The message
from "Mike Lyle" contains these words:

I would have said it sounded a little familiar, chela-ji

Seriously? Isn't it for a superior held in affectionate esteem? Like
Gandhi-ji, for example.

I think a native speaker might be a better adjudicator - I'd always seen
it as an affectionate familiarity, and sometimes even as condescension,
as in the French 'Le Journo', Le Politico' etc.

But of course, I could have read nuances into its use that weren't
there. The only Hindi speakers I knew are back in India now, so I have
no-one to consult. (Oh, and one died in the Kings Cross Underground
fire. Rai Singh, RIP)

--
Rusty
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