What’s in a Name? Everything

Names also play a very important role in the lives of human beings. A child is usually named, with the hope that the name will have significance in its life in the shape of a desirable quality or wish for its shining in a sphere of activity. Such as education, sports or music. On occasion, it may also serve to remember the legacy of an ancestor, a loved one or a spiritual role model. The names of Saints, such as St. John, St. Peter, St. Thomas, are popular choices for Christians at the time of baptism. Muslims have a wide choice in naming children, such as, for instance, Mohammed, the name of the Prophet, Aftab, meaning sunlight or brilliance, or Aalam, standing for the universe or the whole world. Hindus, in a similar manner, often choose the names either of Gods and Goddesses, which include Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Krishna or Ganesha, for boys, and Lakshmi, Parvati or Saraswati, for girls. There are other choices for them too, such as Santosh, standing for happiness, Vijay, standing for victory or Ashok meaning contented.

Strangely enough, many cultures have the habit of giving more than one name to their children. The Bengalis, for example, give the children, one name as a pet name, to be used by Umesh family and friends and the other, the formal equivalent. My daughter-in-law, Dharani, has two names Poornima, and Dharani, conveying the same symbolism.

In practically every country of the world, and every culture, we come across the custom of giving people what is called a nickname, or a sobriquet. The practice often conveys affection and playfulness. It can also, however, on occasion, unfortunately, stand for contempt. A nickname can also be used as a pseudonym, or a stage name by actors and writers. The titles, ‘NataSamrat’ or ‘Mass Maharaja’ are common in the Telugu celluloid world. It is also common for movie actors, and popular sportsmen, to be given nicknames. Amitabh Bachchan, probably one person, whose name is known to more people in the world, than anybody else’s, enjoys the sobriquet ‘Big B’. The yesteryear American tennis Wimbledon champion, was called ‘Chuck’ McKinley. And, strangely enough, Kenneth Donald McKay, the Australian test cricketer of the mid-20th century, was known as ‘Slasher’ Mackay for his obstinate, and dour, commitment to defensive batting! Likewise, Sunil Gavaskar, probably the greatest Indian batsman/captain the cricket world has ever seen, was called the ‘Little Master’. It is said that the mother of Dwight Eisenhower believed that people would find it impossible to find a nickname for him. And he was called ‘Ike’!

Calling children by pet names, totally unrelated to those given them, is another practice that abounds around the world. Affectionate short forms, such as Baby, Babu, Papa, Chinni, Guddu, Chimpu, Munni, to name just a few, are only some of the many examples.

Writers often use a ‘nom de plume’, or a name meant only for their works. For instance, B.P.R. Vithal, my senior in service and well known economist, often wrote under the name of ‘Abhayam’ for a column in the Hyderabad daily Deccan Chronicle. And lovers, of yesteryear whodunit novels, will remember that the most popular detective novels of those times were authored by Earl Stanley Gardner, who also wrote under the pseudonym ‘A.A. Fair’, as did the greatest thriller writer of all time, Agatha Christie, who used the name Mary Westmacott for some of her books.

Days, weeks, months and years have also unique names in different religions and cultures. All the three major religions have weeks comprising seven days. In all three calendars, a year has 12 months and each day of the week has a unique name. The Hindu calendar is unique in the sense that each day, of the two fortnights of a month, has a name, pertaining to its number in that fortnight. The Fortnight end with the full moon day or Poornima and the new moon day or Amavasya.

The names of months in the Gregorian calendar reflect a mix of those of Gods and Goddesses, rulers and numbers. For example, March is named after ‘March’, the Roman God of War. Likewise, the first month of the Hindu calendar, Chaitra refers to people who are known to be independent, confident, and practical. Similarly, the month of Jumaada Al-Awwal, the 5th in the Islamic calendar stands for dry or brainless and is associated with dedication and consideration.

Names, and the unique identity they signify, play an important role in astronomy and astrology. Also. Ancient Indian astronomy, identified 27 stars or ‘Nakshatra‘s, mentioned in ‘VedangaJyothisha’, a text dated to the final centuries, BCE. Each of them had a name with a special meaning. Ashwini, for example, referred to the Physician to the Gods, and Makha meant Bountiful. Vedic astrology also makes a mention of the ‘Navgraha’ or nine planets, excluding the Earth and in the Solar System.

The Hebrew Bible, believed to have been written in the 11th or 12th century BCE identified only a few stars and two planets, each of them having a different name. The star casing, referring to Orion stood for being a giant angel while the planet Venus was known as the queen of heaven.

Readers will recall that, in the previous part, there was a reference to the custom, of naming newborn babies, varying from region to region and culture to culture.

In the eastern, north-eastern, western and northern parts of India, people generally carry the name of the family, or community, known as the surname. Not in Tamil Nadu, where the father’s name comes after the name of the individual. In the Telugu-speaking states, however, it is the surname, again, which precedes the given name of the individual and is usually condensed into an initial. There is, in addition, a tradition, among the Telugu-speaking people, of almost invariably naming newborn children after their grandparents. This practice, in the case of a cousin of mine, once led to a very amusing situation. He, and his father, had gone to one of the offices of the Registrar of Stamps and Registration, in Hyderabad, to get a document registered. My uncle‘s name was Warudu and my cousin’s Suryanarayana. Suryanarayana, in accordance with the tradition just mentioned, was also the name of my uncle’s father. When the Registrar asked my uncle, “Your name”?, the reply was, “Warudu”. The next question was, “Father’s name”?. And the reply was “Suryanarayana”. The same questions, when put to my cousin, elicited the response, “Suryanarayana” and “Warudu”. Exasperated, the Registrar threw up his hands, and said, “Please go out, decide who the father is, and who the son, and then come back to me”!

(The writer was formerly Chief Secretary, Government of Andhra Pradesh)