‘Blog Uncle’, and other names

Aunty and Gomathy Kaleeswaran were on a stroll when Gomathy’s friend passed by. Gomathy introduced Aunty to her: “This is Lalitha Sundaram, you know her?” “No, I am afraid,” she replied. “You know Sundaram Uncle,” Gomathy persisted. “Who… Blog Uncle?” she asked. Yes, prefixes, nicknames and pet names abound - for different reasons.

 

Drawing from my Pallakkad days, a father ceremoniously whispers into his child’s ear three times; say, “Narayana Swamy, Narayana Swamy, Narayana Swamy”. Normally it is paternal or maternal grandfather’s name - to preserve the ancestral lineage.

 

But there is a problem with this. Both Narayana Swamys (the grandfather and grandson) will be living under the same roof. And by custom no elderly person is hailed by his name. So the bahu will be hesitant to call her son aloud Narayana Swamy lest it offends the senior. To preempt this, many give a pet name as well. I am thus both Narayanan and Sundaram. The latter name stays for all intents and purposes.

 

The name Narayanan is pressed into service only on the rare religious occasions when I have to pay obeisance to the Almighty and elders around, tracing my origin, starting from the Rishi (Kashyapa, Kauntinya, or Bharadwaja….) whose progeny I am, to my given name. This Abhivadaye mantra covers practically everything except the nearest railway station and the platform number.

 

Some houses just continue with the given name. In such cases what started off originally as a fulsome Narayana Swamy, ends with Nanachamy; Parameswaran with Pammechan, or Subramanian with Chuppamani, by villagers who mutilate it beyond recognition in the name of ease of pronunciation. These punctured versions sometimes get prefixes. Thus you have Enna (Oil) Chuppamani, and Pohela (Tobacco) Chuppamani.

 

Pulyinchi Pammechan’s case is different. He got this prefix because three years in a row he bought the leftover Pulyinchi at the village auction after the Ayyappa Puja celebrations. For the uninitiated, Pulyinchi is a distant cousin of Pulyogare mix, but a little more liquid. Pulicha Moru Doctor was called thus because he prescribed sour buttermilk for all ailments; and Spade Krishna Iyer, for his passion to declare Spade as the trump in the game of 56. French Mama got the tag because after his solitary trip to France, it was France, France, and France in all his chats.

 

Sometimes childless, or all-daughters, couple undertake a pilgrimage in the pious hope of begetting a male child. And if their prayer is answered, they prefix the holy place to the child’s name. We have thus a Kasi Viswanatha Gopala Krishna Sharma. Also, a Sethuraman, born after parents visited Rameswaram.

 

In Delhi as bachelors we used to have meals in a South Indian hotel. On entering, one would eagerly ask, “so, what’s the menu today?” “Sangam Sambar”, came a reply once from a disgruntled member having his meals. Yes, the restaurant owner began serving Brinjal-Bhindi sambar from the day Sangam movie was released in Regal six weeks ago.

 

Sometimes when two business giants collaborate, they come up with a new name. In some cases both want their full identity on display: Tata Mcgraw-Hill; L&T Komatsu… In some others, the new name reflects the merger in the real sense.  Volkart Brothers, a Swiss firm, and Tatas merged with a new name Voltas – drawing the first three letters of Volkart and the last three letters of Tatas.

 

But what appealed to me most is back in SFV my friend Swarna Kaleeswaran and Gomathy very thoughtfully named decades ago their first baby, Swathy, combining the first and last three letters of their respective names.

 

Some homes give a new name to their bride on arrival. In such cases the bride sets foot in the new home, not rolling down the customary bowl of rice, but being hailed by a new name. A Vedambal becomes Radha, or a Ranganayaki becomes Rajam.

 

However, as early as four hundred years ago Shakespeare has pronounced the last word on this, in Romeo and Juliet:

 

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose,

By any other name would smell as sweet”.