The peculiar Indian head shake, wobble, or bobble is the source of much confusion and wonderment among foreigners, especially the first time one is confronted with it. It looks like a cross between a nod and shake, but does it mean yes? Or does it mean no? Or even maybe?
The confusion is made even worse when the wobble is silent. Without speech to give any clues as to the message it’s supposed to convey, it’s easy to feel bewildered.
However, once you discover the meaning of the head wobble and its many uses, what's really surprising is how infectious this gesture becomes. Anyone who's spent a considerable amount of time in India is likely to have caught themselves unconsciously wobbling their head. Even Indians who don't normally wobble their heads very much will automatically do so in response to another head wobble.
So what is the mysterious and often comical head wobble all about?