Daily writing prompt
Write about your first name: its meaning, significance, etymology, etc.
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Every time I come across any name, I wonder what it means. I also think about which clan it belongs to. Then I remember Shakespeare’s line from Romeo and Juliet’s passionate adventure.

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet.” Here, Juliet tells Rome that a name is nothing but a name. She loves the person who is actually wearing the name. She loves the person, not the name itself, or the family it comes from.

Even though we believe, “What’s in a name,” there’s actually a lot to it. How so? It’s the one thing we carry from birth until death — something we claim as ours, bear as a burden, or wear as a crown. Sometimes, it’s our identity — cherished or unwanted. Sometimes, it symbolizes victory in a competition, other times, defeat. At times, it’s merely a close relationship, and sometimes, just an incomprehensible word. What really decides a person’s name after birth? Maybe it’s like the saying, “You see the baby’s future in its cradle.” It suggests this is based on their appearance, qualities, or the changes their birth brings to their parents’ lives. Perhaps Kunti from Mahabharat decides to name her son Yudhishthira. He is the one who can foresee his destiny even before it unfolds. Or maybe a mother inspired by a recent movie character like names her child similarly.

In all of this, the poor child has no clue about any of this. They slowly learn to say their own name, albeit with mispronunciations, replacing R with L or D with R. Some names are so intricate, packed with multiple syllables, accents, and consonants. And the child has no choice but to accept this unrequested gift from their parents.

I often wonder what a name should ideally be like. It should grow with time. Not necessarily to ensure that the person achieves greatness, makes a name in history, or becomes successful (though that’s a bonus). At the very least, it shouldn’t sound funny when called out. For example Indian female name Usha. It fits in all roles young Usha, Grandma Usha. But consider the names from my generation: Nandita (one who spreads happiness), Neha, Priyanka, Sayali, Juilee, Amruta. Imagine calling them Neha Aaji or Juilee Aaji. Hilarious, right? By then, perhaps respect for elders will no longer exist. We may come up with alternatives.

The same goes for boys’ names. Names like Ganesh, Vishnu, and Vinayak Grandfather are now replaced by Suhas, Shirish, Suresh, Hemant, and Mohan. But imagine when names like Mandar, Amey, Anurag, Abhijit, and Ashwin become grandfathers’ names — that’s when it gets interesting! Another fun thing about older names is how every family had at least one Baby Kaku(Baby Aunt), Baby Atya (Baby Sister), or Baby Maushi (Baby Maternal Aunt). How did they decide on *Baby*? It’s still a mystery! Now, even these “Babies” are rare.

Back then, larger families gave rise to such nicknames. But in today’s nuclear families, this isn’t even a thought. Such creativity is unimaginable in modern triangular or rectangular families. But these days every one wants their child ‘s name to be unique so the fun starts right from the naming ceremony. Names like Shaurya, Daksha, Kruti, Adarsh, Swagat, and Lalkari, these make you wonder how kids will ever learn Marathi grammar! How will they understand the difference between proper nouns, common nouns, and adjectives?

If every parent starts choosing unique and quirky words for their kids’ names, we might soon meet someone named Table. It’s possible we could also meet Chair on the street. And if a mother fancies long names, we might even encounter Armchair! It’s not impossible. Somewhere, there’s probably an Android being born, and Google must already be married by now!