Thiruvananthapuram: Salutations of ‘Sir’ and ‘Madam’ have technically been anachronisms in modern democracies, but they have continued nevertheless in India, particularly for the common man while addressing government officials.
Viewed from another angle, it is downright illogical considering that people are the masters in a democracy. In India, government officials are frequently referred to as government servants. That makes it ironic for masters to address their servants with fancy salutations.
The Mathur panchayat in Kerala’s Palakkad district has decided to put an end to that irony and drop such salutations.
Taking a cue from the panchayat, an assistant professor from Chittur, also in Palakkad district, has questioned the need for students to call teachers ‘Sir’ or ‘Madam’.
Rethink on salutations
On Tuesday, the governing council of the Mathur panchayat decided to end the ‘Sir’ and ‘Madam’ references when local residents write applications or request letters to the panchayat for services.
Not wanting to stop there, the panchayat council has also decided to put an end to terminologies like ‘appealing’ and ‘requesting’ in the communications from local residents to the panchayat officials. Instead, people can use words like ‘demand’ or ‘desire’ when they seek services.
A British relic
“It was the style during British times to address officials as ‘Sir’ or ‘Madam’. We thought at a time when we are completing 75 years of independence these usages should be discontinued,” Mathur panchayat president Pravitha Muraleedharan said.
A statement issued by the panchayat clarified that it had written to the Official Language Department to suggest suitable alternatives to address officials. Until such a suggestion comes, the panchayat has asked local people to address officials either by their names or designations.
Accordingly, the panchayat will have name boards with designations of officials on their tables at the panchayat office.
Campus rethink
Within 48 hours of the Mathur panchayat deciding to drop glorified salutations, an assistant professor at a college in Palakkad district has questioned the need to call teachers ‘Sir’ or ‘Madam’.
Pradeesh K, an assistant professor at the Department of Commerce of the Government College, Chittur has said calling teachers ‘Sir’ or ‘Madam’ reflects a colonial mindset, something we can’t be proud of.
He has written to the college principal, seeking permission for students to address teachers by using terms they are comfortable with. Pradeesh has called for a ban on the campus on students and other staff members using the terms ‘Sir’ and ‘Madam’.
Quite like the panchayat’s logic, Pradeesh has also argued that people are the most powerful in a democracy. He has drawn the attention of the college authorities to the fact that they are all paid by the government to serve the students. Therefore, he feels, it is an injustice to make the students call teachers ‘Sir’ or ‘Madam’.
