'-Da' or '-Di', Perfectly Warm Vinci Code

-Da's and -di's of the world, chill koro! Calling a late great by the honorific of badey bhaiyya in Bengali, 'dada', even when shortened to the suffix of '-da', isn't the huge insult you're making it out to be. Cultural dissonance perhaps, but horrid 'non-Bengali' slight? Na re baba. Yes, this pervasive suffix has long served as a democratic equaliser, a warm verbal shawl to be draped over Satyajit Manik-da, Sourav Dada, Bappi-da, and the man twice your age who sells you LIC policies. Please don't turn '-da', of all epithets, into something small. Opponents argue that calling Plato-da or Einstein-da erodes dignity. Nonsense. If anything, '-da' elevates greatness to a relatable level and not just to gather pixie dust on a pedestal. The world would be a better place if diplomats casually referred to 'Modi-da', 'Xi-da', and 'Don-da' while discussing tariffs. Why let Didi capture the market? 'Shakespeare-da' conveys warmth, wisdom and a faint possibility that he might emerge from a College Street book stall any moment muttering, 'To Bijoli Grill or Bar-B-Q, that is the question.'

Mandela-da and Indira-di wouldn't mind. Neither would Leonardo-da, a.k.a. Vinci-da. '-Da' and '-di' humanise greatness. It dismantles false pomp and lazy lip service, especially for people who can't distinguish their Durgeshnandini from their Rajmohan's Wife.