Name Game

Is there a correlation between baby names and future success?

While the country rallies behind suspended IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal who fearlessly took on the sand mafia in the lawless badlands of Uttar Pradesh,one can only wonder if her awesome courage also stems from having Durga as a first name and Shakti as a middle one? One of the meanings of Durga is Durgatinashini,which literally translates into the one who eliminates sufferings. Other depictions of Durga are of a fierce goddess,wife of Shiva,identified with Kali. Shakti,meanwhile,means empowerment in Sanskrit. An indisputably apt first and second name for the brave Nagpal,who has totally lived up to it.

On http://www.parentsconnect.com that incidentally carries the tagline (Were not perfect were parents) Durga as a name is rated very low on the popularity scale. Its too impactful and serious,perhaps. Whats in a name? Infinite possibility,presume to-be parents who spend months agonising over options,from Maneka Gandhis wonderful Book of Hindu Names and the zillions of websites that list titles from ancient Scotland and obscure African tribes.

You want something original but not so original that other kids snigger at yours in the playground. An ideal name should have a profound meaning,be easy on the tongue,and of course,be completely undiscovered. I find it a little bizarre when Indian parents choose Russian or even Icelandic names for kids with no historical context whatsoever. Maybe,its in keeping with the trend of that dreaded word globalisation. But theres a difference between pretentious and unique. Parents,of course,will fight bitterly and rubbish each others name choices,friends and relatives will gaze at you in horror when you read out your shortlist and many of your dream names will vanish before coming into existence.

I notice many more Indian children nowadays carry hyphenated versions of both parents surnames. In this generation,A names appear to be the most popular,possibly because parents think their child will be among the first in roll call,maybe even get to sit up front and study harder. A generation of Vikrams and Priyas has given birth to Anyas,Aliyahs and Avanas. My son cribs that his turn comes last in every activity in school since his name begins with V and hes in Section F. Some schools now also do the roll call in a reverse alphabetical order so as to be more fair.

There is some inconclusive research suggesting that normal,popular names make for better adjusted kids and quirkily named children are more prone to being rebellious. This clearly doesnt hold true if youre a celebrity: Gwyneth Paltrows daughter is called Apple,a very adorable name I think but questionably weird for regular folk. Same goes for Aaradhya,Aishwarya Rai-Bachchans daughter,a very hard sounding unpronounceable name for little children,at least. Im not sure how much names reveal about kids but they tell you a lot about the people doing the naming.

Ive met a 10-year-old Zen who was returning from an art appreciation class. Zen may be a really cool name but if your name is a talking point,you better end up doing something really cool,so a parent must think if he wants to even subtly pressure the child with the burden of a wild name. Not every Durga will turn out to be like Nagpal.

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