Rajesh Krishan The other day, an official at a private bank, a young girl, who was almost half my age and whom I had never met before, called me by my first name. That same evening, on my way home, I came across a young lady who was putting on her makeup in public while traveling in a bus. Guests these days simply walk in the house without knocking or ringing the doorbell. At banks, offices, hospitals, temples and everywhere, the sight of people, from young adults to septuagenarians, clad in bermuda shorts and flip-flops is not unusual these days. All of this was unimaginable just a couple of decades ago, but is a reality today. We are living in an age when ‘informal’ seems to be the new normal, the new ‘in’ thing, the new mantra and the new way of life. This is the age when growing a beard is seen by many as a macho thing to do; dining means eating at a food truck in your pyjamas; and de-stressing during exams means watching the latest flick in a movie hall. In this day and age, formal 9 to 5 jobs are out of fashion and casual ‘all time’ work culture is the new norm, which, for good or bad, seems to be here to stay, including in our tricity, where an increasing number of people, especially the youth, are capable of gulping a cold brew or soft drink and munching on ready meals while working from their laptop or smartphone at McDonald’s or Starbucks. That was the time when employees didn’t have to carry work home from the office, wives would wait for their husbands to return home from work in the evening, which had its own charm because there was no texting or smartphones then, parents could afford to pick and drop their children to school daily while youngsters used to look impeccable travelling and were courteous and well-behaved to their elders. A few weeks ago, while travelling in a bus headed to Chandigarh, a young boy, who appeared to be a college student and had earphones plugged into his ears, took a seat right next to me. A few minutes into the journey and he removed his earphones. Much to my shock and annoyance, he said, “Uncle, I’m going to catch some sleep. Wake me up when we reach Ambala.” I told him that he was being extremely ‘be-takalluf’ (informal) in his manner and that I won’t be able to fulfil his wish. Surprised by my blunt reply, he just stared at my face with this completely blank expression on his face and then reached for his earphones. Living in a world defined by informality, we need to constantly remind ourselves of the fact that there is a thin line between what is informal and ill-mannered or rude. Hence, we need to be careful and set limits to keep ourselves from crossing over it. Having said that, not all is bad with the new casual world. Last week, I went to the shopping mall in my running shoes to watch a film with my better half, and then, had dinner with mood lighting in the background. It turned out to be a great outing and nothing felt out of place to us, except for one thing: We had dinner in the shopping mall! The writer formerly taught in France and had a stint as French teacher at PU

Stay updated with all the Chandigarh Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.