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Is physical contact between Indian men acceptable?

I understand that there is a cultural difference in personal space between Americans and Indians, but an Indian contractor working in the U.S. is making physical contact with me on a regular basis. The contact is subtle such as: leaning over my shoulder, pulling his chair close to me, standing behind me with hands on my shoulders, etc. I have not noticed this when he is working with others in the same room. In American culture, I would consider his contact to be flirtatious and bordering on unacceptable. I don't want to make a fool of myself or make things more uncomfortable if this is just a cultural difference.

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  • jazzy
    Lv 4
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    when i went to India I was shocked to see this, but it is acceptable and it doesn't mean they are gay.....I was surprised to see men feeding each other food/ sharing a plate, hugging and holding hands it is acceptable behavior, but in the western world we live in many Indian/ Asian guys would freak out if another man tried to do this......My brother was freaking out in all our India trip hoping no one tried to hold his hand-it was very funny to see him like that.

  • 1 decade ago

    Oh yeah, contact between men like that is fine. Infact, some Indian men even hold hands and hug each other. It's just a cultural thing.

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