What's In A Name?

"Satchi". My user ID. It has now become a name often used by friends from IL who meet me personally even though they know my real name. In fact they vacillate between my actual name as well as Satchi. Initially it felt strange to hear myself being called by that name, though now I have grown used to it.

I have often mentioned how that user ID got me thrown out of IL initially. I suddenly felt the need to indulge my need to let others know my opinion on various subjects and posted many threads and FBs (80+) within a week of joining. The topics included controversial ones - I am no stranger to such subjects, eh! The mods grew suspicious. "Who is this troll?" they wondered. A baba rampaging on IL among women? What is going on? So I found that I could not log in anymore.

Sad. "Satchitananda" is the nature of the Atma. Why should the name be a male prerogative only? "What made you choose this name" asked some friends. Actually, the fact was I wanted a name which was anonymous so I could vent my feelings, opinions etc. honestly here. I tried to think of a name which would describe who or what I was. I could not. "Who am I?" I kept asking myself. Years of attending Vedanta classes brought back this single name repeatedly. So that was it. I was sat-chit-ananda, Atma swaroopa Satchi. This short form was the only way I could avoid sounding bumptious or male!

In really life, my surname gives away my origins. "She is not really South Indian" someone commented at work the other day. The institute where I work is full of Maharashtrians and I feel at home amongst them and they with me. (Not that my South Indian friends don't. Just clarifying for the records!) "We should change her name" someone said. I already had two names in my head which I could offer them as plausible alternatives. One was Ms. Dhadpade - for a person whose centre of gravity is somewhat confused, someone who has often (starting from childhood) confused herself for a ball (the fact that she was physically similar did not help correct her frame of reference) and preferred to roll rather than walk. The word 'dhadpad' in Marathi means the constant tripping up, agitation ...... Coming to tripping up, "Tripper" would be a rather misleading one given its American connotations! So I'd have to be careful.

The other one was Ms. Adave (meaning horizontal) given the fact that this is the state in which she now finds herself for the better part of the day. Maybe I could have used one of these?

Or how about Chandra? I just thought up that one. It seems so apt to the waxing and waning that goes on in my physical self! I need no excuse to gain weight and only a small one to lose. So that name would suit me to the "tee". But wait, no. A current soap on telly has a very negative character called "Chandramani" - a dark force. I would probably also run the risk of being confused for an alien - ask Youtubers. They are sure and provide proofs for aliens on the moon too. There is also a view that the moon is not a natural body but an electromagnetic device put up there by aliens to keep an eye on us!!! I feel so let down! What were all those little songs about the moon moms sing to us when we are little? What about all that magnetic attraction we feel towards the moon as we are growing up? Oh well...never mind! What's in a name?

Having done my job of boring the wits out of all of you for today, I shall rest content to sign off as ..... Satchi.

 

Thanks Vijima.

 

Wow, never thought of that one!