The concept of “uchchishtam” in India is a common belief and refers to offered left-over or partially eaten food “ucchishta” with unwashed hands which are considered to be impure in classical Hinduism. The concept of the food item or a utensils or serving dishes that has come in contact with someone’s mouth, or saliva or the plate while eating is considered extremely rude and unhygienic.
There are plenty of myths about which hand to use in India and when I ask I get conflicting reports. But the idea of using fingers is hygienic or not, I don’t know in a country that has a tradition of using their fingers to gather foods so I needed to find out.
Eating is often done with the fingers, and requires a bit of practice to get it right. Rule one is eat with your right hand only. In India, as all across Asia, the left hand is for wiping your bottom, cleaning your feet you also put on and take off your shoes with the left hand, while the right hand is for eating, shaking hands and so on.
The usage of spoons and forks is prevalent in the urban areas of North India, and curry is generally not touched with the hands. When flat breads such as roti, or naan are served with the meal, it is acceptable to use pieces of them to gather food to sop up the gravy.
In South India, it is considered ill-mannered to let one’s food stain the outside of their fingers or palm while eating, and food is to be eaten only with the tips of the fingers.
This is the way its done and is commonplace in India so get used to it.