osana Smith-Alvarez

As my boyfriend, my best friend and I were walking home from my birthday brunch this past Sunday, my best friend was desperately craving some Starbucks. She had recently become a vegan, and could not have any of the coffee at the restaurant. As we were in the upper west side and still had quite a few blocks to walk, I figured we would run into one. In the next block, we did just that. On the sidewalk, just in front of the entrance to the Starbucks, was a beautifully written “Namasté”. My friend, Alexia, got excited and took a picture of it. I mentioned that it is a little bit embarrassing that I do not know exactly what “Namasté” means. She turned to me and said “Oh, me neither. We just say it at the end of yoga class.” She mentioned how it was a great “New York Find,” and how it would make a great instagram picture. She then posted it on instagram. I quickly researched exactly what Namasté is, and according to Wikipedia, it is a greeting used in Hinduism that means “I bow to the divine in you”. It is used to say hello or goodbye respectfully, and is often accompanied with a small bow. The cultural tradition originated in India.

It is impossible to know who wrote this word in chalk on the sidewalk. It could very well have been an Indian person who actively practices Hinduism and simply wants to spread their culture and positivity to any New Yorker walking down the sidewalk. It could have also very well been a white American who heard the word in yoga class and thought it was cool. The fact that the word was written in a predominantly white neighborhood, in front of a Starbucks (which is a stereotypically privileged American coffee shop). The excitement of Alexia when she saw it, and her impulse to share it on social media, shows the American obsession with “otherness” and the exotic. While this is a truly meaningful cultural and religious tradition that signifies utmost respect in Hinduism, many Americans are simply throwing the word around and using it without knowing its meaning. This is a typical example of cultural appropriation. While I understand that the intention of the project was to find meaningful religious objects in New York City, I found that this specific religious reference in the city is likely to not be legitimate.

It is also a possibility, seeing as where exactly on the sidewalk the word was written, that a starbucks employee may have written this to greet their customers. Namasté is a respectful greeting, both to say hello and goodbye. Starbucks employees are known to decorate their individual stores with handwritten chalk signs, and the handwriting on the inside of the store resembled the handwritten “Namasté” on the sidewalk. Perhaps Starbucks wants to urge people to take their money and spend it on them, because Starbucks respects its customers. Perhaps Starbucks truly wants to greet their customers with this level of respect. Perhaps Starbucks just wants to seem “cool” or “in,” in using religious signs out of context which seems to be in fashion in America today.