I just completed reading The Namesake by Jhuma Lahiri. A very nicely written book. Relations are portrayed beautifully. But what caught my attention was the concept behind nick names. In North India its common to have Nick names like monu,sonu, guddi, etc. In South India, you may have multiple names, but all the names will be meaningful ones. For e.g., Sita is the name given by elders, in school she will be Gayatri. But in Bengalis, it is a custom to have a bhalo naam and a daak naam. Bhalo naam is the formal name by which one would be known in school or college or office. Daak naam is the pet name ones family keeps. Selecting this pet name in itself is a task. And these names are weird, Bulty, Rumi, Budi and so on. But there lies a deeper meaning to this tradition. These names are meant to make one realize that life is not always serious, life is not just about struggle, life is not just about running for survival. Life at times is just for one self. Life is sweet cute and meaningless at times. Life should be enjoyed. It also shows closeness, friendliness, trust.
Don't we feel good when someone addresses us with a cute name? Don't we feel wanted and safe? I think this daak name tradition should be propagated across. So many cute names would come up. And at times, world may end up knowing one by Daak naam and not Bhalo naam and the world will belong to him. So what's your Daak naam??
Most of the time while getting back home I join a friend of mine who drops me at a metro station. In my second or third visit itself I noticed a bhelpuri wala. This man is not like other local market tapri wala. He was clean and seemed well organized. He had 4 plastic covers, each containing onion , tomato, coriander and green chillies (all uncut). Highlight were the fresh lemons. He had papers folded like cones. A box with masala and a cover with loads of mixture. Like any office goer returning home, I too was slightly hungry for some munching. What better than bhel. I liked the way he customized my bhel by checking for the quantity of chilly and lemon. I liked it so much that I got one more for my sis. Thus began the love for bhel. One day it so happened that my husband was about to pick me up and I was waiting just next to the same bhel guy. I was an observer that day. In a span of 20 mins this guy served around 8 customers. Interesting! I began talking to him(shhh......
Hilarious.....
ReplyDeleteBeing a bong, you do have my endorsement. However embarrassing the pet names may be, they do play an integral role in our lives. The places where I am know by my daak naam, I live a playful carefree life. When I am called by my Bhalo naam, the experience is different. I highly recommend having multiple names. It makes for a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteBeing a bong, you do have my endorsement. However embarrassing the pet names may be, they do play an integral role in our lives. The places where I am know by my daak naam, I live a playful carefree life. When I am called by my Bhalo naam, the experience is different. I highly recommend having multiple names. It makes for a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteBhalo naam Maharshi and daak name is Raj..
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this i wish i had a daak naam.. :-P I'll try one for the new member may b
ReplyDeleteNicely written Srilekh... I will now look for a daak name for Advik.. btw my daak name is Dolly and Bhalo naam is Neha
ReplyDeleteNicely written Srilekh... I will now look for a daak name for Advik.. btw my daak name is Dolly and Bhalo naam is Neha
ReplyDelete