Namaste Goes Global: France's Macron and Germany's Merkel Adopt Desi Greeting amid Covid-19

With the coronavirus pandemic changing the way the world interacts with each other, salutations and greetings are also changing. And it seems the Indian 'namaste' is a popular choice as world leaders like France's Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Angela Merkel seem to have adopted it as their chosen form of greeting.

The French President Macron was hosting Merkel for talks at his summer residence in a medieval island fortress in the Mediterranean, in southern France.

Mindful of the coronavirus outbreak, when Macron greeted the Geerman Chancellor, he replaced the traditional handshake with an Indian-style namaste, pressing his palms together and bowing slightly.

Merkel responded in a similar fashion, bowing slightly while pressing her hands together.

A video of the incident was shared by Macron on Twitter in which he welcomes Merkel to Fort Bregancon.

Many Indians have since responded to the video, some even expressing joy and pride at the desi salutation coming to the aid of world leaders in the time of coronavirus.

All India Radio also shared the video.

This is not the first time that Macron has expressed his love for the desi salutation. Earlier in March, Macron had greeted Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia in a similar fashion. Macron had also greeted Boris Johnson and Prince Charles with a Namaste when he was in London to mark the 80th anniversary of former French President Charles de Gaulle's famous appeal to resist the Nazis during the World War II.

(with inputs from Agencies)