Ramesh a young person coming from a humble and modest background reaches to office. Its his first day. He is excited to be there.

He meets manager, Sharmila. He asks Madam, may I come in?

Oh.. dont call me madam. I am just Sharmila. In our office, we call only by first name.

Ramesh is slightly hesitant to do so. Why because he has been oriented and nurtured in a family environment where addressing elders with – 
– their names 
– unsuitable pronoun 
– तू संबोधन (भगवान और माता को तू संबोधन किया जा सकता है, अन्य वृद्ध अथवा श्रेष्ठ को नही) 

is not considered appropriate.

Now what should he do?

  • Surrender (sophistically called adapt) to system?
  • Put forward his views and values to convince Sharmila and other seniors?

PS: What if Ramesh had addressed Sharmila as Behen ji /Devi ji / Mata ji. We talk about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion etc. Are we really open to diverse views?