What’s in a name? Your future may depend on it

Parents want their children to have names that will impress the world and are experimenting with unusual possibilities. Aastha Atray Banan reports

To ancient Egyptians, the name of an individual was of prime importance. They were of the opinion that “like the shadow, the name was thought of as a living part of each individual, which had to be assigned immediately at birth, for otherwise it was felt that the individual would not properly come into existence”. It seems that the Egyptian wisdom may have rubbed off on many parents today who are spending a lot of time researching for just the right name for their children — a name that just might be the name of the next Prime Minister of India, best cricketer or Miss India.

“It might be. You never know really,” says Rubert Fernandes. “I have actually named my son and daughter keeping all this in my mind. I have given them names I want them to be proud about when they grow up.” What are the names he has chosen? Well, his daughter’s name is Rossa, which means beautiful in Spanish, and his son is called Rameses, from the Ten Commandments of course. “I named my daughter Rossa because I thought it was a sexy name and she just might be the next Miss India, if she has a beautiful name like this,” he says.

His son’s name proved to be a bit of a problem for him as most of his family opposed to it by saying that King Rameses was an evil and cruel man. But Rubert did his research and found out that there were actually 12 Rameseses, and except for Rameses II, all of the others were kind and good people. “I think it will be a name that people will find impressive,” he says.

It is what a lot of parents want — a name that will impress whoever meets their child. It will be a name that a child will carry all through his life. At school and college, it should be a name that will not be susceptible to easy teasing. And at a later stage of life, it should be a name that will impress. You never know, it could get them that job when they walk into a boardroom and announce their grand name.

That’s what Sandhya Menon kept in mind while short-listing three names for her new-born baby girl. When she was looking for inspiration, she turned to the scriptures, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, where most characters have at least three different names. Take for example the goddess Sandhya chose — Parvati. Her options are Shailja, Shymali and Kalandi — all names for Parvati. A bit old fashioned? That’s the trend, Sandhya assures us. “I wanted a name that she was going to grow into. I don’t like these modern names such as Muskaan or Smile, and anyway, they are not in vogue any more.

These names are a perfect mix of tradition and mysticism,” she says. Naming a child has always been a long procedure for any Indian family. There is either a consultation with an astrologer or numerologist or some people just choose the cheaper, simpler option — they get a book of names.