Man is a social being. Being social implies acceptance and respect for certain norms and customs which hold together the edifice of a modern society. These norms are varied. Their expressions are many. Some are antiquated, some old and some inventive. Thanking is one such age old gesture of our societies to express our love and gratitude. Naturally, like most human activities and systems of this planet, there exist a plethora of means to express thanks. Kissing is one of them. And very popular one at that.

One cannot date as to how old the norm of kissing is. May be as old as lovemaking and may be even older. Yet, one doubts if there is any other subject pertaining to human expressions which has evoked greater debate, discussion, analysis and expert advice and what not. And when one talks about kissing techniques while kissing then it is all the more interesting.

For one, there is a difference between a romantic kiss and one which is just out of thanks. Thanks should be conveyed with a gentle kiss on the cheek and sometimes even lips. A more gracious way is to kiss the hands of the other person. However, in present times, it will be too antediluvian and perhaps overtly exaggerated to genuflect and kiss the hands like it used to be in medieval Europe. But that does not preclude cultural aberrations of the likes of Mongolian disciples kissing their masters’ feet with greatest of reverence and graciousness.

But kissing is also against cultural mores of some nations, especially when it comes to Muslim countries and some Asian societies, conservatism is the key. There kissing can actually invite controversy and ostricization. A love filled thank you could then turn into a big sorry for both the thanker as well as the thanked.