‘Don’t shake hands with opposite sex’

After Union tourism minister Mahesh Sharma’s no-skirt controversy, the UP tourism department is advising tourists to learn how to say namaste and avoid shaking hands.

The official website of UP tourism has a list of “dos and don’ts” in which tourists are advised to “greet local people with a smile or native form of greeting, namaste, and should avoid shaking hands especially with opposite sex”.

Tourists coming to Uttar Pradesh are also advised to wear “decent” (read decent) dresses while visiting religious places. After the issue snowballed on Wednesday, the section was deleted from the website.

Some other tips given to tourists included exchange of money from official exchange counters and respecting the traditions of the state. Tourists have also been advised to hire authorised guides who have the approval of the state government and learn a few words which will enable them to communicate with the local people.

The list of don’ts include clicking photographs that may bring disgrace, littering the tourist places, smoking and drinking in public places and religious destinations, teasing and troubling animals and purchasing goods made with animal skin.

When contacted, minister Om Prakash Singh justified the list on the website and said, “Indian culture approves of namaste and many women are not comfortable with handshakes. This is a suggestion to avoid any trouble for tourists”.

It may be recalled that union tourism minister Mahesh Sharma had asked tourists not to wear skirts which turned into a major controversy, forcing the minister to retract his statement.