Religion:
80% of the population is Hindu, 11% Muslim and the rest are Sikh, Christian and Buddhist minorities.
Social practices:
The traditional greeting is to join hands and tilt the head forward. Indian women prefer not to shake hands. To enter places of worship all visitors must remove their shoes. Most Indian footwear is removed when entering a home. Visitors should show respect when visiting someone's home, not to contravene social and religious customs. Many Hindus are vegetarian and many, especially women, do not drink alcohol. Sikhs and Parsis do not smoke. You can make small gifts to thank the hosts for their hospitality. Women dress with sobriety, and do not wear short skirts, tight pants or other garments that enhance the body lines; not even on the beach. Typically, people who are dedicated to the business world only formally view meetings and social events.
Language in India
The official language is Hindi, which is spoken by about 30% of the population. English is often used for official and commercial matters. Moreover the Indian constitution recognizes 17 other regional languages. Among other highlights: Punjabi, Bengali, Gujerati and Oriya are spoken mostly in the northern part of the country and the Tamil and Telugu are spoken in the south.
The Muslim population of India speaks mostly Urdu.
