What is the reason Indians call others Sir, Madam or Saheb etc?

[6pack]

I've noticed a tendency of Indians to call everyone they feel is higher up or is a known personality as Sir or Saheb or boss etc. Is it out of habit being brainwashed for years by the education system or because our education system and everything that works in our country has roots going back to the British officers who wanted everyone to call them Sir?

Frankly it is off putting and demeaning imo. I'm seeing people call youtubers sir, madam etc. Wtf? Such Indians have no self respect imo. Is there a need to say Sir/ madam to anyone now in modern times?

I don't think India will ever become a super power with such demeaning mentality. More like super slave right next to African countries. Stupid slave people will keep licking others shoes forever.

 

[Pyception]

I've seen this tendency specially in Indian companies/school within society. I believe this is a combination of behaviour/training we inherit from our parents/environment plus all the other factor. Some people take this behaviour (using sir/madam) as polite vs using name as rude. I got surprised when started working with MNC and our UK/USA counterpart bosses tell us to stop using Sir/Madam and forced us to use Name. At first it was awkward for me but over the time I understand/adopt using name for any person within company. And yes using Name instead of Sir/Madam will boost morale over the time. And yet I've seen few Indian manager loved to be called Boss/Sir/Madam.

 

[kalph09]

It’s an old oppressive colonial practice that’s indoctrinated into mango man for decades.

Am thankful to my first employer on unlearning this practice.

Now, I use it only when situation demands, Like hailing a cab on Uber ex: Saar, pick up saar, cash saar, etc.

 

[nitin_g3]

I never address my higher up managers or even the CEO as "Sir".
But I always use Sir when I need to get something done from a government official, even with the clerks. They get offended easily and might keep your work hanging if we don't "Sir" them enough.

 

[joy.das.jd]

It all depends from person to person. Most people are comfortable using Sir /Madam. Maybe an old habits of school. I am comfortable using Mr. / Ms. (if the person is elder to me in age) otherwise i just call them by their first name.

But under no circumstances should you call the cops as Sir / Madam. Always call them as officer. As soon as you call them sir, you are screwed; even if there is no fault of yours.

 

[enthusiast29]

Most people use Sir/Ma'am out of respect even when they're asked that they don't need to address seniors with that lingo.
Our education system and social culture has taught us to be respectful to elders and seniors by nature.

I address my seniors informally by their first name, courtesy of my first manager on the job. But there are situations when it's just better to show respect of one's senior/mentor/boss in front of their seniors.
After all they are also brought up in the same society and you never know kon kis baat ka bura maan jaye. This also was told by my first manager.

His words were, "Ye sabko Sir/Ma'am krke bulaoge to sari zindagi yahi kroge. Call people by their first names if they're fine with it and ask you not to call them by Sir/Madam but if they don't object to calling by Sir/Ma'am then you don't know if they like getting called by first names." So until someone senior is comfortable getting called by their first name it's in our nature (again, taught by the same society and education system they grew up in) to respect them by calling Sir/Ma'am.

 

[nRiTeCh]

In few mandatory on-job business communication trainings across cos. we were clearly told that this is an Indian thing to say sir and dear to everyone and even "your good name" etc. There is no such thing as good name or a bad name as every name is a good name, nobody names their kids as devils and demons!
Dear/Sir should be addressed to only very senior level people in an organization and also in govt. communication.
In corporate or otherwise its better to call everyone by their names irrespective of the seniority and hierarchy except if the person is director/ceo etc.

Else sir/saar etc. is Indian way of To Butter Up or Flatter Someone to get your work done. (maska lagana/ gadhe ko bhi baap banana)

 

[sauravghosh]

Blame the Brits all you want, but slavishness was always in our blood stream. People often forget that we had been colonised long before the Brits came. Do you think we are actually FREE NOW?

As to why our love affair with Sir/Madam, well, as can be easily assumed, it's indeed the lack of dignity; we have no self esteem, none. We love being slavish, buttering up is our core nature. However, after experiencing many people, I can conclude that it's especially the dishonest, and pretentious lot who indulge in this spineless practice. We have a certain fondness and admiration to the rotten types especially, this is the major problem.

I don't want to comment anything about the super power bit, except ROFLMAO.

 

[Kloud]

There are 2 different types of Sir.

Type 1: "Sir, we are offering free credit card..."

Type 2: "Sir ji, I want to marry your daughter..."

I don't have problem with type 2. I don't use type 1. One thing for sure, we'll still be blaming British in 3023.

 

[6pack]

we were clearly told that this is an Indian thing to say sir and dear to everyone and even "your good name" etc. There is no such thing as good name or a bad name as every name is a good name, nobody names their kids as devils and demons!

Forgot about this. I always thought this came about with people bad in English literally translating the Hindi version aapka shub naam kya hai. Come to think of it, there is no aapka bura naam kya hai or something like that Lol.

There are 2 different types of Sir.

Type 1: "Sir, we are offering free credit card..."

Type 2: "Sir ji, I want to marry your daughter..."

I don't have problem with type 2. I don't use type 1. One thing for sure, we'll still be blaming British in 3023.

Which category do people who call youtubers sir/madam fall into?

 

[blr_p]

I've noticed a tendency of Indians to call everyone they feel is higher up or is a known personality as Sir or Saheb or boss etc. Is it out of habit being brainwashed for years by the education system or because our education system and everything that works in our country has roots going back to the British officers who wanted everyone to call them Sir?

Frankly it is off putting and demeaning imo. I'm seeing people call youtubers sir, madam etc. Wtf? Such Indians have no self respect imo. Is there a need to say Sir/ madam to anyone now in modern times?

You left out the ji bit. They also use that honorific for everything. I suppose it just being polite. If you don't speak like that you will be called rude, uncouth and any number of expletives.

I don't think India will ever become a super power with such demeaning mentality.

All superpower means is the ability to project force abroad. Think about what the Japanese did at Pearl harbour or the Brits in the Falklands. Nobody calls them superpowers though yet this is what the term in a military sense means. Is India going to do that? We don't have any overseas territories other than Lakshadweep and Andamans.

More like super slave right next to African countries. Stupid slave people will keep licking others shoes forever.

Vishwa guru is the goal To be able to persuade without firing a shot.

 

[Kloud]

Which category do people who call youtubers sir/madam fall into?

New to the Internet.

 

[superczar]

I've noticed a tendency of Indians to call everyone they feel is higher up or is a known personality as Sir or Saheb or boss etc. Is it out of habit being brainwashed for years by the education system or because our education system and everything that works in our country has roots going back to the British officers who wanted everyone to call them Sir?

Frankly it is off putting and demeaning imo. I'm seeing people call youtubers sir, madam etc. Wtf? Such Indians have no self respect imo. Is there a need to say Sir/ madam to anyone now in modern times?

I don't think India will ever become a super power with such demeaning mentality. More like super slave right next to African countries. Stupid slave people will keep licking others shoes forever.

i think you guys are reading too much into this.

This is a practice prevalent all across asia including China and Japan which were never really colonized.
Probably more to do with an asian tendency to accord respect with age which is less prevalent in the west.

While I won’t say one is better than the other, i really dont think it has anything to do with a master/slave mentality

e.g. The japanese in fact take it a lot more seriously than we do - In India, esp urban parts, it is mostly fine to talk to people in the office (or elsewhere) on a first name basis. But do not try address a Japanese client without an honorific Saan with the name
The chinese are kind of somewhere in between where the use of honorifics is prevalent but not mandatory

 

[enthusiast29]

While I won’t say one is better than the other, i really dont think it has anything to do with a master/slave mentality

e.g. The japanese in fact take it a lot more seriously than we do - In India, esp urban parts, it is mostly fine to talk to people in the office (or elsewhere) on a first name basis. But do not try address a Japanese client without an honorific Saan with the name
The chinese are kind of somewhere in between where the use of honorifics is prevalent but not mandatory

Completely agree. IDK who saw this as a master/slave or a superior/inferior being mentality, that's so wrong.
It's only cultural differences and out of respect for experience, age, wisdom etc. at least in a professional environment.

In Govt. offices some senior employee' mentality is backwards and they demand respect from outsiders and only understand it if someone uses Sir/Ma'am to call them. No matter how polite you are if you call them by First name they treat it as disrespect in their workplace. Also, what if you don't know their name and also are not interested in knowing it then it's just easier to call Sir/Ma'am to get your work done.

Jaise ghar mei bado k naam k aage "Ji" laga k baat karte ho waise hi professional environment mei Sir/Ma'am use krte hai just out of respect.

 

[6pack]

Jaise ghar mei bado k naam k aage "Ji" laga k baat karte ho waise hi professional environment mei Sir/Ma'am use krte hai just out of respect.

What about, jaise Ghar ko saaf sutra rakhte hain waise Desh ko bhi?
Keep the country as clean as your house.

Indians love to do only some things that they want. If people are comparing just the talk part of respect with Japan or other Asian countries what about the rest? Keep the country clean like Japanese people keep their country clean. Start by cleaning up stadiums after every cricket match or something. Then compare us to Japan. Japan is like a culture shock compared to India. Look at China, Taiwan, Thailand, Phillipines. Those people don't trash their country like us.

People are saying it out of habit and not respect.

 

[TEUser2K1]

For me, using sir / madam can simply help in avoiding many other confusions.

Personally, don't think we have to blindly follow westerners like it is their business to run our psych.
Let us have our own ways.

Their children mostly used to get kicked out of own house by the time they reach 18yrs old. Hence not much respect needed.
Indian parents tend to save for their generations, so a bit of respect in not unwarranted.

 

[blr_p]

Personally, don't think we have to blindly follow westerners like it is their business to run our psych.
Let us have our own ways.

They did away with these formalities decades ago. The Japanese used to have ten different ways to address people depending on who they were speaking to and what their relative position in society was. The children could not keep up with it and it's been reduced to a western standard for long now.

Their children mostly used to get kicked out of own house by the time they reach 18yrs old. Hence not much respect needed.

Respect does not come from titles but in the way one interacts. You can be as respectful if not more.

Indian parents tend to save for their generations, so a bit of respect in not unwarranted.

Two-thirds of wealth in the west is inherited so the same applies.

 

[Kloud]

There was a guy at the gym I used to workout. This guy owned that gym, several building projects in multiple indian cities. He's the type of guy who goes to buy a land cruiser but returns with 2 because he couldn't figure out which colour he liked the best. He addressed me as Sir and I reciprocate the same of course. In that gym, everyone was addressing everyone as sir irrespective of age or designation. It kinda made us feel equal inside the gym.

I think, we don't have correct words to address someone who isn't our relative or friend. Our brains clearly don't have enough MBs to store the names of every stranger we see. I don't want to call them uncle, aunty, chacha, chhotu etc. So I address them as 'BOSS'.

 

[dexterz]

Starts at school level, continues in college and try to drop the habit after starting work as I keep reminding new grads when they join my team. They default to Sir out of habit.

 

[nitpick]

I agree with the posters who say that folks are reading too much into this. I think it's just simply meant to be a mark of respect.

In the West, some children address their parents by their first names. So if we are not doing the same here, does that mean the relation is any different?