What's in a name?

wow,sir!

a very interesting topic; a serious one.


NAME DOES MATTER! it hasn't even spared the film-makers in TN. it's such a dilemma -indha peru paduthara paadu irukke..

my deep, heartfelt sympathies for those people who line-up at the numerologists'(nameologists) offices- awful miseries drive most of them that far, with hopes. what a profession-nameology! ammmazing! needs no academic excellence, but can help mint money. needs no professional qualification, yet can attract huge crowds without ever attracting a law suit. one wealthy profession that has no stakes, needs no disclaimers or a professional liability insurance. how charming!

sure, people don't like naming their kids after their parents/grandparents now. three decades hence, whether or not there are glaciers on the earth, there won't be krishnamurthis,chandramouleeswarans and ramamrithams. since names like rahul, atul, that have their origin in sanskrit lit and evolved during the vedic times, are preferred today, it seems, the trouble is not with ancient-sounding names; what we want is a change ,something novel and uncommon.

If all pichais and kuppais were failures, if they all hesitated to come forward, it was because of their names- then there has to be something about the spirit of names. But, there are some who shine, even if they bore the tags of not-so-pleasant names. So, I think, people like that mr.pichai lacked in innate/acquired confidence- if not for the name, they would withdraw into a shell for some other reason.

The ITCHGUARD thing was sure to flop in a country like ours, where people resort to home remedies first for inferior troubles like a not-so-serious itching and next to ayurveda or siddha for more bothersome things; which Indian citizen doesn’t know that such tube-borne medication is just a temporary relief and not even a dozen tubes can be a cure. Instead, if he sold something like ‘ABACUS-GOD: expertise with ease’, it would break market turnover records.

Do tell me the secret, did your mom feed you on a spl herb that makes you hyperlink Shakespeare to Itchguard ?

regards

Dear Shreyasri
I am willing to swap my original thread with your post! It was indeed a profound analysis and I feel honoured to have received such a FB on a trivial subject as many might have dismissed it!
I remember the famous painter M.F.Hussain being turned out of Madras Gymkhana Club because he was bare-footed but Hussain stood his ground and went back! There are very few people who do not feel burdened by their names or principles and go about their jobs with utter confidence. Most of us just wilt under the pressure and sulk!Mr Pichai belonged to this category!
And how can I ever thank you for that lovely final compliment. I truly feel touched
Sri

Dear Shreyasri,

I can understand Cheeniya's admiration for your post as I feel the same for it:) A beautiful analysis. Enjoyed reading every word.
I see you are new and hope you will enthrall all of us with many more posts.
You remind me of another famous IL'ite who has recently been acknowledged for her prowess with words.
Welcom Shreyasri and thanks Cheeniya for brining in the cream:)

L, Kamla

Cheeniya,

Thank you for noticing my post. I am enjoying this one second under the sun.

Dear sir,

That was indeed a generous offer! Imagine swapping the sun with an electric lamp for one moment. Need I tell you that it would prove disastrous?
Actually, your posts are thought-triggers; I am one of the candles being lit up by a mighty torch.

Regards

dear kamla,

thanks a lot for the encouragement you have given me by recognizing my post. i am very thankful to IL for enabling an interaction with such enlightened people. it's a pleasurable escape from a mechanical routine.

hope i can rise up to your kind words.

shreyasri

Dear Shreyasri,

What nice words again from you:) You don't need to rise up to any words, you are already up there, hence the post:)

L, Kamla

Dear Cheeniyasri
Whats in a name ?

a) The perfect Face. The Perfect Body. The perfect (P.C.) reply . And the crown goes to Kuchalamba Rai !. Great applause, lasting years. The world at her feet. Reams written about Kool Kuch. Battalions of baby girls named Kuchala. And then, upon a lazy evening, some dear old owl sits pontificating if The Rai would have won such fame and fortune had she been given a dowdy name like Aishwaryam.

b) The Khan brigade rules , as The Badshahs Of Bollywood, not because of, but in spite of, their names. Shahrukh, Amir, Salman and Saif were names current in the 9th. Century AD. Not exactly- ahem- newfashioned.

c) As Cheeniyasri's friend stands before the chemist humming and hawing for a tube of the unambiguously named Itchguard, a youngman mumbles a request for Kohinoor. Everyone within earshot immediately knows he is not looking for a diamond or Basmathi Rice in the pharmacy and gives him "that" look..

The sweetness of the flower endows its given name with the associative aura of loveliness ; and would have done so, regardless, had our forebears, transiting from grunts to definitive sounds, chosen to name that plant Bose, Dose, Pose or Muttakose.

The only instance where a name really mattered was when a car company introduced a model in South America with a name that unfortunately meant " does not move" in the local language. It flopped.
But in our country we are less fussy, no? We have accepted , in a big way, a vehicle named Yama-ha ! Ha-ha-ha !

manjula

Dear Manjula,
Perhaps, I am writing this even before Sri has read this post of yours.
You have written so very enjoyably !
The comparisons with Kohinoor & Yamaha are absolutely hilarious !
Great going, Manjula !
Love,
Chithra.

Thank you, Chithra. That was sweet of you !

manjula