What’s your nick name?

Nicknames are an integral part of childhood. Almost everyone has one…Sometimes they have to be accepted even if you don’t like them. And it becomes a necessary evil if you have got a funny one (courtesy your wanton friends).  

I have been proud owner of several nick names awarded by different persons during different seasons for different reasons!!!!!

As we move ahead in life, we leave behind these important possessions of ours where they belong. We get to college to get new nick names. The criteria for this could be any…I remember a guy ‘GORA’ in my college…..and guess what, he acquired the name not because he was gora(having fair complexion)  but the exactly opposite. You can call a guy ‘chottu’ if he is short (reminded me of ‘Pichi’, the shortest girl in the class) .…..Nick names can be derived from anywhere, we don’t need to have logic to coin them. Or they could be spoiled form of your name or surname; like we call one of our friends ‘Katta’( derived from his surname ‘Kataria’). He has accepted it blissfully. We used to call a friend ‘MATA’(that means mother in hindi) as she would always keep on advising and guiding as our mothers do.

Classic example…..Our maid has named her boy ‘KUDI’( that means a ‘girl’ in Punjabi) because she wanted a girl. I could not stop laughing when she told me. J. Huum….Few weeks ago, I got a message in my inbox….”BALLI is now PAATA’S madam”….that meant “ ‘Balli’ has joined as lecturer in the college where ‘Paata’ studies.”  I found images of lovely people ‘Paata’, ‘Balli’, ‘Satti’, ‘Jagga’, ‘Baba’ and many more school buddies, revolving in my mind in kaleidoscopic combinations, as soon as I read the message.

I feel one more incident deserves a mention here. There were three guys in my batch(engineering college) who were best friends; would sit together, roam together……One day they entered the classroom with a new hairstyle….Gandhi cut ….almost BALD HEADED; they became ‘Ganje’(bald headed people), a good subject for our gossips. Perhaps they had some argument, they all started sitting in different rows. My friend termed the ‘phenomenon’ as ‘THE GREAT GANJA DIASPORA’ !!!!!Even the teachers were not spared. One or more teachers at various stages of my life have had nick names. I remember ‘jugni’, ‘kodu’, ‘Gulabo’, ‘Bhangi’ and many more.I had a notion, in professional life, surnames usually become new nick names. But my misconception got washed away soon. Even the people, courteous, gentle, hardly of the type to have a nick name, have gaudy ones.That means either you earn a ‘name’ for yourself or they are conferred upon you for your deeds or may be they are shortened versions of your name or surname or could be based on your appearance. And the most important attribute of a nickname is they should please your friends.What made me write this was an incident. Few weeks ago, I met my mother’s aunt. She is very old. I have seen her only for five to six times. She looked at me and said, “Mithu…..”, I could hear only the first word…..for that strained my nerves. I had heard this before…somebody, somewhere, sometime in the past had addressed me with the same name. The soft, affectionate voice was echoing in my ears. I looked at my mother, a tear was rolling down her cheek. Perhaps she could decipher my thoughts. I don’t remember how my Nani( maternal grand mother) looked but something in me knew(don’t know how) that it was her voice……And I hugged the old lady.Shakespeare has said “What’s in name !!!!!” .Perhaps true.  But there is so much in a nick name.