Respect is a two-way street.

We have often heard or maybe overheard people in positions demanding a thing generally labelled as respect. The person on the opposite side is usually a subordinate, an inexperienced junior or perhaps someone younger in age. This demand when not fulfilled can turn into something ugly, leading also to cases of personal vengeance. But really, can you just demand respect from someone no matter what your social standing or professional position?

One of the simplest ways to understand the topic of this discussion is to always remember to treat someone the way they want to be treated in the first place. How would you like if someone treated you with disregard and disrespect no matter what you did? You definitely wouldn't like it, would you? Then how can the reverse be true?

There are quite a few ways to show that you respect someone. So let us now see the various gestures that would indicate such behaviour

Punctuality : showing someone that you respect their time is in itself a great way to make them feel that you value them as people. If you are on time you can always expect that from the other person. 

Politeness and Appreciation: be polite and say your thank yous and pleases if and when required. You are making someone feel that their efforts did not go unnoticed.  

Pay attention : it is extremely hurtful in situations when you are being told something and your body is responding in an other direction. Leave your phone or your stray thoughts aside. Listen to them. Body language is extremely critical and can easily make someone feel like they are not worth your time and attention. 

Keep your promises : other than an absolute unseen emergency, if you have given your word to someone remember that it is your priority. It is difficult to show respect and entrust someone who goes back on their own word.

Showing respect to someone can also make an immense difference to someone's day. If someone you know from work or school is having a particularly bad day, give them your time and attention and let him/her know that you care and that it is going to be okay. Respect can be shown through compassion as well. 

I was in the tenth grade when I came face to face with what I considered to be a true physical manifestation of the word respect. She was my B teacher in high school. She would enter our class and walk straight to the teacher’s podium towards the front. Her silk sharees always pleated and pinned beyond perfection, her hair knotted neatly in a bun. She would give the sharpest and yet the most pleasant of smiles along with her first good morning. No one spoke or even looked away during her entire lecture. But she gave us our space, addressing us in a manner that made us all feel like we were capable of great things.We would all be in complete awe of her and yet none of us could specifically say what it was that made us feel that way. I thought maybe because we were in the construct of the classroom, amongst her larger than life presence that led us to think way. But little did I know that years later, one evening I would run into her. 

She was in plain home clothes, a kurta and a pair of loose pajamas walking four of her dogs. She smiled at me with a sense of faint recognition. I told her my name and she let out a sigh of relief. We exchanged a few pleasantries, mostly around how I was doing and how my family was. I informed her about my specifics and she said that she always knew I would venture in this direction. Slightly holding my hand, she gave me her all encompassing smile and said that she was proud of me and the path that I had chosen for myself. Saying that she turned to leave. 

After we said our goodbyes, I watched her going her way for a while. Her hair, hanging on her back, whiter and thinner was braided. I turned to go my way, but I somehow could not stop the overwhelming sensation that had completely filled my heart. I realised then that it wasn't her clothes, her hair or her position in my school. But it was the person herself. She was an excellent academician, but it wasn't intimidation that overtook us every time we were in her presence. You could call it nostalgia, a student-teacher relationship, but I am going to call it respect, mutual respect. The respect that she never demanded, indirectly threatened or coaxed her students to show her. But the one that she earned one day at a time over the many years of doing her job and remembering that respect of all things was a two-way street.