Scout Sign?

[SSScout]

In this article about New Delhi's new airport, there is an accompanying picture that shows a wall with some decorative sculptures of hands, one of which is VERY similar to the three fingered Scout Sign. Can anyone explain the reason behind these sculptures?

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/02/AR2010070203125.html

[Scoutfish]

 

 

 

You have to be careful when it comes to hand symbols and gestures.....especially in a foreign country as there are MAJOR DIFFERENCES IN MEANINGS!

 

For example: In Great Brittain, giving the "V" ( for victory) is a gesture that means the same as giving somebody the bird in the US.

 

In Brazil, the A-OK sign ( forefinger touching thumb) is the sam as calling them an A-hole.

 

In America, holding your hand up- palm out means stop or shut up( "Talk to the hand" ) but in Asian countries, this is politely ASKING permission to speak.

[Eagle92]

'Fish,

It's not the V for Victory, as seen by Churchill, rather it's when the palm is facing you and your hand is in the V position. dates back to the Battle of Agincourt against the French, and I was told tha the American "Bird" is a polite form of the Agincourt sign.

[Stosh]

The palm-back V sign was given to the French at that battle to let them know that each of the long bowmen had sufficient appendages to do them some real damage, i.e. those two fingers were necessary to shoot the bow. Kind of a fist up, slap your bicep kind of gesture. It was definitely not a derogatory as it may be today. It was an "in-your-face" gesture.

 

As a kid I also remember that the Texas Aggie sign of first and little finger when reversed (palm back) was not something your mom and dad should see.

 

Stosh

[Hal_Crawford]

"In Brazil, the A-OK sign ( forefinger touching thumb) is the sam as calling them an A-hole."

 

When I was a teenager, I lived in Brazil for three years. My mom went back home for a couple of weeks when her mother passed away. On returning she was walking toward the terminal from the plane when she saw my dad and I standing on the balcony over the entrance to customs. She wanted to let us know she was OK and--you guessed it--she proceeded to flip off the entire Galeo International Airport.

 

 

[LIBob]

Hinduism (and Buddhism) incorporate a number of hand gestures or "mudra" into their art, meditation, etc.

 

e.g.

- the familiar yoga meditation position involves resting your hands on your lap while making a sort of "ok" sign with each hand. It represents a person joining God by overcoming three forms of egoism.

 

- another mudra involves raising your little finger and index finger like a heavy metal fan. It represents banishing demons ans ill thoughts

 

 

- the mudra resembling the scout sign is a new one to me. This source: http://www.megganbrummer.com/web_images/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20Hand%20Mudras_Yoga%20for%20the%20Fingers_Final.pdf

 

says that when that mudra is made during yoga meditation it is called the "Bhudi Mudra" and "Bhudi Mudra helps maintain the fluid balance in the body."

 

However a LOT of websites call it thre "Varun Mudra" and say it helps purify blood.

[LIBob]

I should add that:

 

- In a Roman catacomb a statue of St. Cecilia shows her making a three-fingerd gesture resembling the scout sign. It is said her gesture represents the Trinity.

page 3

http://www.josemariaescriva.info/opus_dei/enCatacombs.pdf

 

- In Taiwan and exact duplicate of the three-fingerd scout sign was used to represent the "three Peoples' Principles" (三民主義, nationalism, democracy, and livelihood)IOW loyalty to Chiang Kai Shek and his party.

 

 

 

[Eagle92]

Stosh,

Actually "Go Forth and Multiply" salute of the English WAS meant to be insulting to the French. The French knights promised to cut off the the fingers of any bowman they captured. When the Long bowman decimated the French forces, that was the English victory salute.

[NJCubScouter]

There was also one in there that sounded very similar to the Vulcan "live long and prosper" salute. (Which is actually derived from a Jewish ritual gesture, with the idea provided by Leonard Nimoy who knew of the gesture from his youth.)

 

Another interesting one was the one in the photo, to the left of the "Scout sign", with the index and middle fingers flat against the palm and the ring and pinky fingers straight up. I can't do that. My ring finger insists on bending forward at least 45 degrees from the vertical. However, my wife and son can do it with no problem. So I guess they would be better Hindus than I would?(This message has been edited by njcubscouter)

[Scoutfish]

Different people, different locales, different countries...all get something different out of the same thing.

Me, I use all caps when I am stressing a point - not yelling. To me, "yelling" on a computer is stupid: You can't hear me, so now I'll yell anfd you still can't hear me. I increased the non-volume of my statement. If I use caps, it means an emphasis on something, not yelling.

 

I "reckon" that you "pretty much" get most of what I "yakked" at yah , right?

[packsaddle]

In China I was advised never EVER to gesture to anyone with the index finger doing the very common and familiar (in this country) 'come here' gesture. I was told that it is considered to be extremely obscene (think about it).

 

NJ, I can barely do it. The position of the fingers in that sign is very difficult to achieve because the tendons of the adjacent fingers and fourth finger are very often partially connected by fibrous tissue. To test if your hand has independent tendons, place it flat on a table, fingers outstretched. Then one-by-one, attempt to raise each finger while leaving the others pressed flat to the table. The index finger works great for me making it a great one to point with. The middle one works too, as does the pinky. But that fourth finger seems to be anchored to the table and only lifts slightly. I guess Hinduism is not in the cards for me as well.

[LIBob]

So anyway it is a hindu mudra (hand gesture.)

 

While many mudra are symbolic I have not been able to find anything this mudra is supposed to symbolize.

 

Rather (some) practiitoners of yoga meditation believe that making a gesture similar to the scout sign whie meditating will purify your blood and/or help "maintain the fluid balance in the body."