Mankind’s
desire know no limits…. You study to earn and become rich; you aspire to get
married ~ have kids – bring them up – save or keep wealth that would last for
few more generations and in between you keep re-revising your earlier targets
as ambitions [unbridled wishes] keep growing.
When a child is
born or much earlier to that, parents start thinking of naming the child. The Naming ceremony is celebrated on
different days in different fashion ~ many have religious significance. In Hinduism, naming is considered sacred ~
called Namakaran, it is an elaborate festivity.
It is usually done on the 10th day.
For orthodox the mother and child get more purified after the naming
ceremony.
Now with
people’s increasing faith in many faith, including Nameology, a particular
alphabet is chosen as considered to be lucky depending on the birth star, the
month, and more. For many, picking the
right name for the child is a daunting task. Some adopt fancy names, which the
children might find a tad difficult as they grow.. some students would claim
that names starting with alphabet ‘a’ places them in some disadvantage as their
name would be called first in many forums, tests by the teachers at
school. There are host of websites,
books, suggestions and more in finding out the names ………. There are baby name
finder tools and baby name inspiration lists too… There are lots of considerations when one
decides on a name, such as appeasing relatives, avoiding embarrassing initials
or nicknames, and steering clear of monikers associated with bad memories are
perhaps some to be thought of.
Some say that
one needs to check how the name sounds
and whether it is compatible ~ is it melodious or harsh ! is it unique or is it
too unusual….the thought process could spread endlessly. Then you also read
‘what is in a name’ – a rose by other name would also smell the same…. in
India, there is the tradition of naming them after grandfathers and there could
even be a clash between the father and mother’s sides ~ and you know which side
will win any way !!
Now read
elsewhere that there are babies named in more strange fashions including naming
after ‘cartoon characters’, famous sportspersons and more… the hot flick
‘finding nemo’ has inspired some to name their child ‘Nemo’ ~ some other
bizaree male names include : Sailor,
Buzz-Bee, Zed and Blade.
Out-of-the-ordinary girls’ names included Tinkerbell, Buttercup and
Bliss. In UK, reportedly Harry topped the list of 100 most popular boys
followed by Jack, Charlie, Oliver… while Amelia, Olivia, Emila, Jessica,
Sophie, Lily topped that of girl child.
The desire to make their ward ‘classroom standout’ made some name their
child – Bentley, Zico, Diesel and the like………
In Vaishnava
tradition, naming is mostly after the presiding deity of the famous temples………
thus you have so many Balajis, Srinivasans, Parthasarathis, Narasimhans,
Devarajans and after Acharyars like Ramanujan……
It is worth
recalling the immortal words of Sri Periyazhwar when he says ~ it is nothing
great to name a mortal child born to a mortal mother and call him by a mortal
name. Name him after Maha Vishnu as Govinda, Vaikuntha, Madhava, Govindha and
keep calling Him, the mother of Narayana will never go the hell.
மானிட சாதியில் தோன்றிற்று ஓர் மானிட சாதியை*
மானிட சாதியின் பேரிட்டால் மறுமைக்கில்லை*
வானுடை மாதவா கோவிந்தா என்று அழைத்தக்கால்*
நானுடைநாரணன் தம் அன்னை நரகம்புகாள்.*
Periyalwar also
questions the madness of naming and calling the child by names which carry no
meaning. He reiterates that ‘call your
children by the name of the pleasant ‘Lotus eyed Lord’ – Narayana’s own mother
would never go to hell.
நம்பி பிம்பியென்று நாட்டு மானிடப் பேரிட்டால்
நம்பும் பிம்புமெல்லாம் நாலு நாளில் அழுங்கிப்போம்
செம்பெருந்தாமரைக் கண்ணன் பேரிட் டழைத்தக்கால்
நம்பிகாள் நாரணன் தம் அன்னை நரகம் புகாள்.
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
