BHAIYYA : A NOVEL WAY OF ADDRESSING THE STRANGERS IN NORTH INDIA

During so many of my travels I noticed that in this part of India ladies and girls do address the strangers as Bhaiyya. Like if you wishes to speak to some rikshaw wala then you will ask Bhaiyya chaloge ??, then your auto wala bhaiyya, dhoodhwala bhaiyya and many more.

Sometimes in trains and buses you quite often hear this word for conductor or drivers. Nothing in uncommon in it but sometimes you happen to notice some comic situations, when a young girl decidd to address much older man with this word, may be due to the rehearsal and a habit of addressing everyone with this common salutation. Now a days I notice even young boys and men are also addressing these people with this word. Which sometimes looks awkward. But then there is not other work which could be used in such situations. 

During my stay in south and specially at Chennai I find they address everyone with respected word like SIR, but here in north this word is not used much, may be due to the reason we North Indians are not accustomed to use respectable words for strangers or the common people like drivers, conductors, rikshawalas or autowalas, drivers and conductors and expect them to give us respect.. May be a cultural issue something to do with lawlessness of           North India ??