Before Coronavirus hit the world, people would greet each other with handshakes and hugs, for, this method of greeting was ingrained in the culture of many countries around the world, but, with COVID-19 changing the way we live, the methods and ways of interaction has also changed around the world. The world is now shifting to the Desi Greeting- Namaste. World leaders like France’s Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Angela Merkel seem to have also adopted it as their chosen form of greeting.
This time, French president Emmanuel Macron who was hosting German Chancellor Angela Merkel at his summer residence in the Mediterranean holiday retreat, in southern France greeted her by leaning forward and folding his hands in the traditional Namaste.
France’s Macron and Germany’s Merkel Adopt Namaste as the way of greeting
Merkel also responded in a similar fashion, bowing slightly whilst pressing her hands together.
A video of the incident has been doing rounds all over the social media platform- Twitter. Many Indians have retweeted the video and expressed their joy and pride at the desi salutation coming to the aid of world leaders in the time of coronavirus.
Let’s have a look at the video –
Seeing this, Twitter went gaga! A lot of tweets were shared and things like, Today Namaste is not just a word to greet someone. It is a practice of keeping away Corona were said.
It is worth noting that this is not for the first time that the world leaders have exchanged greetings with Namaste. US president, Donald Trump and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have also endorsed Namaste in the past.
This is not the first time that Macron has expressed his love for the desi salutation. He has also greeted Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia in a similar fashion as well.