WHATZ IN A NAME?

I’ve always loved my name and thanked my stars over and over again at the thoughtfulness of my grandmother for naming me Sandhya and not Abithakujalambal or Ammini!

Sandhya. Dusk. Twilight. My name couldn’t have had a better meaning than that of my favourite part of the day. The ONLY time in the whole 24 hours of time (other than the few odd hours of sleep) that I’m peaceful, tranquil and unusually quiet. When thoughts, rather than words take centre stage and help with a tryst with the divine. A time of contemplation and retrospection of silent smiles and bitter remembrances. A beautiful tranquil time! Am I not glad my name means twilight?


But that’s not all! I’ve been someone who loves to name things and has been given a dozen nicknames too! When this girl of yours was a kid, she loved to play make-believe games like teacher-teacher, hostel-hostel, house-house, tailor-tailor, office-office, etc etc(Now don’t ask me why everything had to be double-double, it just HAD to be!!!)

When I was playing teacher-teacher, I used to frame an entire roll-call, roping in both my imaginary playmates (Nick, Jo, Nancy) and my sister’s (Sita Rajan, Gundu Ponnu). I was Karen and she was Ellen. We used to ‘travel’ to school-Mackintosh High(from the Mackintosh Quality Street chocolate box) by TRAM or METRO! Our house was called Brindavan Gardens and guest house :D –Rose Garden and Ellen and I, with Nick, Jo and Nancy used to have fun in hostel, home and dance parties!

As I grew up and when sweet innocence slowly faded into know-how, when ‘Anne of Green Gables’ came into my life, I began to name places. There are two trees- ‘Old Lady with Green Fingers’ and ‘Rippling waters’ in my school. A mountain range called ‘Horizon’s Coronet’ in Cumbum etc. And today it continues and extends over to naming people!

Sample these: Sweetie pie, Sweet heart, Sweets, Sweetie, Sweeto, Whiny, Moron, Zero Best friend, Bunty,Monkey Thatha, Sir Abi Reddi, Pompogoa, Poonsie, Ahu-Kuhu, Arvi boy, Grand Paws, Meanie, The lofty one, Shabby, Maerel, M.Shabida Gore(daughter of Madhavi), Thala, Boss, Cow, Dosti etc!!

Now what exactly am I coming to? Well, the flip side! Due to this incurable habit of naming people and places, I, Sandhya Ramachandran has become the object of naming by all and sundry!


Bajju has been my pet name at home. Very rarely am I called Sandhya by my periappa, periamma and cousin. So much so that, even a couple of my cousin’s friends call me bajju!

I’ve lived with the name and so no probs on that! I don’t mind it but I don’t love it as much as my self christened ‘The Dreamy Dryad’. Now that makes it three names. “Quite normal”, you say? Ahem! Wait!

Begin crackers (chumma oru festive side-effet thaan! :D)

Sandhu, Sandy, Sanyasi- Names I’ve been putting up in school, with Sandy extending limbs into college.

Then there’s ‘Bubbly’. This has a long story behind it. There’s this 4 yr senior of mine (Architecture’s a 5 yr course) who’s the sweetest guy I’ve ever met in life. He’s one helluva dancer. We did a dance together and ever since been bum chums! He named me ‘Bubbly’ after my enthusiasm and insisted I call him ‘Bunty’. So from then, we are, ‘Bunty aur Bubbly’ (not Babli, ok?) And that’s how the whole department knows us!!!

‘Cutie’ is how my class guys call me! This name I totally love… For obvious reasons, duh!

Well if all the names above have been sweet, look at these… My Grand Paws(another 4th yr), a 6’4” guy whom I fondly call “the lofty one with an ALTITUDE problem” and Anoodha calls “the one who gives everybody a pain in the neck” calls me “JABBER JAWS” of “JAWS”(chellama! X( )Two reasons why. One-cos I’m a nonstop chatter box. Two- cos apparently I resemble the shark in ‘Finding Nemo’ and a ‘A Shark’s Tale’. I watched both the movies and well, I declare, I LIKE THE FIRST EASON BETTER!!! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr To add to the insult Meanie No.2, another guy whom I partnered in a dance, calls me ‘Sora Meen’ cos- he HAS to be ‘mean’ to me!

Queen of blah is yet another name that two third yr gals and a guy named me! And this guy came to know my real name only recently! :”(

‘Tam-Tam’ is another recent inclusion to my Names Directory.
‘Akash Vani’ is Praveen’s fond contribution! X(
So many names for one dear soul like me! Now I just want you to let your imagination wild and name yourself three evil and three cute names. Also add on three evil and three cute names for me too… Wanna see wat more I can get.

Remember, the latter category is COMPULSORY. The former, you may omit!
:D
He he…