Monday, October 11, 2010

of nomenclature

I love names. Names always have a meaning, a story, and I wonder how and why the name, at times. I love my name, too. My mom was so happy when I told her that because she doen't like her name, Suma. I was named from a name in a Malayalam magazine. Shilpa was not at all a common name then, states mom.

Harish was named by his elder sister for a character in her textbook. I read in Shah Rukh Khan's interview in a second-hand Filmfare in college that he'd love to have a daughter and name her muskaan or suhana. Now, muskaan was too sweet to be "my" daughter, so I hoped I'll be able to name her Suhana, and I did.

Abraham is also my father-in-law's name. Since my son is technically the heir (how very serial-like na), my ma-in-law insisted he be named Abraham and not just in the church. Well, lovely daughter-in-law that I am, I complied, not in the least because she had had a heart-valve transplant only three months ago.

Ahem, the reluctant homemaker was first named 'raving and ranting.' Renamed, after I found some balance in life now that the son, too was out of his diapers. I think I used to be raving mad those days. The blog was actually where I wrote and fretted over posts to the kitchen window, bless its soul.

The kitchen window (I swear I typed gently, there's something about your first blog, job, child that makes you voice soft, eyes moist or makes you bang on the keypad ever so softly, like with respect) was the title of a short story I wanted to write. Inspired by the considerate bonding (very rare) my cook Fathima had for my house maid Farzana. I was pregnant with Abi and I had this crazy idea of getting Fati married to Farzana's son. But, by landlord intervention, we had to move house and that was that.

There are poetic instance of naming, too. Like my cousin Veena named her daughter Shruthi. An aunt of mine named her son Abu beacuse he was conceived on holiday at Mount Abu in Rajasthan. And, now after staring at the screen and listening to the generator for seven minutes, I am convinced I have no more names with interesting stories to share.

But, I'd like to know your anecdotes and stories to your names. Do tell me.


PS
Last week, as Suhana did her homework, I was advising her on how she should do her daily studies and blah and more, when she screams in her sweet voice and tells me that I am making her lose her "contraction." :D See, A muskaan could never have said that!

4 comments:

arundati said...

lovely post shilpa! my mother wanted her kids to be named with A so they dont fall asleep while waiting for rollcall or be the last to be called in competitions so they wouldnt get nervous etc... i have a brother called aditya :)

Shilpa said...

that is so true. my brother is Vineet and his kindergarten teachers always used to complain that he would get hyper and run around the class during the oral exams :)

He was also named from a malayalam magazine!!

Shalini said...

Such an interesting topic for a post. I don't know why my parents picked my name, apart from just liking the name, but I do know they took their time deciding on it.

Little E's name was suggested by my ma-in-law and we loved it immediately.

Shilpa said...

well I had a lot more in mind, but when I sat down to it, I could come up with , well, this post :D