Namaste Odia and Kannada languages, or a different greeting word is "āyubōvan" (ආයුබෝවන්) which has the meaning "wishing long life". Namaste Namaste (, Devanagari: नमस्ते, ), sometimes spoken as "Namaskar" and "Namaskaram", is a customary Hindu greeting. The term has origins in the Vedic period on the Indian subcontinent. In the contemporary era, it is found on the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and among the Hindu diaspora worldwide. It is used both for salutation and valediction. "Namaste" is usually spoken with a slight bow and hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointing upwards, thumbs close to the chest. This gesture
Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin There are also some Bahá'ís and Sikhs, but the Bahá'í and Sikh populations are relatively small. The mother tongue of Indo-Mauritians is Creole, as well as French and English in general fields, however various Indian languages are still spoken, especially Bhojpuri, Tamil, Marathi, Odia, Telugu, Hindi, and Urdu are used in religious activities. Mauritius hosts the Aapravasi Ghat, the only site of UNESCO in the world, to pay homage to the memory of indenture. Mauritius is the only Hindu majority (48.5%) country of Africa according to the 2011 census. The Indian Festivals of Maha Shivaratri, Diwali, Thaipusam, Ponggal, Ganesh Chaturthi