.Itwasdifficulttobecomeusedto,sovisitorsto
Indiashouldbeawareofthispossibility."

India: Training & Coaching

Training. WithinIndiancompanies,traininghastraditionallynotreceived
muchemphasis.However,companiesthathaveimplementedtrainingprograms
inIndiahavefoundthatpeopletendtobeveryresponsive,especiallyto
interactivetrainingstyles.Casestudiesandroleplaysarefamiliarwaystobring
traineesintotheprocessandtoexplorenewwaysofthinkingandinteracting
withcolleagues,clients,andcoworkers.TheprestigiousIndianInstitutesof
Management,forexample,usecasestudiesveryeffectivelyintheirgraduate
programs.

Trainingprogramsareconsideredaperkinmostsituations,becausetheyare
oftenofferedasarewardforoutstandingwork.Sinceeducationandlearning
aresuchhighly-heldvaluesinIndia,trainingisseenasanopportunitytogain
knowledgeandisusuallyenteredintowithenthusiasmgenuineinterest.

See Also: MotivatingEmployees

Coaching. Coachingandmentoringprogramsaregenerallywell-acceptedin
Indiabecausethetraditionalrespectforageandexperiencewillmakejunior
membersoftheorganizationquiteeagertoworkwithamentorwhohasmore
experience.However,problemsmayariseifayoungerpersonisaskedtomentor
anolderperson.Thosewhoareolderorhavemoreexperiencemaynotbe
comfortablebeingseenlearningfromsomeonewhoisobviouslyjuniortothem.
Iftheyoungerpersonisaforeigner,thissituationcanbesomewhatmitigated,
butthedifferentialofageandexperienceisalwaysafactortobeconsidered.

See Also: Hierarchy

KeyPoints:
Trainingprogramsareconsideredaperkinmostsituations,becausethey
areoftenofferedasarewardforoutstandingwork
Coachingandmentoringprogramsaregenerallywell-acceptedinIndia
Thosewhoareolderorhavemoreexperiencemaynotbecomfortable
beingseenlearningfromsomeonewhoisobviouslyjunior
Iftheyoungerpersonisaforeigner,thissituationcanbesomewhat
mitigated

India: Core Values & Implications for Business

Spirituality
Hierarchy
CollectivismandFamily
Humility
DiversityofLanguageandCulture

Spirituality
ThemajorityofIndiansactivelypracticeoneofseveralreligions.Thedominant
religioninIndiaisHinduism,with80%ofthepopulationidentifyingthemselves
asHindu.Thesecond-mostpopularreligionisIslam,withMuslimsmakingup
approximately14%ofthepopulation.TheremainderofIndia'spopulationis
approximately2.4%Christian,2%Sikh,0.7%Buddhist,and0.5%Jain.Although
theconstitutionofIndiaproclaimstheseparationbetweenchurchandstate,
religioninfluencesmuchoflifeinIndia.

Inthebusinesscontext,itisimportanttobeawareofhowreligiouspracticecan
impactdailyworklife. Muslims,forexample,participateinprayerritualsfive
timesaday.ManyreligiousholidaysareobservedwidelythroughoutIndiaand
mostbusinessesaccommodatethereligiouspracticesoftheiremployees.
RecognizedholydaysrangefromtheMuslimRamadanandChristianGoodFriday
toHindufestivalssuchasDiwaliandShivaRatri.

See Also: AppealingtoTraditionalValues


Hierarchy
ThereisgreatemphasisinIndiaonhierarchicalrelationships.Indiansarevery
consciousofthesocialorderandoftheirstatusrelativetoothersinsociety.A
largepartofthishierarchicalemphasiscanbetracedtotheinfluenceof
HinduismandthetraditionofthecastesysteminIndia.

Hinduism'sbeliefinkarmaandreincarnationgenerallytranslatestothebelief
thatoneisbornintoaspecificsituationinlifebasedonpreviouslifeactions.In
thisway,thereligioncontributestohierarchicalattitudes.One'spositioninlife
wastraditionallynottobeovercomeintheWestern,materialsenseof
achievement.Rather,onewasexpectedtoacceptone'ssituationinlifeandlive
uptoitsresponsibilities.

Inthebusinesssetting,hiringforcertainjobsmaynaturallyfocusonpeople
fromparticularlevelsofsociety,orconversely,statusmaybeattachedto
specifictasks.Whileforforeignbusinesspeoplecastemaybelargelyinvisible,
statusissuesremainveryimportant.

Titles,educationaldegrees,andjobpositionsindicatetheachievementsand
contributionsofanindividual,andIndiansalwaysacknowledgethestatus
conveyedbytheseaccomplishments.If,forsomereason,statuspositionsare
ambiguousinabusinessenvironment-somethingmoreinformalculturesoften
cultivate-Indiancolleaguesmayfeeluncomfortableuntilthestatuspositionsare
clarified.

See Also: RecognizingStatus | SocioeconomicStatus

Collectivism and Family

Ingeneral,individualsinIndiaareprofoundlyloyaltotheirextendedfamilies.
Familyrelationshipsarehighlyvalued,andtheparent-childrelationshipremains
strongthroughoutaperson'slifetime.Traditionally,severalgenerationsofa
familywouldliveinonehouse,butthisislessthecasetodayinmoreurban
areas.

Amongthemoreeducatedlevelsofsociety,peopleoftentakejobsandestablish
householdsincitiesfarfromtheirparents.Still,theemotionaltiesof
responsibilityandobligationremainstrong.Acommonpatternisforretired
parentstojointhehouseholdofmarriedchildren. Inavarietyofways,people
providematerialandemotionalsupportfortheirparentsandotherfamily
membersinneed.

Inacollectivistculture,individualsoftenputcollectivegoalsaheadoftheirown
personaldesires,asthesurvivalandcohesivenessofthegroupisofparamount
importance.Membersofacommunityaregenerallydefinedmorebytheir
relationshiptoagroupthanbytheirstatusasanindividual.Thiscontrastswith
theWesternemphasisonindividualism,inwhichtherightsofeachpersonare
emphasizedoverthegroup.

InIndia,thiscollectivismismostoftenfocusedonone'sfamily.Itdoesn't
necessarilyextendtootherareasoflife,suchastheChineseschoolorwork
groupsortheJapanesedevotiontothecompany.Ithasbeensaidthatthefamily
istheheartofIndianlifeandsociety.

Family events. Peoplecelebrateritesofpassagesuchasmarriagesingrand

style,andmembersoftheextendedfamilyareexpectedtoparticipateinthese
celebrations.AnyoneworkinginIndiamustunderstandtheirimportance.
Colleaguesneedflexibilityatcertaintimesintheirworkschedule.Youcangain
credibilityveryquicklybydemonstratingawillingnessto participateinfamily
eventsyouareinvitedtoattendandsupportcolleagueswhentheyarecalled
awaytotakecareoffamilyresponsibilities.

Indian repatriates. ItiscommonforIndianswhohavebeenlivingoutsideof

IndiatomovebacktoIndiawhentheirparentsareolder.Itmaymeanan
adjustmentforthosewhoareusedtoamoreindependentlifestyletomoveback
inwithfamily(especiallyforthedaughter-in-law),asitisusuallythehusband's
parentstheywillmoveinwith.Itishelpfultorecognizethechallengingsituations
yourcolleaguesmaybeexperiencingoutsideworkiftheyaremakingthis
transition.

Humility
Althoughthereareexceptionsinthebusinessworld,humilityandmodestyare
highlyvaluedinIndia.UnlikeinmanyWesterncountries,itisnotgenerally
appropriate,forexample,todescribeone'saccomplishmentstooopenly. When
acomplimentispaidtoyou,itisbesttorefusethepraiseandattempttoturn
theconversationtowardrecognizingtheaccomplishmentsofthepersondoing
theflattering.

Diversity of Language and Culture

Indiansareproudoftheirlonghistoryandthegreatdiversityoftheirliterary
andartisticheritage.Foreignersshouldtakecaretonotetheculturaldifferences
amongthefollowingregionsofthecountry.

Northern India isaculturallydistinctregion.Thenortherntipofthecountry,

whichspillsintotheHimalayanmountainrange,isstronglyinfluencedbyother
Asiancultures.ThenorthernmostpartofIndia,theKashmirregion,isa
predominantlyMuslimarea.Meanwhile,theisolatedregionofLadakhinnortheast
IndiaisontheChineseborderandhasTibetanBuddhistinfluence.

ThestateofPunjabishometomuchofIndia'sSikhpopulation.TheSikhsfollow
theirownuniquereligion,whichwasoriginallyconceivedasasynthesisofHindu
andIslamicthought.TheSikhholycityofAmritsarisinPunjab.TheSikhsare
amongthemostvisuallydistinctivepeopleinIndia.Themenallwearturbans
andbeards.Theyhaveareputationforbeinghardworkersandforhavinggood
mechanicalskills.

The Capital Region around Delhi servesasatransportationhub,beingthe

centerofmuchairandrailtravelto,from,andwithinIndia.Thereisasignificant
amountofindustryintheregion,andthenearbyareaofGurgaononthe
outskirtsofDelhiisanITcenterfornorthernIndia.ThisisastrongHinduregion,
particularlyinUttarPradesh.UttarPradeshisalsohometoseveralHindu
pilgrimagesites,manylocatedalongtheGangesRiver.

WhilemanypeopleinandaroundNewDelhispeakEnglish,theprimarynative
languageofcentralIndiaisHindi.Itistheofficiallanguageofgovernment,aswell
asofthemajorstatesinthearea.

Western India, whichcontainsthecityofMumbaiisthenation'smost

industrializedandaffluenturbanarea,aswellasIndia'smostpopulatedcity.Itis
thefinancialandtradingcenterofIndia,withtheportofMumbaiprocessing
nearlyhalfofthegoodsexchangedwithothercountries.ManyofIndia's
manufacturingindustriesarealsoheadquarteredinMumbai.

TothenorthandsouthofMaharashtrastatearetwodistinctregionsthatprovide
bothsimilaritiesandcontraststoMumbaionIndia'swesterncoast.Inthenorthis
Gujaratstate.Itscapital,Ahmedabad,isanindustrialareawithlargetextile,
electronics,andpetrochemicalindustries,thusprovidingacomplementtothe
nearbyindustriesofMumbai.

ThecivilizationhereisoneoftheoldestinIndia,astheIndusValleycivilization
morethan4,000yearsagogavebirthtothenameIndia.Gujaratisalsothe
birthplaceofMahatmaGandhiandthesiteoftheashramfromwhichhelaunched
manyofhisbattlesagainsttheBritishEmpire.Inaddition,theregionhaslong
beenacenterfortheJainreligion.

SouthofMumbaiisthesmallstateofGoa,whichinsomewaysstillresembles
thePortuguesecolonyitoncewas.GoaisapredominantlyRomanCatholicregion
andisknownforitsremarkablebeaches,whichannuallyattractalargenumber
offoreigntourists.

Eastern India isthepoorestregionofthecountry,symbolizedbythepoverty

ofitslargestcity,Calcutta.ThesecondlargestcityinIndia,Calcuttahadbeenthe
capitalofBritishIndiauntiltheBengalregionbecameacenteroftheIndian
independencemovement,causingthecapitaltobemovedtoNewDelhi.

Calcuttainthepastwasanimportantindustrialandtradingcenter.However,
continuingurbanchallengesandadeterioratingporthavecauseditsindustrial
basetoerode.CalcuttaisthecapitalofthestateofWestBengal(EastBengalis
nowpartofBangladesh).

Despitetheapparentpovertyofthearea,theeasternregionisalsooneofthe
mostartisticandspiritualinthecountry.Thiswastypifiedbythepresence
beforeherdeathofMotherTeresa,whoseworkwiththepoorwascenteredin
Calcutta.Bengalwasoneofthemostenthusiasticsupportersofthemovement
forIndianindependence,andalargenumberofIndia'sartists,poetsand
filmmakershavecomefromthearea.

ThepredominantlanguageofeasternIndiaisBengali.Itisthestatelanguageof
WestBengalandisspokenbymanypeopleinBangladesh.Thestatelanguageof
OrissaisOriya,whichisalsoIndicinorigin.

Southern India, mostnotablythestateofTamilNadu,hasbeendescribedas

thepurestIndianregionofIndia.Whilethenorthernpartofthecountry
assimilatedwithAryaninvadersandlatermixedwithMuslimconquerors,partsof
thesouthwereabletoretainsomeindependenceandasenseoftheirindigenous
culture.ThisismosttrueofTamilNadu,whichmanagedtoremainlargelyfreeof
Aryan,Muslim,andevenEuropeaninfluences.Thus,itisastrongHinduregion.
ThepeopleofthisareaarecalledTamilians.

ThemaincityoftheregionisChennai(formerlyknownasMadras),India'sfourth
largesturbanarea.Ithasarapidlyexpandingindustrialbase,particularlyin
transportationequipmentandengineeringindustries.Thereisalsoathriving
TamilfilmindustrybasedinChennai.

NorthwestofTamilNaduisthestateofKarnataka.Whilemuchofthisstateis
ruralandagricultural,thecapitalcityofBangaloreisamajorbusinesscenter.Its
pleasantclimateandexpandingindustrialbase,particularlyinelectronicsand
computers,havemadeitoneofthecountry'sfastestgrowingcities.

See Also: LanguageIssuesinIndia

KeyPoints:
AlthoughtheconstitutionofIndiaproclaimstheseparationbetweenchurch
andstate,religioninfluencesmuchoflifeinIndia
Indiansareveryconsciousofthesocialorderandoftheirstatusrelativeto
othersinsociety
IndividualsinIndiaareprofoundlyloyaltotheirextendedfamilies;it's
commonforretiredparentstojointhehouseholdofmarriedchildren
Participateinfamilyeventsyouareinvitedtoattendandsupport
colleagueswhentheyarecalledawaytotakecareoffamilyresponsibilities
Indiansareproudoftheirlonghistoryandthegreatdiversityoftheir
literaryandartisticheritage

FIELDNOTES
CommentsfromotherGlobeSmartusersrelatedtothistopic.

Southern India Nov03,2006

Thesouthhasotherstatesofitsuniqueimportance.AndhraPradesh,state
capital:Hyderabad,isknownforitssoftwareskills,Karnataka,statecapital:Bangalore,
isknownforhardwareandsoftwareindustryandKerala,statecapital:Tiruvanathapur,
isknownforscenicbeauty.

Inquiries of a Personal Nature Jun19,2006

Don'tbesurprisedwhenanIndiancolleagueasksaboutyourfamily.Thisisan
appropriaterelationshipbuildingdiscussioninaninformalsetting.Talkingaboutyour
family,especiallychildren,theirageandwhattheyarestudyinginschoolisacommon
wayofintroducingyourself.

Indian Marriage Apr20,2005

IbelievetheinstitutionofmarriageismoresuccessfulinIndiabecauseofthelifelong
commitmentwiththepartner.
Peoplestillvalueandfollowtheoldtraditionofone-marriageforlife.
InIndia,marriageisconsiderednotonlyoftwopersonsbutoftwofamilies.Divorce
rateisverylow.
 Humbleness
"Don'tbesurprisedwhenyoucomplimentsomebodyontheiroutfitandtheyreply'But
Idon'tlikeit.'"

India: Greetings
Greetings
Names&Titles

Greetings
Greetings today. ItiscommonforIndianmentogreetforeignmenwitha
handshake,buttheymaynotdothesamewithforeignwomen.Thisisa
demonstrationofrespectforawoman'sprivacyanddignity.Itisagoodideato
offeryourhandtoanIndianwomanonlyaftershehasinitiatedahandshake.
Otherwise,smileandnodinstead.

Greetseniorpeoplefirst,bothinbusinessandsocialsettings.Ifyouarenot
surewhoisthehighest-rankingpersonpresent,greettheoldestpersonfirst.

See Also: Hierarchy

Traditional greetings. Indianstraditionallygreeteachotherandsay

goodbyewithagesturecallednamaste (nah-mah-stay).Asthewordisspoken,
thespeakerholdsthepalmsofthehandstogetherbelowthechinwithfingers
pointingupward.Oftenthespeakerwillnodslightlywhilesaying"namaste."
Whengreetingasuperior,aslightbowisaddedtothegesture.

Indianstendtobehaveverycourteouslyinmoreformalsettings,andwilltypically
askpermissionbeforetakingleaveofothers.

Names & Titles

Titles are very important in India. Useprofessionaltitlesiftheindividual
hasone,orperhapstitleslinkedwithformerpositions,suchasthemilitary.The
common Englishtitles,"Mr.,Mrs.,Ms,Dr.",areusedineverydayconversations
andmeetings.Inextremelyformalsituationsyoumighthearthefollowing
Sanskritizedforms:

Shri =Mr.
Shrimati =Mrs.
Kumari =Ms,Miss

KeyPoints:
Indianmengreetforeignmenwithahandshake,buttheymaynotdothe
samewithforeignwomen
Greetseniorpeoplefirst;ifindoubt,greettheoldestpersonfirst
Titlesareimportant;trytoknowthembeforetheintroduction
Englishtitles,"Mr.,Mrs.,Ms,Dr.",areusedineverydayconversationsand
meetings
Indianstraditionallygreeteachotherandsaygoodbyewithagesture
callednamaste (nah-mah-stay).Asthewordisspoken,thespeaker
holdsthepalmsofthehandstogetherbelowthechinwithfingerspointing
upward

FIELDNOTES
CommentsfromotherGlobeSmartusersrelatedtothistopic.

Addressing Formally
 "WhenworkinginIndiaIhadtogetusedtobeingcalled"madam"or"Mrs.Ann"butI
quicklyrealizeditwaswhattheyweremostcomfortablecallingmeanditindicateda
mixofrespectandfamiliarity"

Custom of Blessing
"Touchingtheheadofanotherpersonwithyourhandsisconsideredasblessinginall
partsofIndia.ItisunacceptableformostIndianstobetreatedinthismannerbya
foreigner.Womenarenotexpectedtodothisgestureunlesstheyareveryoldand
respectable."

First Name-Bases in Modern Companies

"InmoderncompaniesinIndia,callingpeoplebytheirfirstnamesisverycommonand
lastnamesarehardlyeverrequiredineverydayusage.Itisperfectlyacceptabletouse
firstnames,andaperson'sfirstnamecanbeprefixedwith'Mrs.,'etc.,informal
settings."

India: Business Cards

ItiscustomarytoexchangebusinesscardsinIndia.Englishisthemost
universallyusedlanguageoncards.

Indianscommonlyincludeontheirbusinesscardsalltheireducationaldegrees
andtitles(currentandpreviouslyheld),aswellastheircurrentpositionintheir
company.Foreignbusinesspeoplemightalsowanttoincludetheireducational
degrees,aswellasthenamesofanyprestigiouseducationalinstitutions
attended.

See Also: BuildingRelationships

KeyPoints:
ItiscustomarytoexchangebusinesscardsinIndia
Englishisthemostuniversallyusedlanguageonbusinesscards
Indianscommonlyincludealltheireducationaldegreesandtitlesontheir
businesscards
Foreignbusinesspeopleshouldalsoconsiderincludingtheireducational
degrees

India: Gifts
GiftsarenotusuallygiveninabusinesscontextinIndia.Giftsareappropriate
however,ifyouareinvitedtovisitanIndianathisorherhome,buttheyare
seldomopenedinfrontofthegiver.

Appropriate gifts:

Candyorothersweets
Fruit
Itemssymbolicofyourhomecountry
Qualitywine,whisky,orotheralcoholicbeverages(aslongasyouaresure
thatyourhostdrinksalcohol)
Flowers(withtheexclusionoffrangipani, whichareforfunerals)
Toysforchildren
Perfumeforwomenofthehousehold
Giftswrappedincolorsthatareconsideredauspicioussuchasgreen,red,
oryellow.

Inappropriate gifts:

Leatheritemsoritemsmadefromotheranimals
Giftswrappedinblackorwhitepaper,colorsthatareconsidered
inauspicious
ToMuslims,imagesorfiguresofdogs:theseareconsideredunclean.

See Also: Payments/Bribery | VisitingaHome

KeyPoints:
GiftsarenotusuallygiveninabusinesscontextinIndia,butbringagift
wheninvitedtoahome;Notethatthegiftmaynotbeopenedinfrontof
you
Appropriategiftsinclude:candyorothersweets;fruit;itemssymbolicof
yourhomecountry;qualitywine,whisky,orotheralcoholicbeverages
;flowers(withtheexclusionof frangipani, whichareforfunerals);toys
forchildren;perfumeforwomenofthehousehold;giftswrappedincolors
thatareconsideredauspicioussuchasgreen,red,oryellow
Inappropriategiftsinclude:leatheritemsoritemsmadefromother
animals;giftswrappedinblackorwhitepaper,colorsthatareconsidered
inauspicious;toMuslims,imagesorfiguresofdogs:theseareconsidered
unclean

India: Business Hours

OfficialbusinesshoursinIndiavaryimmenselyfromregiontoregion.Checkwith
yourcontactsinthecityyouarevisitingandwiththehotelwhereyouare
stayingtoconfirmlocalbusinesshours.Generally,inmetropolitanareasbusiness
hoursare:

Businesses:MondaythroughFriday,9:30amto5:30pm;somearealso
openonSaturdaysfrom9:00amto12:00noon
Banks:limitedhours,varyingsignificantly
Governmentoffices:usuallyMondaythroughFriday,9:00amto6:00pm;
someSaturdays
Lunch:usuallytakenbetween1:00and2:00pm.

See Also: AttitudesTowardBusiness&Money

KeyPoints:
OfficialbusinesshoursinIndiavaryimmenselyfromregiontoregion;
checkwithyourcontacts
Inmetropolitanareasbusinesshoursaregenerally:Mondaythrough
Friday,9:30amto5:30pm;somebusinessesarealsoopenonSaturdays
from9:00amto12:00noon;Banks:limitedhours,varyingsignificantly;
governmentofficesusuallyMondaythroughFriday,9:00amto6:00pm;
someSaturdays;Lunchisusuallytakenbetween1:00and2:00pm

India: Business Attire

Generallyspeaking,businesspeopledressmorecasuallyinIndiathaninmany
otherAsiancountries.Clothesshouldbecomfortableinthehot,summermonths,
butalwaysneatandcrisplyironed. IftravelingtonorthernpartsofIndia,be
awarethattemperaturescanbequitecool,especiallyintheevening.

Men. Thedegreeofformalitywilldependontheindustry,butingeneral,
businessmenwillwearlongpants,short-sleevedshirts,andties. Nojacketis
necessaryintheoffice,butoneisoftenworntomeetingswithpeopleoutside
one'sownorganization.

Women. Indianwomentypicallywearthetraditionalsalwar kameez or

kurta (flowingpantscoveredbyalong,loose,shinorhip-lengthtop)towork,
buthigh-levelmanagerswillmostlikelywearapantssuittomeetingswith
management.Pantsforwomenareacceptable,buttheyshouldnotbe
tight-fittingorrevealing.Womenmayalsowearthetraditionalsari.

Forwesternwomanitisacceptabletowearthelocalclothingasitisseenasa
signofappreciationfortheculture. Wearingtraditionalclothessuchassalwar
kameez ismostappropriateinsocialsettings,whileasuitorpantsand
long-sleevedblousemaystillbethemostfittingforabusinessmeeting. Skirts
anddressesarealsoappropriate,butavoidhighhemlines,lownecklines,and
sleevelesstops.
sleevelesstops.

Indianwomenwilloftenwearaspecialnecklacecalledamangalasutra,the
Indianequivalentofthewesternweddingring.Itisamoretraditionalpractice
althoughitiswidelyfollowedeveninthecities.

See Also: WomeninBusiness

KeyPoints:
BusinesspeopledressmorecasuallyinIndiathaninmanyotherAsian
countries.
Clothesshouldbecomfortableinthehot,summermonths,butalwaysneat
andcrisplyironed.
Businessmengenerallywearlongpants,short-sleevedshirts,andties.
Forwesternwomanitisacceptabletowearthelocalclothingasitisseen
asasignofappreciationfortheculture,butyoushouldavoidhigh
hemlines,lownecklines,andsleevelesstops.

India: Making Appointments

Itisadvisabletomakeappointmentswellinadvanceofyourscheduledvisitto
India.Anemailorletterrequestinganappointmentshouldbefollowedupwitha
telephonecallwithinoneortwoweeks. Confirmappointmentsbyphonetheday
beforethescheduledtime.

See Also: VirtualCommunication

Punctuality. Bepreparedforscheduledmeetingstostartlatebutalwaysplan
toarriveontime.Ifyouhavemorethanonemeetingplannedduringtheday,
spacethemeetingsfarenoughapartthatyouwillbeabletoarriveontimein
caseyouaredelayed.Trafficincongestedareasmustalwaysbetakeninto
account.

See Also: ViewofTime

Holidays. AvoidplanningtripsaroundreligiousholidaysinIndia.Youare
likelytofindthatyourcontactshaveothercommitmentsduringtheseperiods.

Recognizing status. Whenmakingappointments,besuretoconveythe

statusandtitleofthemembersofyourgroupwhosothatyouendupmeeting
withtheappropriatecounterpart(s).Indiansarestatusconsciousandwillmake
anefforttomatchyouwiththeindividualmostequaltoyourstatus.

DecisionsaregenerallymadeatthetopofIndianorganizations,soitisadvisable
tosendhigh-rankingrepresentativestoensureaccesstothedecisionmakers.
Ifyouareunabletosecureanappointmentwiththehighest-rankingcontacts,
middlemanagerscanpromoteyourproposalfromwithintheorganizationifthey
areconvincedofitsworth.

See Also: Hierarchy

KeyPoints:
MakeappointmentswellinadvanceofyourscheduledvisittoIndia
Confirmappointmentsbyphonethedaybeforethescheduledtime
Meetingswilloftenstartlate,butyoushouldbeontime;taketrafficinto
account
AvoidplanningtripsaroundreligiousholidaysinIndia
Sendhigh-rankingrepresentativestoensureaccesstodecisionmakers

India: Gestures & Body Language

Ingeneral,Indiansarequitereservedandcarefulwiththeirbodylanguageand
gestures.Forexample,peopledonotmovetheirarmsinwideopengestures
whenspeaking,orwalkwithlongstrides.Peoplesitmodestly.Becausespecific
gesturesmayhavedeeplyrootedmeanings,trytoconsciouslylimityourownuse
ofbodylanguage.

Shaking the head side tosidedoesnotmean"no."Youwillseethis

gesturefrequently,especiallyinthesouthernpartsofIndia.Donotmistakeitfor
anegativereaction.Indiansusethisgesturetoindicatethattheyarelisteningto
whatyouaresaying.

Gestures to avoid:

Pointingthesolesofyourfeetatanotherperson.Feetareconsidered
extremelydirtyorimpure.Avoidusingyourfeettomoveortouchobjects,
especiallyreveredobjectssuchasbooks.Donotplaceyourfeetonatable
ordesk,andnevertouchsomeoneelsewithyourfoot.Ifyouinadvertently
do,apologizeimmediately.However,forholymenandwomenfeetare
consideredsacredandyoumayseedevoteesattemplesgoingforwardto
touchtheirfeet
Usingyourlefthandtoofferanythingtosomeoneortotakesomething.
Thelefthandwastraditionallyconsideredunclean,andalthoughthis
practiceisnolongerobservedascommonlyasitwasintraditionalIndia,it
issafesttouseyourrighthand
Touchinganotherperson'shead,understoodtobethepurestpartofa
person'sbody
Standingandfacingsomeonewithyourhandsonyourhips,asthisis
consideredtobeastanceofanger
Winkingatpersonsoftheoppositesex,asthiscanbeconsidered
flirtatious.

Inmoretraditionalandintimatesettings,peoplemightgrasptheirearlobeswith
theirfingerstoexpressremorseorhonesty.Toexpressanapologyandrequest
forgiveness,apersonmighttapyouontheshoulderandthentaphimselfonthe
forehead.

NotethatIndiansoftenthinkthattheWesternside-to-sidehandwavefor
"hello"indicatesthatyouwantthemtogoawayoraresaying"no."

See Also: Indirectness | ResolvingConflict

KeyPoints:
Indianstendtobereservedandcarefulwiththeirbodylanguageand
gestures
Shakingtheheadsidetosidedoesnotmean"no";thisgestureisusedto
indicatethatoneislisteningtowhatyouaresaying
Avoidexposingthesolesofyourfeetorusingyourlefthandinexchanges;
usingyourlefthandtoofferortotakesomethingfromsomeone;touching
anotherperson'shead;standingandfacingsomeonewithyourhandson
yourhips;winkingatpersonsoftheoppositesex
Toexpressanapologyandrequestforgiveness,apersonmighttapyouon
theshoulderandthentaphimselfontheforehead
IndiansoftenthinkthattheWesternside-to-sidehandwavefor"hello"
indicatesthatyouwantthemtogoaway

FIELDNOTES
CommentsfromotherGlobeSmartusersrelatedtothistopic.

Blessing
"InSikhculture,olderpeoplewillblesschildrenandyoungerpeoplebyplacingtheir
handonthechild'soryoungerperson'sheadupongreetingandleavingthem."
India: Dining, Entertaining & Hosting

BusinessEntertaining
DietaryHabits&Restrictions
Food&Drink

Business Entertaining
Hosting gatherings. Itisimportanttohostperiodicgatheringsforbusiness
colleagues,bothwithinandoutsideyourcompanyinIndia.Infact,somekindof
eventshouldbehostedforeveryoneinvolvedinyourbusiness:clients,
distributors,suppliers,andothers.Thesegatheringsareexpected; anyonewho
doesbusinessinIndiaisobligedtodemonstratehospitalitytowardeveryonewith
whomthecompanyinteracts. Otherwise,thecompanywillhavefewadvocates
tohelpfindwaysaroundinevitablebureaucratichurdles.

Visiting a home. Business-orientedsocialoccasionstendtobeheldaround

dinners ratherthanlunches,althoughpeopleoftensocializeonSunday
afternoons,gatheringforabigmealinthemiddleoftheday.FormalIndian
dinnerpartiestendtostartaround7or8intheeveningwithdrinksandsnacks,
butdinnermaynotbeserveduntilwellafter10pm.

Dietary Habits & Restrictions

WhenhostingIndiancolleaguesandfamilies,itisimportanttobeawareofthe
dietaryhabitsandrestrictionsofyourguests,suchas:

ManyIndiansarevegetarians,butpeoplewholiveonthecoastandthink
ofthemselvesasvegetariansmayalsoeatfish.
Thestrictestvegetarianseatnomeatoreggs(includingcakesorpuddings
thatmightcontaineggs).
Inthenorth,manypeopleeatchickenandmutton.
CertainHindusectsnevereatonionsorgarlic.
Muslimsnevereatpork.

Inaddition,thereareagreatnumberofpotentialfastingdaystowhichpeople
adhereaccordingtotheirpersonalreligiouspractices.

Inquiring about diet. Becausethesedietaryhabitsandrestrictionsareso

importantandvarysowidely,peoplearenotoffendedifyouaskthemabout
theirrestrictions.Infact,itisquitecommonforIndianhostseithertomakea
varietyofdishesthatwillaccommodatedifferentdietarypracticesortoasktheir
guestsaheadoftimewhatfoodstheydoanddonoteat.

Alcohol consumption. DrinkinghabitsvarywidelyacrosstheIndian

population:

Alargesegmentofthepopulation,includingmanyHindusandalmostall
Muslims,donotdrinkalcoholatall.
Manybusinessmenwhohavelivedandtraveledabroadwilldrinkbeer,
wine,andliquorsuchasbourbonandscotch.
Manyrestaurantsofferbeer;severalIndianbeercompanieshavegrown
quitesuccessfulinthepast20years.
ManyIndianswilldrinkatbusinessdinners,whetherinahomeora
restaurant,butitisnotgenerallyacceptabletobecomeintoxicated.

Food & Drink

Curry. TheunforgettablearomaofIndiaisnotjusttheheavyscentofjasmine
androsesonthewarmair.Itisalsothefragranceofspicessoimportantto
Indiancooking,especiallytopreparingcurry.Theword "curry"isanEnglish
derivativeofkari,meaningspicesauce,butcurrydoesnot,inIndia,comeasa
powder.It isthesubtleanddelicateblendingofspicessuchasturmeric,
cardamom,ginger,coriander,nutmeg,andpoppyseed.
Likeanartist'spaletteofoilpaints,theIndiancookhassome25spices(freshly
groundasrequired)withwhichtomixtherecognizedcombinationsormasalas.
Manyofthesespicesarealsonotedfortheirmedicinalpropertiesand,likethe
basicingredients,varyfromregiontoregion.

Mughlai cuisine. Mughlaicuisineisrich,creamy,deliciouslyspiced,and

liberallysprinkledwithnutsandsaffron.Theever-popularTandooricooking
(chicken,meat,orfishmarinatedinherbsandbakedinaclayoven)andkebabs
arealsonortherncuisine.

AlthoughnotallHindusarevegetarians,vegetabledishesarecommon,
particularlyinsouthernIndia.Broadlyspeaking,meatdishesaremorecommon
intheNorth,notably:

Murg makhani (butter chicken)
Rogan josh(curriedlamb)
Gushtaba(spicymeatballsinyoghurt)
Biryani(chickenorlambinorange-flavoredrice,sprinkledwithsugarand
rosewater)

Southern Indian food. CoconutisamajoringredientofsouthernIndian

cooking.Onthewestcoastthereisawidechoiceoffishandshellfish:Bombay
Duck(curriedorfriedBohmbeelfish)pomfret(asalmondish),andKerala kari
meenarejustafew.Anotherspecialtyistheparsi dhan sak(lamborchicken
cookedwithcurriedlentils)and vindaloo.FishisalsoafeatureofBengalicooking
asindahi maach(curriedfishinyoghurtflavoredwithturmericandginger)and
malai(curriedprawnwithcoconut).

Starches. Inthesouth,riceisthestaplefood;whereasinthenorth,riceis
supplementedandsometimessubstitutedbyawiderangeofflatbreadssuchas
rotis, pooris, chapatis,andnaan.CommonthroughoutIndiaaredal(crushed
lentilsoupwithvariousadditionalvegetables)anddahi,thecurdoryoghurtthat
accompaniesthecurry.Besidesbeingtasty,itisagood"cooler";moreeffective
thanliquidswhenthingsgettoohot.

Inthesouth,curriesaremainlyvegetableandinclinedtobehotter.Specialties
include:

Bhujia (vegetablecurry)
Dosa, idli, andsamba (ricepancakes,dumplingswithpickles,and
vegetableandlentilcurry)
Raitas (yoghurtwithgratedcucumberandmint)

Sweets. Theseareprincipallymilk-basedpuddings,pastries,andpancakes.
AvailablethroughoutIndiaiskulfi,theIndianicecream,rasgullas(cream-cheese
ballsflavoredwithrosewater),gulab jamuns(flour,yoghurt,andground
almonds),andjalebi(pancakesinsyrup).Westernconfectioneryisavailablein
majorcenters.

Fruit. Alsoavailableisanabundanceoffruit,bothtropical(mangoes,
pomegranates,andmelons)andtemperate(apricots,apples,andstrawberries).
Itiscommontofinishthemealbychewingpanspicessuchasaniseedand
cardamomwrappedinabetelleafasadigestive.

Snacks. Besidesthemaindishes,therearealsocountlessirresistiblesnacks
availableoneverystreetcorner,suchasBhel Puri, samosa, fritters, dosa,and
vada.Forthemoreconservativevisitor,Westerncookingcanalwaysbefound.
Indeed,thebeststylesofcookingfromthroughouttheworldcanbeexperienced
inthemajorcentersinIndia.

Soft beverages. Tea(orchai)isIndia'sfavoritedrink,andmanyofthe

varietiesareenjoyedthroughouttheworld.Itwilloftencomeready-brewedwith
milkandsugarunless"traytea"isspecified. Coffeeisincreasinglypopular.
Nimbu pani(lemondrink),lassi(icedbuttermilk),andcoconutmilkstraightfrom
thenutarecoolandrefreshing.Softdrinks(usuallysweet)andbottledwaterare
widelyavailable.

Bottled water isusuallyessentialforvisitorsandissoldeverywhereinIndia,

butmakesurethebottlesareproperlysealed.
butmakesurethebottlesareproperlysealed.

Alcoholic beverages. AhugevarietyofexcellentIndianbeerisavailable,as

wellasgoodIndian-madegin,rum,brandy,andwine.

Restaurantshavetableserviceand,dependingonareaandestablishment,will
servealcoholwithmeals.MostWestern-stylehotelshavelicensedbars.Inalmost
allbigcitiesinIndiacertaindaysoftheweekareobservedasdrydayswhenthe
saleofliquorisnotpermitted.

KeyPoints:
Business Entertainment
BusinessentertainmentisanessentialpartofdoingbusinessinIndia.
Business-orientedsocialoccasionstendtobeheldarounddinners;people
oftensocializeonSundayafternoons.
Hostsmusttrytoaccommodatetheeatinghabitsandrestrictionsof
guests.
Drunkennessisnotacceptable.

Food & Drink

Curryisthesubtleanddelicateblendingofspicessuchasturmeric,
cardamom,ginger,coriander,nutmegandpoppyseed.
Mughlaicuisineisrich,creamy,deliciouslyspiced,andliberallysprinkled
withnutsandsaffron;Tandooricookingandkebabsarealsonorthern
cuisine.
CoconutisamajoringredientofsouthernIndiancooking.
Inthesouth,riceisthestaplefood;whereasinthenorth,riceis
supplementedandsometimessubstitutedbyawiderangeofflatbreads.
Westerncookingcanalwaysbefound.
TeaisIndia'sfavoritedrink;coffeeisincreasinglypopular.
Makesurewaterbottlesareproperlysealed.
AhugevarietyofexcellentIndianbeerisavailable,aswellasgood
Indian-madegin,rum,brandy,andwine.
Certaindaysoftheweekareobservedasdrydayswhenthesaleofliquor
isnotpermitted.

FIELDNOTES
CommentsfromotherGlobeSmartusersrelatedtothistopic.

Visiting Indian Homes

"SeveraltimesinIndia,mywifeandIwereinvitedtoprivatehomeswherethehosts
didnoteatwithusbutonlyservedus.Itwasdifficulttobecomeusedto,sovisitorsto
Indiashouldbeawareofthispossibility."

Decorated Cakes for Gifts

"Whenvisitingaprivatehome,Ifoundthatdecoratedcakesfromabakerywere
excellentgifts."

Nightlife in India Feb02,2005

NightlifeinIndiaisnolongerjustaboutculturalperformancesanddances.It'svery
muchahipandhepcrowdthatenjoysitsboozeandmusicallthroughoutthenight.
True,thisisthescenarioonlyinmajorcities,butwith25statesandabout3-4major
citiesineachstate,that'sareallygoodnumber.I'veworkedinChennai,India,andI
wouldsaythatthepartiesandclubswouldbenosmallerthaninwesterncountries.In
afewmetros,nightlifeextendsbeyondpartiesandclubbing.Youcanshop,dineand
watchmoviesoranyotherthingthatyouwishtodo.
India: Tipping
TippingisexpectedinIndiabutisnotrequired:

Individualhotelstaff:a10%surchargewillbeaddedtoyourbill,butyou
maystilltipifyoufeelservicehasbeenespeciallygood.
Taxidrivers:tiponlyifyoufeelservicehasbeenespeciallygood;ifyou
havehiredadriverforanextendedstay,tiphimattheendofaweekor
two
Waiters:restaurantsoccasionallyadda10%gratuitytothebill,inwhich
caseanadditionaltipisnotnecessaryunlesstheservicewassuperior

See Also: BusinessEthics

FIELDNOTES
CommentsfromotherGlobeSmartusersrelatedtothistopic.

Tipping Sep11,2007
IgenerallyadvisemyforeigncolleaguestotiptaxidriversRs.100-500dependingon#
ofdays(upto2weeks).

India: Conversation Topics

AppropriateTopics
InappropriateTopics
Humor

Appropriate Topics
Indiahasafascinatinghistoryandrichregionalandlinguisticdiversitytoexplore.
AskingyourIndiancolleaguesaboutculturalandhistoricalpointsofinterestwill
demonstratethatyouhaveanopenattitudeandbemuchappreciated.

Peopleareveryproudoftheregioninwhichtheygrewup.Althoughtheymay
nowbelivinginalargercity,colleagueswillverymuchappreciatecuriosity
abouttheirhomestateorregion. Othertopicsthatcanhelptobuildrapportfor
buildingrelationshipsinIndiainclude:

Family
Sports
Sightseeingandtravel.

Bothwomenandmenshouldbepreparedforquestionsthatmayseemvery
personal,particularlyaboutthefamily.InIndia,itisquiteacceptabletoask
othersabouttheirage,maritalstatus,andfamilymembers.Answerthese
questionsasopenlyasyoucan.

See Also: WomeninBusiness

Inappropriate Topics
Unlessyouknowtheotherpartyquitewell,itisusuallyinappropriatetodiscuss
politicallyorculturallysensitivetopics:

Governmentandpolitics
PovertyandthestandardoflivinginIndia
HumanrightsinIndia
ReligionandconflictsbetweenreligiousgroupsinIndia

Humor
UnlikesomeWesternbusinesspeople,mostIndianbusinesspeoplewillseldom
beginapresentationorameetingwithhumor,althoughhumormaybeused
laterontobuildrapportwiththeaudienceorparticipants.

KeyPoints:
Showcuriousityaboutcolleagues'homestatesorregions
Bepreparedtoanswerpersonalquestions
Unlessyouknowtheotherpartyquitewell,avoidpoliticallyorculturally
sensitivetopics:Governmentandpolitics;povertyandthestandardof
living;humanrights;religionandconflictsbetweenreligiousgroupsin
India
Don'tintroducehumorimmediately

India: Attitudes Toward Foreigners

Hospitality. BusinesspeopleworkinginIndiawillgenerallyfindtheirIndian
colleaguesandhostswarmandhospitable.Indianshavealongandvalued
traditionofshowinghospitalitytoguests,andtheytypicallytakethisroleofhost
veryseriously.Infact,Indianbusinesspeopletravelinginothercountriesare
oftenshockedandoffendedatbeingleftsomuchontheirowninanewplace.
Indiansusuallytakegreatcaretoseethatguestsarewellfed,entertained,and
madetofeelathome.

Practical challenges. India'sbusinesscenters,primarilythecitiesof

Calcutta,NewDelhi,Bangalore,Mumbai,andChennai, offertheamenities
commontoanylargemetropolitanarea.Atthesametime,multinational
corporationspresentlyinIndiareportanumberofchallengesincluding:

Infrastructuredeficienciessuchaspoorroads,inadequatewater
systems,andinsufficientlevelsofelectricity
Cumbersomebureaucracies,withmuchredtapeandcorruption
Difficultiesassessingandnavigatingthelocalmarket,mostspecificallyin
winningandretainingcustomerloyalty,andworkinginjointpartnerships.

KeyPoints:
Indiansareexcellenthosts
Bepreparedtofacenumerouspracticalchallenges:infrastructure
deficiencies,cumbersomebureaucracies,difficultiesassessingand
navigatingthelocalmarket

FIELDNOTES
CommentsfromotherGlobeSmartusersrelatedtothistopic.

Hospitality
"Hospitalitytowardvisitors,whoareviewedasguests,isahallmarkofIndianculture.
WesternerssometimesgetuncomfortablewithIndians'expressionsofovert
friendliness,especiallyfromstrangers."

Curiosity towards Foreigners

"WhenworkinginIndiaIfoundagreatcuriositytowardforeigners,tothepointthat
strangersonthestreetwouldaskmeaboutwhereIwasfrom,whatmyimpressions
wereofIndia,didIlikethefoodetc."

India: Attitudes Toward Business & Money

Attitudestowardbusinessandmoneyvaryimmenselyfromregiontoregionin
India,whosewidelydivergentculturesinevitablyhaveproduceddifferent
businessenvironments.Thesedifferencescanbeobservedinregionalvariations
incustomerneedsandexpectations,patternsofnegotiating,andmanagement
styles.

By region. Regionsarealsocharacterizedbythewaytheyspendandinvest
money,bytheirattitudestowardworkandleisure,andbytheprioritiesthey
assigntootheraspectsoftheirlives.Forexample,ingeneral:
 Inthesouth,peopletendtobemoreconservativeaboutdisplayingtheir
wealth,aswellasmore"laidback"andrelaxed
Inthenorth,displaysofwealtharequiteacceptableandevenexpected
InthewesternstatesofGujarat,Maharashtra,andRajasthan,thereisa
strongentrepreneurialmind-set,dueinparttotheinternationaltrade
thatthesestateshavebeenexposedtoforcenturiesduetotheirproximity
totheArabianSea.

Cities alsohavetheirownpersonalitiesandidiosyncrasies:

Bangalore,inthesouthernstateofKarnataka,isknownasthe"Silicon
Valley"ofIndia.Someofthemosthighlyeducatedandskilledsoftware
engineersinthecountryhavebeendrawntoBangalore,withitsmore
than300softwarecompanies.
Mumbai(formerlyBombay),oneofIndia'smostmodernandwesternized
cities,isanimportantseaportandinternationalharborontheArabianSea.
MumbaiisalsothefinancialcapitalofIndia,housingtheWorldTrade
Center,andtheBombayStockExchange.
Chennai,bycontrast,alsoaseaportbutlocatedonthesoutheasterncoast
ontheBayofBengal,istheoneofthemosttraditionalofIndia'slarge
cities.Yet,inrecentyearsChennaihasseenaninfluxofforeign
businessesandexpatriatebusinesspeople.

KeyPoints:
Attitudestowardbusinessandmoneyvaryimmenselyfromregionto
regioninIndia
Inthesouth,peopletendtobemoreconservativeaboutdisplayingtheir
wealth,aswellasmore"laidback"andrelaxed
Inthenorth,displaysofwealtharequiteacceptableandevenexpected
Inthewest,thereisastrongentrepreneurialmind-set
Someofthemosthighlyeducatedandskilledsoftwareengineersinthe
countryhavebeendrawntoBangalore
MumbaiisalsothefinancialcapitalofIndia,housingtheWorldTrade
Center,andtheBombayStockExchange
Chennaihasseenahugeinfluxofforeignbusinessesandexpatriate
businesspeople

India: Women in Business

Current situation. IthasrecentlybecomemoreandmorecommonforIndian
womentocontinuetheircareersafterhavingchildren,especiallywhenfamily
memberscanhelpwithchildcare.Ultimately, educationandexperienceare
weightedmoreheavilythangenderinIndia.Indianwomenwhohavemadeit
throughtheeducationalsystemandareintopmanagementpositionsarewell
acceptedbycolleaguesandsubordinates.

AccordingtotheGlobalGenderGapIndexcompiledbytheWorldEconomic
Forumin2006,Indiareceivedascoreof.6010onascalefrom0to1(where1
iscompletegenderequality).Theindexmeasuresthegendergapinfourareas
(economicparticipation,educationalattainment,politicalempowerment,and
health).Indiaranked98thoverallamongthe115countriesparticipating,but
wereranked20thwithregardstopoliticalempowerment.

Positions and fields. IncontemporaryIndia,womenoccupytoppositionsin

almostallprofessionalfields,particularly:

Medicine
Law,thecourtsystem
Government
Technology,softwareengineering
Scientificresearch.
Approximatelyone-thirdofIndiancomputerprogrammerstodayarewomen,a
figurethatisoftenhigherthanthatofcounterpartsinotherpartsoftheworld.
Althoughtherearefewerwomengraduatingfromthecivilandmechanical
engineeringprograms,whichareseenaslesssuitableforwomen,thenumberof
womengraduatingfromtheengineeringcollegeswithelectronicsandcomputer
sciencedegreesisgrowing.

Theemergingservicesectoroffersentryandmidlevelpositionsthatarebeing
filledbywomenwhoarepredictedtocontinueontothecorporateprofessional
track.However,intheprestigiousmanagementinstitutes,thelargemajorityof
advancedstudentsaremale.

Childcare. Indianmultinationalsarenowtakingintoaccountthattheyhave
workingmothersandarestartingtoprovideinstitutionalsupportsuchas
childcare.

See Also: ImpactofTraditionalExpectations

Foreign businesswomen. BusinesswomentravelingtoIndiawillfindthatin

mostcases,althoughtheIndiancommercialworldisgenerallymaledominated,
theywillusuallybewellacceptedinbusinessgatherings. Inthefewinstances
whenforeignbusinesswomenmaynotfeelacknowledgedashavingthesame
authorityastheirmalecolleagues,theywillfindthattherespecttheyareshown
willincreaseastheirexpertiseandauthorityarerecognized.

See Also: EstablishingCredibility

KeyPoints:
EducationandexperienceareweightedmoreheavilythangenderinIndia.
IncontemporaryIndia,womenoccupytoppositionsinalmostall
professionalfields.
Approximatelyone-thirdofIndiancomputerprogrammerstodayare
women.
SomeIndianmultinationalsarenowprovidingsupportsuchaschildcare.
BusinesswomentravelingtoIndiawillfindthatinmostcasestheywill
usuallybewellacceptedinbusinessgatherings.

India: Business Ethics

Corruption. AccordingtotheCorruptionPerceptionsIndexcompiledby
TransparencyInternationalin2006,businessinIndiaishighlyaffectedby
corruption.Onascaleof1-10(with10beingacountrywithnocorrupt
influences), Indiascoreda3.3.

AlthoughtheIndiangovernmenthastakenmeasurestocontrolcorruptioninits
ranks,progressinthisareawillbeslow.Somepeoplecitethelowsalariesof
politiciansandbureaucratsasoneofthefactorsfuelingcorruption. High-level
governmentofficialshavebeenlinkedwithcorruptioninanumberofindustries
andwithincidentsinvolvingthesuppressionofindividualsworkingtoexpose
corruption.
Payments/bribery. Beyondthehallsofgovernment,corruptionpermeates
manylevelsofbusiness.Paymentstofacilitatelegaltransactionsaswellas
briberymoneytoinfluencedecisionmakingarecommonplace."

Developapolicyfordealingwithcorruptpracticesbeforebeginningtoworkin
India.CitingtheForeignCorruptPracticesActisacommonstrategyfor
managerswhoarefromtheUnitedStates.However,itisalsoimportanttobe
politeandrespectfulwhendecliningtoparticipateina"specialpayment." Do
notcriticizethepersonorthecountryofIndiawhensuchsituationsoccur.The
Indiansrequestingpaymentgenerallyviewthemselvesassimplyoperatingwithin
thesystemasitexists.

See Also: FamilyLife/WorkLifeOverlap

KeyPoints:
Indiaishighlyaffectedbycorruption,scoringa3.3outof10inthe
CorruptionPerceptionsIndexcompiledbyTransparencyInternationalin
2006.
 Corruptionhasasignificantimpactongovernmentandbusiness.
Developapolicyfordealingwithcorruptpracticesbeforebeginningto
workinIndia.
Bepoliteandrespectfulwhendecliningtooffer"specialpayments."

India: Work-Related Recreation & Benefits

WiththecurrentcompetitivemarketinIndia,manyorganizationscanuse
companyperksasawaytoattractandretainpeople.Cellphones,flexiblework
schedulestoworkremotely,andtraininganddevelopmentopportunitiesare
common.Someorganizationsprovideaninternationalassignmentasanincentive
aswell.

See Also: Recruiting&Hiring

KeyPoints:
Manyorganizationscanusecompanyperksasawaytoattractandretain
people
Cellphones,flexibleworkschedulestoworkremotely,andtrainingand
developmentopportunitiesarecommon
Someorganizationsprovideaninternationalassignmentasanincentiveas
well

FIELDNOTES
CommentsfromotherGlobeSmartusersrelatedtothistopic.

Company car Dec06,2006

Itisacommonpracticetoprovideacompanycarwithadriver.

India: Ethnic Demographics

Ethnic Groups
Indo-Aryan:72%
Dravidian:25%
Mongoloidandother:3%

Literacy Rate
59.5%

Population
1,080,264,388(July2005est.)

India: Language
Englishistheprimarylanguagefornational,political,andcommercial
communication.Hindiisthenationallanguageandprimarytongueof30%ofthe
people. OtherlanguagesspokeninIndiainclude:

Assamese(official)
Bengali(official)
Gujarati(official)
Hindustani(apopularvariantofHindi/UrduinnorthernIndia)
Kannada(official)
Kashmiri(official)
Konkani(official)
Malayalam(official)
Manipuri(official)
Marathi(official)
Nepali(officia)
Telugu(official)
Oriya(official)
 Punjabi(official)
Sanskrit(official)
Sindhi(official)
Tamil(official)
Urdu(official)

See Also: DiversityinLanguage

Keypoints:
Englishistheprimarylanguagefornational,political,andcommercial
communication
Hindiisthenationallanguageandprimarytongueof30%ofthepeople

India: Religion
Predominantly Hindu nation. Mostofthemajorreligionsoftheworldcanbe
foundinIndia.Despitethisdiversityofreligions,however,81%oftheIndian
populationisHindu,givingthisreligionsignificantinfluenceonIndianlifeand
thought.Hinduismgoesbackmorethan3,000years,makingittheoldestofthe
world'smajorreligions.Ithasproventobearesilientsetofbeliefs.Indiahas
givenbirthtoBuddhismandhasbeenconqueredbyIslamicrulersbut,throughit
all,HinduismhassurvivedastheprimaryreligionoftheIndianpeople.

See Also: ReligiousDiversity

A large Muslim minority. Muslimsmakeupthelargestminorityreligionin

India,accountingfor12%ofthepopulation.Itistheprimaryfaithin
neighboringPakistanandBangladesh.BothofthesecountrieswereIslamic
majorityregionswithintheBritishIndianEmpire.WhenIndiagainedits
independencein1947,theseregionssplitofffromIndiatoformEastandWest
Pakistan.EastPakistanbecameBangladeshin1974.

Other religious minorities. Buddhists,Sikhs,andChristiansconstitutesmall

butsignificantreligiousminorities,accountingforaround5%ofthepopulation:

BuddhismisnativetoIndia.SiddarthaGautama,alsoknownasthe
Buddha,wasborninIndia,butthereligionwasneverabletosupplant
Hinduism.Itismuchmorewidespreadandhashadgreaterinfluencein
EastAsia
Sikhismdatestothe16thcentury.ItcombinesHindubeliefs,suchas
reincarnation,withIslamicthought,includingastrictmonotheism.Sikhs
aredistinctivevisually,asallmenwearturbansandbeards
ChristianityhasexistedinIndiasincethefirstcenturyA.D.,whenitwas
broughttherebySt.Thomas.ThelargestChristianfaithinIndiais
Catholicism, althoughProtestantismhasgrowninrecentdecades
Finally,therearealsopocketsofadherentstootherreligionsthroughout
theIndiannation.TheseincludeJudaism,Jainism,andZoroastrianism.
JainismisaHindusectnotableforitsstrongbeliefinnonviolence,even
goingtosuchlengthsastoavoidkillinginsects.Zoroastrianismisan
ancientreligionofPersia,beingfoundedinIraninthe6thcenturyB.C.It
arrivedinIndiainthe10thcenturyA.D.,whenZoroastriansfledMuslim
persecutionintheMiddleEast.

KeyPoints:
Eighty-onepercentoftheIndianpopulationisHindu
MuslimsmakeupthelargestminorityreligioninIndia,accountingfor12%
ofthepopulation
BuddhismwasborninIndia,butitwasneverabletosupplantHinduism
SikhismcombinesHindubeliefs,suchasreincarnation,withIslamic
thought,includingastrictmonotheism
ThelargestChristianfaithinIndiaisCatholicism
Therearealsopocketsofadherentstootherreligionsthroughoutthe
Indiannation.TheseincludeJudaism,Jainism,andZoroastrianism
India: Government Structure & Politics
Indiahastheworld'slargestdemocracy,intermsofpopulation,withmorethan
400millioneligiblevoters.Thenationisgovernedbyaconstitutionwhichwas
adoptedin1950,threeyearsafterthecountrygainedindependencefromGreat
Britain.

Parliamentary Democracy. India'sgovernmentismodeledaftertheBritish

system.Itisaparliamentarydemocracywithatwo-camerallegislature.The
lowerhouseiscalledtheLokSabha(HouseofthePeople)andhas545members.
Thelegislatorsareelectedonthebasisofpopulation,witheachmember
representingmorethanonemillionconstituents.Theupperhouseofthe
legislatureisnamedtheRajyaSabha(CouncilofStates)andhas250seats.

The Prime Minister isthechiefexecutiveoftheIndiangovernment.He/sheis

theleaderofthemajoritypartyorcoalitionintheLokSabha.

The President iselectedbymembersofthetwo-camerallegislature,aswell

asbyrepresentativesofthestategovernments.ThePresidentservesasa
symbolicheadofstatewithlittlerealpowertomanageIndia'sday-to-dayaffairs.

Political parties. AlthoughthereareseveraldozenpoliticalpartiesinIndia,

thecountrywasruledformuchofthetimesinceindependencebytheCongress
Partyandevenbymembersofthesamefamily.ThefirstPrimeMinisterwas
JawaharlalNehru.Hewaslaterfollowedbyhisdaughter,IndiraGandhi,andlater
byherson,RajivGandhi.

Sincethelate1990s,otherpartiesandleadershavegainedprominenceinIndia,
mostprominentlytheBharatiyaJanataParty,aHindunationalistgroup.Inthe
pastfewyears"CoalitionGovernments"havebecomeincreasinglymorevisible
solutionstogovernance,wherelike-mindedindividualparties(withnoclear
individualmajorityintheelections)cometogethertoformacoalitionandstake
claimtothegovernmentofthecountry.

Federalism. Indiahasafederalsystemofgovernment,inwhichthecentral
governmentandthe25statessharepower.Thepowertomanageeducation,
agricultureandapoliceforce,forexample,arereservedforthestates.The
nationalgovernment,however,hastheabilitytotakepowerinanystateifan
emergencysituationarises.

KeyPoints:
Indiaisaparliamentarydemocracywithabicamerallegislature
ThePrimeMinisteristhechiefexecutiveofgovernment
ThePresidentservesasasymbolicheadofstate
ThegovernmentofIndiafollowsafederalsystem,inwhichcentral
governmentand25statessharepower

India: Government Influence on Business

Priorto1980,industrialgrowthinIndiawassporadic.Throughoutthemid-1980s,
Indiapursuedapolicyofsocialismunderwhichthestatetightlycontrolledmost
industries.Foreigninvestmentwasdiscouragedexceptforspecificareasof
technologytransfer.Byearly1990,theIndianeconomywasneardefaultasa
resultofhighinflation,deficitspending,andthefallofoneofIndia'smajor
tradingpartners,theUSSR.

Liberalization. Governmentinterventionhasdecreasedsignificantlysince
1991,whenIndiaabandoneditssocialistorientationandrelaxedmany
previouslyrestrictiveregulationsthatweredesignedtoinsulatethecountryand
protectdomesticfirmsagainstcompetition.Sincethen, thebusiness
environmenthasbecomemuchmoreopentoforeigninvestment,withincreased
freedomformarketentry,production,exportsandimports,andaliberalized
tradepolicy.ForeigninvestorsaredrawnbythesizeofIndia'smarket,aswell
asitslargepoolofskilledlabor.Indiagraduatesmoreengineerseachyearthan
ChinaandSouthKoreacombined.

Manyoftheregulationsthatdostillremainareinplaceforstrategicand
environmentalreasons.India'sindustrialgrowthhasbeenfacilitatedbyitshighly
educatedandsophisticatedlaborforcethatdemandsrelativelylowtomoderate
wages.Middle-andupper-levelmanagersoftenspeakseverallanguages;oneof
theseisusuallyEnglish.

See Also: BusinessEthics

Government support. Thegovernmenthasalsoputconsiderablemoneyinto

severalindustriesandsupportsforeigninvestmentintheseareas:tourism,
telecommunications,electronics,andcomputersoftware.Inaddition,thereare
numeroustaxandinvestmentincentivesavailabletoforeigncorporations.

Consumer market. Asaconsumermarket,Indiahasgreatpotential,butit

remainstobeseenhowsuccessfulforeignbusinesseswillbeinthiscountry.The
recordismixedformultinationals.India'spopulationexceedsonebillion,making
itthesecondmostpopulatedcountryintheworldafterChina.Indiaisthelargest
democracyintheworldandincreasinglyreceptivetoworldtradeandforeign
investment.Inaddition,theaverageincomelevelofIndiansisgrowing.A1998
WorldBankestimateplacedaverageannualhouseholdincomes(intermsof
purchasingpower)atUS$6,452.Buttherearelargesegmentsofthepopulation
whoseincomelevelsaresignificantlyhigher,growingfaster,andspurringa
consumerrevolution.

Infrastructure. Onthenegativeside,India'sexistinginfrastructureis
substandard.Roads,railways,ports,andelectricalandwatersystemsall
requireimprovements.Thegovernmenthasmaderecentmovestoprivatizethe
developmentofmuchofthedomesticinfrastructure,andopportunitiesexistfor
businessinvestmentintheseareas.

Cross-border outsourcing. Recentstudiesindicatethatseveralmillion

white-collarservicejobswilllikelybeoutsourcedtoIndiaandothercountriesby
2015,resultinginacross-borderoutsourcingindustrythatcouldbeworthtensof
billionsofdollars.Ahighly-educated,English-speakingpopulationhasmadeIndia
thecurrentworldleaderinattractingthesejobs.IndiancitiessuchasBangalore,
ChennaiandGurgaonareatthecenterofthesenewindustries.

KeyPoints:
Governmentinterventionhasdecreasedsignificantlysince1991
Thebusinessenvironmenthasbecomemuchmoreopentoforeign
investment,withincreasedfreedomformarketentry,production,exports
andimports,andaliberalizedtradepolicy
India'sindustrialgrowthhasbeenfacilitatedbyitshighlyeducatedand
sophisticatedlaborforcethatdemandsrelativelylowtomoderatewages
Middle-andupper-levelmanagersoftenspeakseverallanguages;oneof
theseisusuallyEnglish
Therearenumeroustaxandinvestmentincentivesavailabletoforeign
corporations
Asaconsumermarket,Indiahasgreatpotential
India'sexistinginfrastructureissubstandard

India: History
Early Years
Indiaisanancientlandwhichwassettledthousandsofyearsago.Thefirst
civilizationontheIndiansubcontinentcanbetracedtoabout2500B.C.Hinduism
goesallthewaybacktothisearlycivilization,whichappearstohavebeenruled
byreligiousleaders.Afterabout1,000years,thepeoplewereconqueredby
AryantribesfromcentralAsia,whoassertedcontrolovermuchofIndia.

DespitetheAryanruleinIndia,theHindureligiousleadersretainedsignificant
influence.WhiletheAryantribesassimilated,thecontinuedpowerofthepriests
isthoughttorepresentthebeginningsofthecastesysteminIndia,asthepriests
(Brahmins)wereregardedasasuperiorclass.Atthesametime,theAryans
settledprimarilyinthenorthernregionofthecountry,whilemanyofthe
indigenouspeoplemovedsouthward.Eventoday,therearedifferencesbetween
northernandsouthernIndiawhichcouldbeattributedtothemigrationofpeople
duringthistime.
BuddhismwasborninIndiaabout500B.C.Itwasfoundedontheteachingsof
SiddarthaGautama,alsoknownastheBuddha.BuddhismgrewquicklyinIndia
andevenbecamerecognizedasthestatereligionforatime.Hinduismheldits
own,however,andgrewagaininpopularitystartinginthe3rdcenturyA.D.The
Buddhistreligionlaterspreadintoothercountries,eventuallybecomingmore
influentialinEastAsiathaninthelandofitsbirth.

Themostfar-reachingoftheearlyIndianempireswastheMauryan,which
reacheditszenithinthemiddleofthe3rdcenturyB.C.underEmperorAshoka.It
wasAshokawhodeclaredBuddhismthestatereligion.Amissionarysentby
AshokabroughtBuddhismtoSriLanka,whereitisstillthelargestreligion.The
MauryanEmpirecollapsedintheearly2ndcenturyB.C.,justdecadesafter
Ashoka'sdeath.

Duringthenextcenturies,severaldifferentempiresroseandfellinIndia,
includingtheSungasandGuptasinthenorthandtheChalukyasandCholasin
thesouth.Therewasoftenagreatdifferencebetweeneventsinthenorthand
southofIndia.Notonlydiddifferentempirescontrolthesedisparateregionsof
thesubcontinent,buttheywereattimesinfluencedbydifferentreligionsandby
interactionswithdifferenttradingpartners.WhileBuddhismroseandfellinthe
north,forexample,Hinduismremainedamorepotentforceinthesouth.

The Coming of Islam

Islamicinvadersmadetremendousadvancesinthenameoftheirreligionduring
thefirstcenturiesafterthedeathofMohammed.Notonlydidtheysweepthough
centralAsia,northernAfricaandintosouthernEurope,buttheyalsopushed
eastwardintoIndiaandSoutheastAsia.TheMusliminvasionsoftheIndian
subcontinentbeganinthe8thcentury,butitwasn'tuntilthe12thcenturythat
theywereabletoexertsignificantcontroloverpartsofnorthernIndia.Fora
time,aHindukingdominsouthIndiacoexistedwithaMuslimkingdominthe
north.Bythe16thcentury,theentireregionwasunderthecontroloftheIslamic
MoghulEmpire.

TheMoghulperiodisoneofthemostnotableinIndianhistory.OnlyAshoka's
reigninthe3rdcenturyB.C.andthelaterBritishcolonialrulewereabletoexert
controloverasmuchofIndiaastheMoghuls.Theartsflourishedduringthis
periodandmanyofIndia'sarchitecturalmasterpieceswereconstructed,including
theTajMahalatAgra.TheMoghulsofthe16thandearly17thcenturypracticed
religioustoleranceandutilizedHindusintheiradministrations.Butsomeofthe
laterMoghulrulersinsistedonamorefundamentalistIslamicstate.Thiswasone
ofthecausesofinternalrevoltswhicheventuallyweakenedtheirrule.

British Colonial Rule

TheBritisharrivedinIndiaduringthe17thcentury,establishingatradingpostat
Suratin1612andothersatMadras,Bombay,andCalcuttainthenextdecades.
Formorethanacentury,theBritishandFrenchbattledforcontroloftheIndian
subcontinent.Bytheturnofthe19thcentury,Indiawaslargelyunderthe
controloftheBritishEastIndiaCompanyandwasformallyruledbythe
governmentofGreatBritainafter1858.

TheBritishinfluenceonIndiawassignificantinanumberofways:

TheEnglishlanguagewasestablishedasthelanguageofgovernmentin
India,whichhelpedtoconnectindividualsfromvariousregionswhospoke
differentlanguages.EventodaymanyIndiansuseEnglishtocommunicate
withoneanother
TheBritishdevelopedagovernmentandbureaucraticinfrastructureinthe
nation.WithBritishassent,IndiansformedaNationalCongressattheend
ofthe19thcenturyandgainedameasureofautonomyandself-rule.This
helpedlaythefoundationforIndia'spresentdaydemocratictradition
Inthecommercialarea,althoughtheBritishgreatlydamagedthelocal
textileindustry,theydidhelptoconstructalargerailnetworkanddevelop
theagriculturalandminingindustries
Bypracticingapolicyofnon-interferenceinreligiousandculturalmatters,
theBritishenabledHinduismtoundergoaresurgenceinthelate19thand
early20thcenturies.ReformerssuchasRamakrishna,Swami
Vivekananda,andSriAurobindomanagedtointerpretHindubeliefsfora
modernaudience,increasingthereligion'sappealamongIndians.
 modernaudience,increasingthereligion'sappealamongIndians.

Independence
Intheearly20thcentury,anumberofIndianleadersbegantopressfor
independencefromBritishrule.Thesymbolicleadershipofthismovement
eventuallyfelltoMohandasGandhi,whopreachedapolicyofnonviolent,passive
resistanceagainsttheBritish.HeledgreatnumbersofIndianstoboycottBritish
textilesbyweavingtheirownclothingandtoprotestasalttaxbymakingtheir
ownsalt.GandhilaterbecameknownasMahatmaorthe"greatsoul".

India'slong,non-violentstruggletofreeitselfofBritishrulefinallycameto
fruitionwhen,afteryearsofnegotiations,thenationachievedindependencein
August,1947.

Thecomingofindependence,however,createdotherchallengesforIndia.The
Muslim-minoritypopulationdidnotwanttobepartofaHindu-majoritystateand
agitatedforthecreationofaseparatenation.Sinceacivilwarseemed
imminent,theBritishpartitionedIndiaintotwocountriesaspartofthe
independenceagreement.AlthoughthetwolargestMuslimregionswerenot
geographicallycontiguous,theywereslicedofffromIndiatoformthenationof
EastandWestPakistan.Asaresult,morethan10millionMuslimsandHindus
movedfromtheirhomestoavoidbeingpartofacountrydominatedbythe
opposingreligion.Agreatdealofinter-religiousviolenceaccompaniedthis
exodus,withmorethanaquarter-millionpeoplebeingmassacredintheprocess
ofmoving.Evenaftersuchalargescalemovementofpeople,however,millions
ofMuslimsremainedinIndia,makingitstilloneofthelargestIslamiccountries
intheworldintermsofpopulation.

ThePakistaniefforttoformanon-contiguousnationdidnotsucceed,andEast
PakistaneventuallybrokeofftoformthenationofBangladesh.Meanwhile,
borderdisputeshavecontinuedtothepresentdaybetweenIndiaandPakistan,
resultinginseveralmilitarybattlesbetweenthetwonations.

ManyofthesebattleshavebeenfoughtoverthedisputedregionofKashmir,
whichsitsattheborderofIndia,Pakistan,andChina.FormallyknownasJammu
andKashmir,thisregionwasoneofmanyprincelystatesthathadameasureof
autonomyintheBritishIndianEmpirebutwereforcedtojoineitherIndiaor
Pakistanatthetimeofthe1947partition.Kashmir'sdecision,however,was
complicatedbyitsMuslim-majoritypopulationandHindumonarch.TheKashmir
governmentatonepointagreedtobecomeapartofIndia,butaMuslim
insurgencyledtobattlesbetweenIndianandPakistanitroops.A1949ceasefire
dividedthecountryintoIndianandPakistani-controlledregions,butthedispute
hasneverbeensettledandhasescalatedseveraltimesintoarmedconflict.

AftergainingitssovereigntyfromGreatBritainandweatheringtheviolentstorms
ofpartition,theeraofIndia'sdriveforindependenceseemedtocometoa
symboliccloseinJanuary,1948,whenGandhiwasassassinated.

Aftergainingindependence,India'sfirstPrimeMinisterwasJawaharlalNehru.He
wasoneoftheworldleadersofthenonalignedmovementduringtheColdWar,
whichtriedtosteeramiddlecoursebetweentheUnitedStatesandtheSoviet
Union.NehruhadpreviouslyestablishedhimselfastheleaderoftheCongress
Party,whoseguidinginfluenceinthedecadesbeforeindependencehadbeen
Gandhi.

AlthoughIndiaisademocraticnation,itspoliticalscenesinceindependencewas
longdominatedbyasinglefamily.AfterNehru'stenureasPrimeMinister,hewas
succeededbyhisdaughter,IndiraGandhi.Shewaselectedin1966,wasousted
ina1977election,thenwonanewelectionin1980.

In1984,Mrs.GandhiwasassassinatedbyherSikhbodyguards,inretaliationfor
herdecisiontohavethemilitarystormaSikhtempletoremoveradicalprotesters
whoweredemandingtheestablishmentofaSikhnation.Afterherdeath,she
wassucceededbyherson,RajivGandhi,whoserveduntil1989.Hemadehis
markbystrivingtodevelopnewtechnologicalindustriesandopenthecountryto
foreigninvestment.ButhiseffortstoquashaTamilsecessionistmovementin
neighboringSriLankabroughthimthewrathofIndianTamilsandhewaskilled
byaterroristbombwhilebackonthecampaigntrailin1991.

India Today
Inthelate1990s,theBharatiyaJanataParty(BJP),aHindunationalistgroup,
Inthelate1990s,theBharatiyaJanataParty(BJP),aHindunationalistgroup,
gainedcontroloftheIndiangovernment.ThismarkedapowershiftinIndia
towardsanewsetofleaders.

Indiabecameanuclearpowerattheendofthe20thcenturywiththesuccessful
testingofanatomicbomb.ThiscomplicatedrelationswithPakistan,whichalso
developednuclearweapons,particularlysincethetwocountrieshadnever
resolvedtheirdisputeovertheregionofKashmir.AttacksagainstIndiaby
Muslimseparatistsin2001-02ledtoalargebuildupoftroopsonbothsidesof
theIndia-Pakistanborder.Thecrisiswasresolvedthroughdiplomacyandthetwo
nationsresumeddialogue,evenagreeinginearly2004topeacetalksthatwould
includediscussionoftheKashmirsituation.

Inadditiontocross-bordertensions,Indiaisstillstrivingforwaystodealwith
overpopulation,poverty,andenvironmentalissues.Despitethis,however,the
countryhasmadeimpressivebusinessandtechnologicalstridesandhasan
economythatcontinuestogrowandtoattractforeigninvestment.Indiahasdone
particularlywellintheexportofcomputerandsoftwareservices,andinthefield
ofbusinessprocessoutsourcing.