Naam gum jayega, chehra ye badal jayega...meri awaaz hi pehchaan hai, gar yaad rahe.
These beautiful lines from a song in the movie Kinara make many people feel the truth in these words.
Not me.
I absolutely love my name. And everyone who meets me for the first time are sure to comment on it. And for some people who are in the know, there is an ethnic Bengali sweet of this very same name. There is in fact a very interesting story behind why my Dad gave me this name. Legend has it that Dad told Mom that “ modern times are here and she is gonna be a Gen X kid. God knows who she will marry when she grows up. With the name ‘Lothika’, we can be assured that whoever be her husband, she has a name that will go with any surname.”
Ironic really, how his words were made true.
And it really works! You try it. Think of the most absurd, weird or unusual surname. Attach my name to it and it still wont seem out-of-place.
But time and again, right through childhood until this last weekend when I went to see ‘Mummy III’, my name has proved to be a source of trouble for me. And it happens in two very simple ways –
Those that hear it, cant spell it (for the times when you have to give your name in writing).
Those that read it, cant pronounce it (calling out attendance, for food orders etc etc).
And that really makes me mad. Coz if there are some things that make me wince sharply they are bad pronunciation, wrong grammar and mangling a name.
And then there are those who just cant make up their minds as to whether ‘Lothika’ is a guy or a gal. I get loads of official and first-time personal mails where I am addressed, as a ‘Mr.’ Come on people, is it so difficult to guess?
Or those times when people, after hearing my name nod knowingly and say “Ah! So it’s ‘Latika’, right?” And sometimes it’s very insulting and tiring to correct people, so I just let it be and let them modify it to suit their convenience. Even Kshitiz has the same problem with his name.
But I still love it. It’s beautiful and unique and it is my name. Do you know that there is only one ‘Lothika’ on orkut??
Thanks Dad.
(The author and her husband, for reasons of convenience only, are contemplating a change in name for minor needs occasions. How does ‘Bunti & Babli’ sound to you?)
