What's In A Name?

No harm in being called Tabla. It is fine as long as you are not called Mridangam. Even animals are name sensitive. Some friends who acquired a Herman shepherd named it Subramanyam. The dog obviously didn't like it and refused to respond when called by that name. They had to shorten the name to Subbu. Yes there is a lot in a name.

 

As a mild digression to the central theme of the post,
2. I wish to add about Koojas. Yes masters around celebrities carrying brief of their masters in Tamil Nadu is called by the name “ koojas”. Hindi equivalent I am not able to recall.
3. In college campus every dude is christened by a nickname that would greatly describe or define something about him or her. Some nicknames serve as double entendre. We nickname our teachers and professors. Politicians too are nicknamed like “ Namo”.
4. But then you call by any name - a Rose is a Rose. A Post is a post as this outstanding Post.
Thanks and Regards.

 

Tyagu sir, the Hindi equivalent of kooja is Chamcha (spoon). In schooldays, my teachers had interesting nicknames. One of them was called vilakkennai (Castor oil) and another due to his size road roller. During the farewell party for school finalists there was this tradition of giving(often bizarre) gifts to teachers. Vilakkennai was offered a bottle oif castor oil but refused to come on the stage to accept it while road roller sportingly accepted the toy road roller we offered him..

 

LOL

 

SabItha, i AM ALL FOR MRIDANGAMS EXCEPT THAT IT WOULD MAKE A VERY ODD NICKNAME.

 

Pappu was a very popular pet name for kids once. During and after 2014 electioneering it was made very popular by BJP supporters and now no one wants to name their kids called Pappu. It might have happened before that also after 'Pappu can't dance saala' song became popular. I have a nephew whom we used to address by his pet name only but now he very politely says-please uncle, not this.

 

What a lovely write up!
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
That is fine for a rose because a Rose is a Rose. But the same cannot be said about us humans. We all may know many Rams! But the Ram that looks and acts like the Lord are few and very far between I am yet to see a young man called Ravan! Nor do we have Surpanakas. Therefore, a name counts for whatever it is worth.
Especially we in India place a lot of heavy worth while naming a child. Though today the fashionable sounding names have become the order of the day, in days gone by, they looked at the day, time, rasi, the birth star etc etc and then give the name. I have heard that an aunt of mine was named "Chal Chal Savithri"!! Chalu means enough in Telugu and as she was the fifth daughter, that was the name asking the Gods to stop with the chain of daughters!!!!! She was of course not called as such and had a short and sweet name-- Prema!
The story of the doggies is too too touching. Must give it to you for sleeping with two strange dogs and giving them comfort! How true it is that they felt safer and comfortable after you called them with their names. I agree with you, there is a lot to the name!

L, Kamla