Is being called Sir really a terrific thing?

I am blessed truly, I believe because I am growing wiser as I grow old. Not many people reach there. One of the perks being an expert in multiple fields of communication is that I am called upon to conduct workshops or keynotes on topics ranging from blogging to what not.

And they all call me sir. Not only who those attend or organize these workshops but generally too, so many people seek me out for advice and they are like Sir or Tushar Sir. And honestly speaking, I am always unsure about how to react to this.

We in India grow up as Britishers taught us like for 100 years . Sir, Ma'am is ingrained in our psyche. Even though the Britishers themselves use the term as honorific title generally knighted upon someone. I have no doubt people do call me Sir with respect, but in our modern times is the prefix (or suffix) relevant?

I worked in an MNC where everyone called each other by their first name.I moved on to an Indian Startup where we have a mixed bag of people half of those who call each other sir or ma'am and others who prefer first names.

It means different things to different people. But my ego is not flattered by people calling me Sir. I can look at someone and know how much the other person does respect me. A word means little to me. Except that it's humbling at times.

And these are the times when I don't know how to react. Especially when people insist and feel that it makes for a formal and distinguished atmosphere.