Kanika Datta’s column “What’s in a name?” (Swot, March 29) made some keen observations on how people expect to be addressed formally in an era where even a new entrant in a private organisation is encouraged to call the CEO by his or her first name. The author, however, did not touch on the tradition prevailing in public sector organisations like banks in which there is greater conservatism, formality and hierarchical expectations. It is unthinkable to call one’s immediate superior even at a junior level by his or her first name in these institutions that have a strong British legacy of addressing one’s boss as “sahib” or “saab”.
S Ravindranath, Coimbatore
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