Why couldn’t National Security Advisor Ajit Doval greet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark T Esper with the traditional Namaste rather than going for more theatrical elbow bumps?

Doval exchanged elbow bumps, skipping the conventional handshake or more favoured Namaste, with Pompeo and Esper, following social distancing norms amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Namaste has emerged as popular forms of greeting among world leaders in an effort to reduce the risk of a virus spread. World leaders have taken up Namaste. It is an almost universally recognized gesture of polite salutation. Namaste, or formally also known as the Anjali mudra. In Thailand it is called wai, in Cambodia, sampeah, and in Japanese Zen Buddhism, gassho. Even Fist bumps and elbow bumps are popular with the youth. Commando Doval just missed scoring a brownie point with the Hindu culture brigade.

Pompeo and Esper were in New Delhi to discuss strategies and enhancing cooperation basically aimed at counter-checking China. Before leaving for Colombo, said US “stands with India to deal with any threat”.

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