Congress leader from Bihar Dr Ashok Choudhary did not realise that his Tweet: “Dear @smritiirani ji, when will we get New Education policy..?” addressing the Union HRD minister would prove to be quite, well “dear” to him. Irani, who is not one to back out of Twitter duels, Tweeted back, “@AshokChoudhaary mahilaon ko ‘dear’ keh ke kab se sambodhit karne lage Ashokji? (Ashok Choudhary, when did you start addressing women as dear?)”
While many did agree with the former actress, Choudhary’s reply seemed to make sense: “Professional emails start with “dear”. @smritiirani Ji Kabhi mudde pe jawab dijiye, don’t circle around it.”
But does it hold true? Image consultant Zohra Chitalwala, explains. “Keeping in mind her position and the Indian setting, ‘shrimatiji’ would have been an apt way to address Smriti,” explains Zohra, quickly adding, “But the endearment ‘dear’ is the standard way of addressing people even in a professional setting. But the best way to use the endearment in a professional setting is to use the word ‘Dear’ followed by Miss/Mister and the person’s name.” “If you know the person on a friendlier term, the use of the word ‘Dear’ followed by the name of the person is absolutely fine.”
"It was wrong of Smriti Irani to ask since when the minister had been addressing women with 'Dear'," says etiquette expert Sheena Aggarwal. And she agrees with Zohra, “Using the term ‘Dear’ to address a lady is not a problem at all. If one doesn’t want to use the term ‘Dear’, a ‘hi’ followed by the term Miss/Mister and the surname of the person is professional enough.”
Don’ts:
Don’t address a person using just the endearment ‘Dear’ followed by their name, unless you’re on friendly terms with them.
Dos:
Always use ‘Dear’, followed by Miss/Mister and the name of the person to sound professional.
