Ji Sir/Madam ji!

Ji-Sir-ji/Ji-Madam-ji --Gone are the days!

Remember those childhood days calling our Madam or Sir so respectfully -- prefixing and suffixing "Ji"? Little grown up, we started prefixing Dear/Respected/Hon'ble with Sir/Madam (though Sir/Madam itself is respectful).  Even we used to write "Most respectfully" I beg to state.., and "I remain" yours faithfully, etc. With all this in our mind, we used to ask as what is your "good" name? Once a foreigner was amused, rather baffled over it as "a name is a name" and asked back as what's a "good name"? Interestingly, when we were doing here "dandwat pranam" to our 'aakas', the West was practising "Hi, Jimmy", or Hi, Mr. Carter" or "Hi, Mr. President"! No doubt, they give due respect to their King/Queen too as "His/Her Highness". This is just a rough sketch without going into details meticulously.  However, it's heartening now-a-days to note youngers addressing their seniors or even CEO by his/her first name. It gives a feeling of being under one roof -- the entire team believes. In our times, we had perhaps made sheds of different heights. Their 'Hi' or 'Hello' seems to be just a pure compliment; our salutations were perhaps attached with a silent small wish of getting little favour, forget-me-not type, in return! That's why we (humorously) used to put more 'weight' on conveying our respects!