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The Indian headshake is one of the most common (and peculiar) gestures a traveler would come across on their journey India. The headshake is a combination of a nod and shake, and means precisely that - yes and no.
Observe the following discussion:
Traveli: Is this bus going to Cochin?
Indian: [responds with said headshake]
Meaning #1: The bus is going to Cochin
Meaning #2: The bus is going to Hampi / Rishikesh / Varanasi
Meaning #3: What is this guy on about?!
Initially, I was labouring under the misapprehension that the headshake was the only thing I knew to combine ‘yes’ and ‘no’ - the ‘maybe’. But having the wisdom of a month in this land, I note the errors of my ways, for the term ‘maybe’ has far more certainty as it guarantees one of two results - it may be or it may not be, whereas the headshake is quite different and promises no result whatsoever. It serves nothing more than a vague acknowledgement of the question (and its right to remain unanswered), and its only useful contribution is a lesson in coping with uncertainty.
And so I board the bus and let it take me to my destination - wherever that may be.
