Radhika Dogra Swarup - Modern Baby Names

MODERN

BABY NAMES FOR A NEW INDIA

MODERN

BABY NAMES FOR A NEW INDIA

Radhika Dogra Swarup

First published in 2011 by
Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd.
7/16, Ansari Road, Daryaganj
New Delhi 110002

Sales centres:
Allahabad Bengaluru Chennai
Hyderabad Jaipur Kathmandu
Kolkata Mumbai

Copyright Radhika Dogra Swarup 2011

While every effort has been made to verify the authenticity of the information contained in this book, the publisher and the author are in no way liable for the use of the information contained in this book.

This digital edition published in 2012

e-ISBN: 978-81-291-2168-4

Radhika Dogra Swarup asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

All rights reserved.

This e-book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated, without the publishers prior consent, in any form or cover other than that in which it is published. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic, mechanical, print reproduction, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Any unauthorized distribution of this e-book may be considered a direct infringement of copyright and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

~

For Maanas ,

who has brought meaning

to our words as he has to our lives

~

Contents

Acknowledgements

M y hearfelt thanks go to those with unforgettable names across the world whether they be a Delight or a Wisdum in Zambia, a Rambo or a Bravo in Italy, a Seksi or a Burberry in England, or nearer home, a Twinkle, Dolly, Lovely or Sundari. If it wasnt for you, my search for my babys name would have been filled with tedium.

Thanks naturally follow to my parents for giving me access to the Rambos and the Seksis of this world. I am also grateful to them for taking me to countries where Radhika which is an inoffensive enough name in India came at times to resemble the most impenetrable phonetic maze.

I reserve my biggest thanks for the last. These go to my son Maanas, whose name this book celebrates, and to my husband Amarendra, whose name it cant. Amarendra has kept me company at crazy hours of the morning which invariably is the best time to work around a sleeping infant has taken over weekend nappy changes and walks so I can concentrate on this book, and in a Herculean effort, has pored endlessly through Sanskrit and Hindi dictionaries in search of names thousands of years of civilization havent unearthed.

How to Use the Book

Guide to Phonetics

T he list below details the manner in which the book handles the phonetics of each name.

As with most names, a degree of personalisation is natural. Names that begin with i can easily be spelt with two es instead. Similarly, names in the book that begin with q could also be spelt with k, and those with b could as easily start with v. Names which feature the long a can be spelt with two as or with one a. To maintain consistency, where the first syllable of a name contains a long a, the book spells it with two as, all further syllables are spelt with a single a. For instance, the name Aakanksha only has its first syllable spelt with two as even though each a is pronounced with a long a sound.

Introduction

B ecoming a parent is a momentous occasion one filled with hope and worries. Your life changes forever, as do your relationships and responsibilities. The decisions to be taken have consequences that will resonate for years does one of you decide to give up work, does a grandparent take on a bigger role in your lives, do you bring in a full-time carer? There are fears to go with the excitement, particularly for first-time parents. A baby tiny as it is and facing its own traumatic entry into a new and noisy world, turns your own upside down. Everything is in a state of flux finances, relationships between partners, even the much treasured staple of me time.

And of course, as you near your due-date, it seems as if the to-do list is never ending. Amidst all the mood swings and endless shopping trips and advice sought (and often unsought!) from elders and friends with children, there is the childs name to think of.

Every culture has its unique baby-naming customs. In some Western civilisations, babies are named after a deceased relative in the hope that the newborn will imbibe some of the qualities of their namesake. On the other hand, the Ashkenazic Jewish tradition stipulates that babies are not named after a living person for fear that the Angel of Death will mistake the child for the older person! In Italy, babies may be named after their grandparents favouring the paternal side first but not after the parents for it is considered arrogant to name your child after yourself. In many Catholic cultures, children are named after saints. And fittingly for a country with a great population, the Chinese put a great many factors into play when deciding a childs name: astrological principles, the birth date and time, the five key elements (metal, wood, water, fire and earth), the written form, the pronunciation, and the meaning of the name.

A lot of this resonates with our own customs. Historically, parents waited until the child was born to consult astrological charts based on the babys birth date and time. A Sanskrit letter was chosen as lucky for the newborn which would form the first letter of the babys name. Then, at an elaborate Namkaran ceremony at least ten days after the birth, the child would be named, with the father typically whispering the name four times into the babys right ear.

Today, these traditions tend not to be followed to the letter. Besides, as several priests have told me, people can put too much emphasis on an astrologically auspicious letter when choosing a childs name. If the letter was all that mattered, would two such divergent personalities like Krishna and Kans have names that begin with the same letter? A mere coincidence, you say? Well, what about Raavan and Raam? Both their names began with the letter R, but their characters and ultimate destinies couldnt have been more different.