Bobble Heads

I’ve mentioned the bobbling head phenomenon that has swept over Chennai, but I saw two particularly amazing examples of it yesterday. The first was when I asked one of the secretaries of IMSc if she had received a copy of my diploma (The Brits left an amazing amount of beurorasy around and so far I’m not liking it). To add to the amusement of the situation it might be noted that this particular secretary has such crooked teeth as to make it appear that she has a center tooth. Basically, as soon as I started talking to her she began getting prepared to answer me by bobbling her head in such a manner that I thought she might be missing a vertebra. I didn’t know exactly what to do, so I just waited for a yes and walked along.

The second example is probably the best I will see in my time here in India. I was so impressed by it that I am actually sad not to have had a video camera at that moment. Two grad students were talking near the water fountain. One had just refilled a bottle and was drinking from it as one drinks from a breik; that is, poor holding away from your mouth and catch the water in mid air. In mid sip, the other guy was saying something and he guy drinking water started bobbling his head WHILE DRINKING. He did not spill a drop. I was so damn impressed I had to tell the other American guy the moment I saw him.

I have asked the meaning of the bobbling, but I think it’s a combination of things. It is either “yes,” or a neutral visual space filler the way “um” is, or it can simply mean “ok, I hear you,” “ok, I agree with you,” or “no, but I’m waiting for you to finish speaking.

I will get a head bobble on camera! Stay tuned...