India and Names..

India has always been assosciated with interesting(also multiple) names. Starting with the name of the country itself, I dont think any other country has so many names.. Hindustan, India, Bharat…. Indians seem to have an obsession with names, starting from ages ago itself. Why else will the hindu gods have so many names, just try and imagine yourself in that position… you will go crazy with just 5 names.. poor gods. Each one of them have hundreds,some even thousands…, just think about it.. in light of the recent announcement in Delhi about ID proof for every1.. Name is to identify some one or something. What is the need for multiple names for a single god? As it is there are thousands of them.. with enough of temples.. and there’s the belief that you get loads of ‘punya’ by reciting all those names.. Of course the god’ll pay.. he needs some1 to remind him of all his names..

You can get the taste of this naming frenzy by just looking around in any busy street. Every shop, from the hotel to the small paan shop, from the stationary shop to the cobbler kiosk..have names. I have always wondered about it, as no one else other than the owner himself will notice the shop name.. Anyways these names’ll be almost hidden in the huge hoardings of the brands in the shop. Also am puzzled on the logic with which they name… just think.. Sri Raghavendra mutton stall, Gandhi wine shop… The next one.. is absolutely heights… naming their vehicles. People proudly stick the names of their kids, loved ones, gods.. that too in photo reflective materials. Auto rickshaws go a step further and write ‘I love you ____’ on their rear ends… Some even post a ‘thanks to’… I really cant imagine who would be interested in knowing about someone’s kids, whom he loves..or whatever when they are standing at a traffic signal.

On a positive note.. Indians also come up with the most innovative and wonderful names. Think of Infosys.. it definitely rates as one of the best names. Who else can come up with all those millions of names for the gods which even today serves as a database, when naming babies.

As a parting note.. Just think of all the nicknames for an NRI with the name… “Jalakridasamasakta gopivastrapaharakaswami”…