Abhorrent Abbreviations

Abhorrent Abbreviations

Recently, a close friend of mine, who was next in line after me to become the deemed chairman of the seniors' club, passed away. He was 83 but was reluctant to disclose his age on the advice of his wife. He was very active and used to play table tennis and badminton. While going up in the elevator, he collapsed and died of a massive heart attack. All the seniors were upset, and there was speculation about whose turn would be next. Friends objected when I raised my hand and expressed my willingness to follow suit, as it was an enviable end—without hospitalization or time spent in the ICU.

Condolence messages began pouring in, and many included "RIP." I was upset that such an abbreviation was used, as the correct meaning of "rip" is to tear apart, even though in capital letters, "RIP" is accepted to mean "Rest in Peace." Are we so busy or so lazy that we can't say the full phrase "Rest in Peace" and instead use a word that can mean something entirely different? I personally feel it is highly disrespectful.

I checked with my granddaughter (20) on the abbreviated words commonly used among the younger generation. Some of these abbreviations include:

• HBD: Happy Birthday
• HMA: Happy Marriage Anniversary (which could also stand for "Happy Mourning Anniversary")
• LOA: Laugh Out Aloud
• OMW: On My Way
• IDK: I Don’t Know
• BTW: By The Way

Abbreviations came into being largely due to the restrictions on character limits enforced by social media. However, using "RIP," to my mind, is abhorrent, to say the least.

We are also used to abbreviations when addressing people by their names. In the past, gods' and goddesses' names were given to children with the belief that calling their names was akin to chanting divine names. However, this practice has been distorted over time. For example, names like Parthasarathy, Narasimhan, Krishnaswamy, and Kothandaraman have been shortened to Pachu, Nachu, Kichu, and Kondu—God save those with these names. In the film Michael Madana Kamarajan, Kamal Hassan affectionately calls the character Tripurasundari "Tripu."

Of course, this problem has largely been solved with the advent of shorter names, like Ashok, Suresh, Kishore, or Ramesh. In the film Server Sundaram, actor Nagesh, upon seeing a group of girls, calls out "Kamala." One girl turns around and asks, "How did you know my name?" Nagesh cheekily responds, "When there are so many girls in a group, at least one must be a Kamala." The same could be said today for names like Priya, Shreya, Shruti, and Sneha.

Use abbreviations only when necessary, and only when there is a single, clear meaning. It is a matter of respect. Calling someone like Venkatesan "Venky" sounds abominable to me.

 

I agree that RIP is in vogue earlier also and you can find it in tombstones.My anguish is using RIP in texting messages to the bereaved family.

 

Blind texting without understanding the context is the problem.We ape Americans without understanding our culture.I reminded a telecom operator about the connection.He replied" Hi.It will take some time due to technical issues.Chill". I fired him for the disrespectful language and cancelled the order.This is the state of affairs.The trend has started after many IT professionals have come back after working abroad particularly US.

 

My argument is vindicated when CJI fired a litigant yesterday when he replied YA YA to a question by CJI instead of yes yes. CJIsaid -what is this language-this is not a coffee shop. A tendency to practice easy informality irrespective of the situation or the age of the person.Nothing but denuding the sanctity of the language.

 

Dear Ratna,
Good luck toyou for being administrator of SIX whatsup groups.I can understand abbreviations if the number of characters determine the cost of sending the message.It is also important to understand the age and status of the persson to whom the message is being sent. Even otherwise the code of conduct while dealing with your seniors ie the way one greets,replies ,gets seated etc is fast disappearing.
Your niece is clever.
Regards SLN