Saturday, January 12, 2008

What's in a Name?

I was told (by my parents of course) that I was named after a very wise & intelligent Queen (from Biblical times).

That is a LIE.

'Sheba' was not the name of the Queen but the name of the place she ruled - she was not Queen Sheba but Queen OF Sheba. I could forgive that... but for the fact that a real character named Sheba in the Bible is a Man AND a Servant - not even a bloody King. There goes the glamor of my name down the drain.

My middle name is Emily. It was given to me after my Great Aunt. Now, Aunt Emily was educated in Britain and had a 'real' English accent. I, on the other hand, am struggling to live with an English name speaking in Anglo-Indian accent.... man!!!
I actually catch people wiping the smirk off their face when I introduce myself to them as 'Emily' - Yeah Right!!! So what is your real name??? My brown ass and my English name don't gel so well - after all.

I also have another second middle name. My parents must have got tired or bored by now at the christening ceremony I guess... and they decided to name me after my Father's great grandmother.... and called me 'Rathnabai'.... swear I have no gujju ties here (at least not with my name). Note it ends with a bai, NOT bhai. And oh, JUST heard from my friend that this is again a common name for servant maids in Maharastra!! WTF??????
Dressing the way I dress, and talking the way I talk, I would have preferred a good anglo indian stud name for a second middle.... something like - hmmm.... Sheba Emily Dominic?!?!?! Daniel....

And of course, my family name is 'Daniel'. If you've been really close to me you must have listened to all the horror stories of the Daniel clan. C'mon now, all families have a dark side to it.... ours would have probably shocked the living hell out of your guts a little. I agree, Alfred Hitchcock could never run out of a plot with the Daniel clan - but I AM one and will remain proud to be one (p.s. I have no choice...).

So, what's in a Name then? Shakespeare could have been smoking pot when he said "That which we call a Rose by any other name would smell as sweet"!!!! cos anything else by the name of Rose may NOT be just as beautiful.... - BUT I agree...... I would be just as weird no matter what I was called.

- NOT another 'simple southy'.... Just call me a Madrasi...

Keep the Cheer!!

1 comment:

Sweet00th said...

LOL Boss..this was simply hilarious. Well i hope to hear a few of your 'Daniel' horror stories.

I would like to believe that there is not much to a name - for all i know i could be Pratz to some and then Nani to some - but i would remain the same dimwit that i am!