THE NEW NORMAL
The title of this piece might seem to refer to the changes/precautions/measures that we have all taken up as a daily regime, owing to the pandemic COVID 19 – wearing masks, social distancing, frequent washing of hands etc. But there is another thing which has become very normal in our lives and it is not at all related to the pandemic – maybe it has become so ‘in vogue’ that it has escaped the notice of everyone. Back in the early 2000s, we hardly came across people using terms like ‘Fuck’, ‘Bitch’, ‘Whore’ etc. as a means of address or even in any kind of communication. Though the assamese or vernacular slangs like ‘ Baal and Kela ’ had some prominence even during that time, its use was restricted – it was not heard or used as a ‘commonplace’ term. Telephonic conversations, if overheard very minutely, particularly in public transports, have totally lost the sense of ‘etiquette’ – the tone of the conversations don’t seem to be frustrating or an angry one at any point (in fact, the p