Uncle!!! Aunty!!! Bhayya!!! Didi!!

Dear Friends!!!

We encounter several people in ourlives.Some people we interact often though not really siginificant but not insignificant also.So for these type of interactions we need to address them by saying "ABC ji" or "Mr ABC" or female version "Ms ABC " or "Mrs ABC ji".If they are of some good acquaintance and very very much elder to us we may attach "Uncle" "Aunty "tags to their names.

Driving the point home...

Somany people in South Asian countries attach "Uncle","Aunty","Bhayya","Bhabhi","Didi" tags to every tom dick and harry.They call auto wala,paper boy ,vegetable vendor every other man (except for husband or fiance) with some relation.See!!! They are also humans but is it necessary to put a tag of some relation.I just hate this.I never use these things .I call only my brothers as Bhayya and only my uncles and well known elderly people as Uncles.

"Is'nt this Uncle,aunty,Bhayya..,Didi addressal downmarket???"

or

Do you think people use these words for some sort of security or for display of their affection???

Cheers,

Mythili

PS:In DM I call Dr Abhijit as Uncle sometimes but just as a part of my humour.

Source of inspiration for my post :Today a 7th standard girl called me Aunty!!!😡I really got irked!!!

Edited by mythili_Kiran - 17 years ago

This content was originally posted by: abhijit shukla

List the people below that find it funny:

1, Mythili_Kiran

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List is equivalent to the number of Stars in the milky way and I'm the proxima centuri.

I feel, We asians feel every relationship has to be given a name, or else there has something terrible with the picture. We cannot have a relationship of mutual respect without putting a name to it

Is respect only associated with Di,Bhai, Uncle, Aunty?

Why cant two people be just friends? of the same stature? Why does everything have to be a relation?

This content was originally posted by: sareg

I feel, We asians feel every relationship has to be given a name, or else there has something terrible with the picture. We cannot have a relationship of mutual respect without putting a name to it

Is respect only associated with Di,Bhai, Uncle, Aunty?

Why cant two people be just friends? of the same stature? Why does everything have to be a relation?

Verymuch true!!! I need not call you Sareg Uncle or Sareg Bhayya... I can just call you Sareg ji!!

This content was originally posted by: sareg

I feel, We asians feel every relationship has to be given a name, or else there has something terrible with the picture. We cannot have a relationship of mutual respect without putting a name to it

Is respect only associated with Di,Bhai, Uncle, Aunty?

Why cant two people be just friends? of the same stature? Why does everything have to be a relation?

I totally go wid u!! its a habbit! U do need to give a name🤢

Take Care

Anoli

xxx

 

Agree it is irking especially when you come from abroad. But it is also easy to fall into the practise. What do you call your older van driver/ school cleaner etc?

well Im used to it..
so not much weird..

but any body outside the system may find it funny..

One of my friends calls all men uncle..and there is this guy in our canteen who is some two years younger to us.. se could have called him bhaiya.. but "Uncle" here too..
that irks me more...

age and the relationship you give them should match...

While growing up I addressed my parents' friends as Uncles and Aunts. But when I was in college I never addressed my seniors as Didi or Bhaiyya. I didn't because I felt by addressing them in that matter would make them behave elderly 😆with us and start advising when I wanted was good friends. I continue that in virtual world too. I think it is a personal choice. There is no right or wrong about it.

This content was originally posted by: mythili_Kiran

Today a 7th standard girl called me Aunty!!!😡I really got irked!!!

😆 I can almost see a hysterically laughing Doctor.

I think we are taught from childhood that calling someone older than you as bhaiya, or uncle, aunty, chacha, kaka, didi etc...is good and as a respect. So it is out of goodwill. It is out culture taht if I was in India and called Abhijit by his name or Jatayu by his name that would be like I am rude and not well cultured. I should be calling them bhaiya or so. I think it's ok if the opposite person feels that you are giving him/her respect and call him with that title.

In US it is offensive if you call any other person uncle accept your real uncle. If my daughter calls my friends by anything other than her/his first name or Mrs. last name then they don't like it. Even teachers and professors. I remember my first day of college in US when I addressed my 60 year old lecturer as Mr. Debusk and he in front of all asked me to address him as Tom and nothing else. So it's all about how we are taught and brought up.

Other small thing i observed. WE in india are tend to help older person when they are carrying grocery by themselves and that older person think that this kido is so cultured and nice. If we try to help a 50 year old in US they kind of think you are insulting him by saying that they are not fit enough to help themselves.

On a lighter note...Mythilli aunty 😆 see now you know how abhijit would be feeling when you call him uncle 😆 😆 😆 so did you learn your lesson 😉 (really abhijit didn't pay me for this ) Edited by sowmyaa - 17 years ago