Mahadeep Singh Jamwal
When we refer to human bonding, it is the process of development of a close interpersonal relationship and expressing gratitude acts as a catalyst to build greater connection and bond between two people. If we have to take up a fact finding expedition across the universe, to find out a single word to communicate gratitude, we stop at the word ‘Thank You’ and this dialect frequently flows out from our voices regardless of our boundaries, cultures, traditions, religions and beliefs. It is used all over the planet to express sincere gratitude for the things around us for which we are indebted, and for the people in our life. It is pronounced as ‘Xieie’ in China, ‘Thank You’ in English, ‘Dhanyavaad’ in Hindustani, ‘Gracias’ in Spanish, ‘Spaseeba’ in Russian, ‘Shukraan’ in Arabic, and ‘Je vous Remercie’ in French.
In India it is expressed and pronounced as “Thank-You” in English “Dhanyavaad” in Hindi and Odia, “Shukria” in Urdu, “Dhanwaad” in Punjabi, “Abhari Ahe” in Marathi, “Dhanyavada” in Kannada, “Dhonno-bad” in Bengali, ‘Dhan Yavadalu” in Telugu, ‘Meharbani’ or ‘Ehsan’ in Sindhi, ‘Dhanyvadu’ in Konkani, ‘Tanvad’ in Dogri, ‘Shukriya’ in Kashmiri, ‘Thu-chi che’ in Ladakhi and so on. This word is very versatile and can be used in most situations where you want to thank someone.
The word ‘Thank-You’ if traced on search engines, we find that it was derived from the old English word “Pancian” (meaning to give thanks) which in turn was derived from the Proto-German term “thankojan”, which also spawned the middle German term “Danken” (meaning to thank).
The English term “Thank You” is shortened from the phrase “I thank you”. According to Merriam-Webster, the first known use of “thanks” occurred before the 12th century, but people did not share gratitude in the same way back then. The original way of expressing gratitude to someone else was “I will remember what you have done for me”.
Though the language of ‘thank you’ accelerates hundreds of good old days, the approach of responsiveness has always been a piece of civilized communication. A single word of ‘Thank-You’ makes the people around you a little warmer and happier. The evidence that virtually every language today demonstrates the idea of thanking someone is incredible, and goes to show how human communication can survive across different cultures and times. When we’re indebted for the things around us, and the people in our soul, ‘thank you’ will comfortably flow out, and the perks of doing so are impressive.
The use of “Please” and “Thank You” are essential for good manners that are a code of conduct or rules, based on common sense, courtesy and usage prevalent in western culture and occupying the space in Indian culture also. It generates explicit social bonds with friends, family, and colleagues, along with strangers also. The word “Thank you” is more than just recognizing, appreciating and showing gratitude and can go pretty far in personal relationships. The humble ‘thank you’ is one of the major weapons essential to stemming the tide of everyday rudeness. Saying thank you is everyday etiquette and a simple courtesy that takes just a moment. It costs nothing, not even effort.
What the person to whom we express our gratitude by simply saying ‘Thank You’ it effects the thanked in various ways as he feels higher levels of self worth, triggers greater toward others desire to help ‘Thanker’, triggers helpful behaviors, and feel more socially valued and all these transformations are worth rewarding to the person using Thank You as words of gratitude.
What we have to admit that with the Indian society inclining towards western culture, the majority population of India uses this magic word in English i.e. ‘Thank-You’. Most of the population has inculcated this word in English for pronunciation, even in their kids to demonstrate themselves as a family of manners. We have to admit that even we’re not against using it on a day-to-day basis with our kids. Beyond consciousness that at such a blooming maturity of our kids they are being taught the most important words that will forever be used by them in their everyday glossary not only to show appreciation and a form of being polite but as a decent way of life in mannerism.
Here we have to enrich our existing awareness of many days, dates, and months that are celebrated and associated with many events and occasions, with addition of the knowledge regarding less known about the most cherished “Thank-You”, that is observed as annual celebration day in the month of January on 11th of every year as international ‘Thank-You day’. January is not only the start of a new year, but it’s also recognized as national thank you month. The word ‘thank you’ is considered as most essential to show gratitude from the bottom of the heart to those who made our life better and happier during the whole year and its importance has been recognized by establishing “International Thank-You Day”.
Concluding with the suggestion, make it a habit to tell people to express your appreciation, sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return just by saying ‘Thank You’. Truly appreciate those around you, and you’ll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life, and you’ll find that you have more of it. Once you get in the habit of using ‘Thank You’, you won’t have to keep remembering to use it. Gratitude is one of these rules. We acknowledge our relationship with the person we say “Thank You”. It’s a simple sign of respect. Small courtesies create a powerful response in others-especially a simple thank you. A little gratitude (Thank You) can go a long way. Saying thank you is more than good manners. It is good spirituality. The words of Meister Eckhart, a German Theologian, philosopher and mystic deserve mention here about incredible human communication, thank you, “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is, ‘Thank You’, it will be enough”.
