What's the Game of the Names?

It all started on our return trip from Niagara Falls that the Guy sitting next to me asked something from Uncle. So I said, "Uncle? You call him uncle?" Further inquiry proved that he was using the right term to address one of my husband's good friend. Guy also calls my husband Uncle. But the two uncles in the front told Guy, maybe he should not call me Aunty. Why, look at me, just been married for five months and if he addresses me by that particular term of endearment I would feel so old. That's what I blurted out at that moment.

But upon further reflection, I guess it is OK if he calls me Aunty. What's wrong with that. I asked Guy whether he calls our good friend, at whose house I and my husband are presently staying, Aunty also. He said no; in fact he has never addressed her with anything, not even on the phone, it seems. That's strange, I thought.

Our conversation, or rather my own reflections went to the place from where we moved recently. My husband used to stay with some acquaintance, Bhabhi (Sister-in-law), from his home-town before we got married. And she has two sons. The younger one is fifteen years old, about four inches taller and weighing as much as twice my husband's weight. And his name is Chhotu ( Small one)!!!

Chhotu calls my husband Bheiya (Big Brother) and he addresses me as Didi (Sister). Bhabhi's elder sister is the wife of a high flying government official and we all call her Maasi (Aunty). And the best part of it all, my husband calls Maasi's husband Mousaji (Uncle) while I call him Jijaji (Brother-in-law). I have been trying hard to call him Mousaji just the way my husband does .But in random conversations, the name that pops up in my head is just Jijaji. Because he doesnt like being refered to as Jijaji. Says Saalis (Sister-in-laws) are the root cause of too much tension.