Ever since humans evolved into… humans, there has been only one conclusion to draw when they raise their hands to their ears. They are scratching their ears. But visual cues are all mixed up in these modern times. Now, when people seem to be scratching or massaging their ears, chances are they are conversing on their mobiles. Cellphones have become progressively smaller, so that they are invisible as the hand covers the ear.
But Nepal is a country where people still by and large scratch their ears, and, more importantly, behind their ears. Actually, this phenomenon that seems peculiar (but may not be) to the to the general region of the central Himalayan mid-hills is a physiological quirk that has gone unnoticed and unremarked by geneticists and scientists.
In Nepal, the condition is endemic. A bodily posture that is abjectly obsequious, head slightly bent, the eyes shiftily looking downwards, only occasionally willing to meet those of the protagonist. Then, and let us have this in slow motion, the right hand begins to move upwards, reaching up past the chest and cheek. The forefinger extends and reaches for a spot behind the right ear, a little above the earlobe. And there, the subject will begin a continuous scratching, head held slightly to the side all along.
This is not overall a posture and specific gesture of humility, but one of mediocrity married to inadequacy. It says to you, "What to do, we are Nepali? This is the best we can do. Kyarney?" It also can mean a host of other similarly confessional and embarrassed sentiments, such as: