Abhinav, Founder of PinkCuckoo is an enthusiastic follower of the No Sir No Madam motion. PinkCuckoo is a young enterprise thriving to give a new dimension to the world of fashion. They aim at bringing forward the rare ancient fabrics from the interior of India to the modern world.
He felt the need to launch PinkCuckoo when he realized the disappearing of Ancient Indian Art in today’s world. Furthermore, being an MBA, he has worked in the private sector, before establishing PinkCuckoo.
Abhinav started to practice first-name custom when one of his employees introduced him to it.
He confesses — I was not aware of this casual culture; however, I felt the positive effect on implementing it. It truly helps in building a better relation with everyone.
This has also enabled my employees to express their opinion without any restrain. Moreover, Abhinav mentions, employees are always taught about No Sir No Madam drive when they are hired.
He reminisces over an instance, where he did not have enough money to pay the salary to his employee. Nevertheless, his employee did not complain because he had belief in Abhinav. Abhinav emphasizes, he achieved this trusting connection only because of No Sir No Madam doctrine.
Having worked in the private sector, he is known for the existence of salutation custom. He opines that ‘Sir/Madam’ order should be terminated from companies. A formal greeting only creates a hurdle between the employees and the employer. Besides, junior employees cannot communicate candidly and exhibit their views. A ceremonial obeisance only instills fear in the mind of employees, Abhinav adds.
“While I was working for a company in Bengaluru, I never addressed my boss as ‘Sir’. I always referred to him by his name. This enabled us to have a cordial bond and work cooperatively.”
Furthermore, Abhinav talks about the dominance of ‘Sir/Madam’ ordinance in the government sector in India. From ministers to clerks, everyone expects to be addressed as ‘Sir/Madam’. Abhinav does not comprehend the reason for exercising such a colonial tradition.
Abhinav enunciates — Officials feel honored when addressed as ‘janaab’. It is surprising, how they carry out someone’s work when their ego is boosted.
Bureaucrats do not realize that people recognize each other by name and not by any salutation. India is a diverse country in terms of religions, languages, and cultures. Thus, by exercising the first-name habit we can identify each other in a better manner, he believes.
In India, laborers are not compensated enough for their efforts. Moreover, they are subjected to discrimination and injustice. Abhinav voices, “We are human beings first. We need to respect others, the way we respect ourselves.”
He remembers when he was in New Zealand, he experienced something beautiful. Abhinav was travelling in a bus, and a worker boarded the bus. There was no empty seat on the bus. On noticing the laborer, a person got up and offered this laborer his seat. This gesture by the gentleman made the worker happy and felt equal.
Therefore, people need to work towards decreasing the disparity in society. Abhinav has faith that No Sir No Madam can help in achieving the same.
No Sir No Madam should also be taught to students in schools, ventures Abhinav. This would assist in educating students about the benefits of first-name addressal. He cites his own example of his college days. When he was studying MBA in Bengaluru, they were taught ‘Organizational behavior’ as a part of the curriculum.
The assigned professor notified everyone to address her by her first-name. Abhinav declares — this made corresponding with the professor very easy. Everyone would be focused and interested during her lecture. It also created a friendly environment in class, where we would joke around with each other.
Abhinav ceases by disclosing — Everyone loves mental freedom; hence, we need to design a space where people can express themselves. The bottom line is respect others the way you would want to be respected.
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