Characteristics of ‘Sir Jee’
During British regime, it was a matter of pride to be a ‘Sir’. Only the members of the house of lords, the upper house of the British parliament had the right to be called Sir or the distinguished persons who were awarded knighthood by the British King or Queen. They had the right to be addressed as Sir for their distinguished work. It was an act of royalty under the oldest democracy of Britain. Now a day, it is a contradictory act of the British government because the practice of granting knighthood is still prevalent. With the advent of democracy Sir has lost its aura and glory. Now a day, what to say of commoners, even comic characters in the programs for kids like ‘chewing gum’ are called Sir. So Sir has also a comic connection.
After ridiculing the concept of Sir jee, one should admit that the word and idea of Sir jee should not be treated in lighter way. It is quiet serious but it has been made ridiculous with its misuse. Formerly great men like Rabindra Nath Tagore, J.C.Bose, M.Visweswarya were righteously called Sir. Not every tom and harry had the right to be called Sir.
Just as everyone cannot enjoy the title of Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan or Padma Bhushan, similarly everyone cannot deserve to enjoy the title of Sir. To be worthy of such high honors, one should not only do distinguished word in a particular field such as science, medicine, engineering, art, music or cinema, but also have noble character dedicated to the welfare of the poor, downtrodden and suffering humanity. Otherwise, he will be Sir like Ravindra Jadega in whose presence unlawful firing was made to celebrate his marriage. If Sachin Tendulkar has been conferred the highest title Bharat Ratna and is called Sir, he deserves it because in his long career as a cricketer, he has never been a part of any controversy. He has never been involved in any malpractice. Moreover, Sachin has always been associated with noble causes and noble movements launched for the welfare of people in general, and the poor and needy in particular.
So we should avoid the practice of calling everyone Sir and thus making the title cheap and meaningless. If we are called Sir, we should try to be worthy of it.
