“There doesn’t seem to be a dull, uninteresting face in the crowds. Each one — from grizzled old men with long beards and whimsical moustaches to wide-eyed children — is compelling.”

“The women have their long, dark hair pulled back and usually have a colorful bindi between their eyebrows. And there are some grizzled old white-haired men with bushy mustaches and beards who are deeply tanned and wrinkled, with big glasses that are the centerpieces of their wizened faces. Certainly this is a country that takes pride in its facial hair. I would say most of the men sport some form of a mustache or beard or both, from great big handlebars to goatees to spectacular triangular specimens that sprawl in all directions.”

“One indigenous gesture that I’ve noticed only in India is the head “waggle”, where they cock their heads side-to-side quickly like they’re shaking a baby rattle to-and-fro. Rishi said that it means, “Absolutely maybe.” Someone else said it means, “Yes” when it’s given with a serious look and “No” when given with a smile (usually a sheepish or embarrassed one). But I’m fairly certain it could express a variety of moods and meanings. It’s not always easy to decipher the nuance of each “waggle”.”

—Journal Entries From My Trip to India in 2004