Sabeer Bhatia, one of the co-founders of Hotmail, has now provoked a new discussion regarding the Indian custom of touching the feet of elders and other respected individuals, following his recall of an old incident that took place at a gathering held at his home involving a Bollywood actress.

Bhatia recently told about a decades-old incident when he had invited a Bollywood actress to his house when there were a number of American guests present. During the evening, one of the servants recognised the actress and at once put down his tray, bent down and touched her feet; Bhatia stated that the man even lay flat on the ground.

Sabeer Bhatia Questions if Touching feet means respect

When thinking about the incident, Bhatia stated that the experience remained with him since admiration for celebrities can be strongly embedded in Indian culture. He pointed out that a thing which might seem entirely normal to one person could appear difficult to understand to someone from a different culture.

He went on to develop the discussion in a separate post on X, directly questioning the meaning of the gesture.

Bhatia questioned whether touching someone’s feet was ‘really a sign of respect’ or ‘just submission disguised as tradition’ and his question soon attracted a great deal of online attention, causing the debate to shift from issues concerning celebrity culture to the practice as a whole.

Social media debates tradition and respect

The reactions to Bhatia’s question have been mixed with some users supporting the practice by stating that touching the feet of one’s parents, elders, or people whom they genuinely respect is a means of asking for blessings and expressing affection.

People shared Bhatia’s concern and pointed out that a gesture can appear different when it is expected due to a person’s age, wealth, fame, or social status.

The discussion also brought to light the important difference between touching someone’s feet out of true respect and being forced to do so because of social expectations.