What’s in a Name?

The inspiration behind this blog came from the noise that my female colleagues create in the office room. They are both away from their homes and they have this special knack to refer to their kids and spouse using different names. Some words are charged and may cause some shock waves in the listener's heart. Anyway this made me think about this whole idea of naming people. Being a student of literature it will be easy for me to talk about the signifier/signified/the significant other and the act of labelling. But I feel there is more to it.

Naming is an act of description. In the Indian context a child is born with different names. His face will give him a name. His nose will give him a name. His smile will bestow a name on him. His gait will give him a name. The planetary influences will give him a name. The list is really endless. Two names will remain with him/her forever i.e. Pet name and his official name. Some of the common pet names found in India are - chintu, chikku, unni, and mani. Even here the list is endless. The official name is the name is the one found in your educational certificates and official documents like passport. This name is chosen with much care and deliberation. Usually the letters from the parental names are combined to make the name. Parents will spend many sleepless nights making these names. Sometimes they do get some lovely names but most often they don’t. Sometimes names of dead ancestors or family names are also added to main name. So a typical Indian name will have a First name, a Middle name and a Surname. Apart from this the name will also carry initials.

Being a Christian I got three names with me. One is my pet name (Kunjumon) which is still the name with which my parents and relatives address me. The official name is Premjith Mathew. I shortened that name into Prem. Now my-in-laws refer to me as Prem. In the church records I am known Joseph. I did have some nicknames with me – the one which I still remember is Valdo. Even my spectacles earned me a name – Kannadi. But these days I have acquired a new name- Baby face.

My name official name is bit strange and different from others. Premjith – it looks like a North Indian name. I still don’t know how my parents managed to conjure up this name.

Whenever I watch movies depicting the Red Indians in USA. I am fascinated by their names. In movies like Hidalgo, Spirit – The Stallion of the Cimarron, Dancing with the Wolves and Apocalypto we can learn a lot about the Red Indian life style and their act of naming. The Red Indian names are usually lengthy and explain a lot about one main characteristic trait of the individual. Their names will be like this – Eagle of the Sun, One who yawns, He who combs, One that walks on four claws, He makes noise. Their names are really interesting but I doubt whether they really call themselves like this today.

In India, I feel nothing is left without a name. Vehicles are named, animals are named and even trees are named. Indian cinema industry to a certain extent thrives on this naming business. The movie names are only chosen after astrological consultations. It is quite common for celebrities to change their names according to the numerological patterns so that it will bring good luck and charm.