Tuesday, March 03, 2009
BhaiSaahib
It was Saturday morning, I was goin back to home after a tennis game, when I saw Sandeep Laxmi Sri Pada, my colleague, getting down from a rickshaw. He addressed rickshaw puller as “bhai saab”. That was a first to me. I never heard any rickshaw puller being called ‘bhai saab’. I don’t know whether it was out of respect, or Sandeep would use this for any stranger. Nor do I want to generalize that all people of Andhra of south India are polite with others. All I am saying is that it was a pleasant sight. That rickshaw puller must have felt happy. In fact we should call every one – plumber, mechanic, waiter, maid – as bhai saab, and do away the north-indian, “Bhaiyya”, that way, Marathi’s in general and Raj Thakeray in particular would also not be offended as they keep complaining that bhaiyya’s from UP and Bihar intrude Maharashtra.
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3 comments:
Ended up here from a random link.. just wanted to say that all Marathis don't feel that way about North Indians bhaiyas.. "marathis in general" is too generalized :D
nice thoughts.. i too am in habit of treating strangers in general with respect. something that creeped in from childhood teachings.. and now is in habit. This is especially good for people who atleast in India have few sources of respect e.g. rickshaw wallahs - almost everyone takes them for granted.
@Rahul, my applogies for that general thought. I know wherever you go in our country or anywhere else, we'll find all sorta people. nice-nasty-in between..
@Manoj, thank you, I hope those of us who might not have those childhood teachings also realize the importance now, and start respecting every one around.
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