In a Malayalam society, one main social aim is to build up a lot of persons who would address one as Chettan, Chechi, Achaya, Sar, Mash, Angunnu, Thamburan, Thamburatti etc. If one insists on the English level of informal friendliness, then it would be a grave social disaster for him. For, he would lose his social prestige, and later on, he would be a nobody in a society where all his fellowmen would be Chettan, Sar etc.
Actually, this achieving of social titles is a great achievement. For, once one can achieve it, one becomes a man of social recognition. And in all social gatherings, he would be given a seat of honour. And he would be called to be the mediator in disputes. For, once he gives an opinion, or stresses a debatable point, then it is given due importance. The only thing that he has to do is to act out an affected pose of friendly superiority, worldly knowledge and immense social experience.
At the same time, any person who really has all these attributes, like social experience and worldly knowledge, tries to contribute any information in any social or official circles without the help of proper social titles, would be treated with utter contempt and his action termed as impertinence.
This is one of the reasons why, in spite of there being so much intense social knowledge and experience, the intellectual nonentities, who lack all sort of experience, and survive in glossy conditions, but posses such title as Sar, Professor etc. continue to be treated as intellectual giants. These persons debate with a show of immense pedantry on themes on which their understanding is at best perfunctory and bookish.
Along with this aspect, I have to mention another thing. In India, the kind of persons who are given social acceptance are those who can display and use the indicant words with crippling efficiency to keep a lot of person under them. They are understood to be effective, and the people generally think that they are good managers. But these persons may at most times lack in intellectual understanding. Yet the kind of persons who do really do have a wider understanding, but are unwilling to use the indicant words with stifling effect are not accepted by society. Yet, if these very persons migrate to an English country, they would be seen to be very intelligent. In other words, there are many so-termed fools in India, who would be seen to be wonderfully intelligent, if he or she goes to an English nation.
Many of the Indians, who are given scant regard in India, would be wonderful persons if they were taken to an English nation. In other words, English can bring out the genius in persons. All round the world, there are persons who are budding 'Newton's, awaiting a British intervention.
