My name is . . .

Jul 5th, 2009 by vjkrishna in Experiences, People

I like my name. I wouldn’t swap my name for any other name. I think one needs like his/her name. More often than not, you’re stuck with it so you better like your name. I don’t know if I can generalise that people like their names. For those who don’t like their names, it’s such a sad life, isn’t it? Have you ever thought ‘wish i had this name’?

Back in school, it’s a sick advantage if you’re name starts with the last few alphabet. Mine being ‘V’, I always had this leeway being a bit late to the class and still getting my attendance marked. I pity that guys Aakash. On the other hand, when it comes to announcing the test results and handing over the test papers, I always had to go through the suspense and thrill as I see names fall one by one.

Vijayakrishna is not a difficult name to remember, read or pronounce. But it’s not a very common name. The thing with uncommon names is always that people would call you with the nearest common name without even caring how annoying it is for the one addressed. All through my school and college, very frequently I’m called ‘Vijaykumar’ because that’s easy and lazy. Everytime I introduce myself I make it a point to say ‘Vijayakrishna’. While I’d love to be called Vijayakrishna, I can say almost no one calls me so. From family to friends to colleagues, I’m just Vijay. The name Vijay is a bit boring. It’s a name of million others. But I’ve made this compromise long back.

I hate when people call me anything other than Vijayakrishna or Vijay. I get wild when people call me Vijaykrishnan or anything like that. It’s even worse when it’s written. People always take the liberty of chopping and chewing your name because they think it’s insignificant. They think, as long as they look at you and speak to you, it doesn’t matter if they get your name wrong. It’s plain negligence and lethargy. Why don’t you call me Mr.President when you’re looking into my eyes?

I particularly hate when people put a space in my name. For decades, they have been falling into the same pitfall. It’s a single word Vijayakrishna. It’s got no spaces in between. It should have an A between Vijay and Krishna. It does not end with a N. It’s really simple. I know that the pronounciation may differ from person to person but it’s certainly not hard to look at how I write my name and make an attempt to read it the way it is. It could be really annoying if your name is spelt the wrong way and that’s how it appears in all your records. I simply cannot stand it. The only variation to my name that I accept and like is ‘vjkrishna’.

I know some people who don’t really like their names. May be its not very strange. Names are just like faces, bodies and such stuff. Some may like to have a sharper nose or green eyes. At least, you can change your name as you want, if you’re willing to go through the administrative difficulties. I’m certainly not talking about nameology or numerology. I don’t want to write my name Vyjaiacrrichna because it adds up to something. Names do have character. Names are also personal. One might love his/her name, take pride in his/her name and be very particular about his/her name. People who are not mindful of this don’t impress me much.

What started as a post has ended as a rant. Anyway, rant is over.

6 Comments

  • Hey agree with u totally.. I hate it when people murder my name.. they make a female name male by leaving the last i from the name.. it has happened so many times and everyone in class had laughed when the teacher called my name and looked at the boys’ benches.. why do people murder names?! grrrrr
    btw I deleted that entry since it was too much of ranting.. u can find it in my other blog here

  • Vijayakrishna,

    I also love my name to the core. I get irritated especially when people write my name incorrectly. They add a “H” between Sant and osh. It is very common that Santosh is written as Santhosh. All my school, college and infact office certificates has this problem. God sake passport authorities did not screw it up :-)

    More irritating is when people call me Sandhosh. I infact like my complete name followed by my father’s name, ‘Santosh Nithyanandam’ that’s because the meaning for both my first and last name mean the same. First name means “Happiness” and last name means “Continuous happiness”. I feel proud when people say that I have an apt name. I infact work on a daily basis to reflect myself just as the way I have been called :-)

    The problem with the name Vijayakrishna is that when it is pronounced fully it seems as if we are showing disrespect. It would be more comfortable if you are younger than us Vijay :-)

  • What is in a name afterall !! Though I should say you are a Krishna and a victorious one at that too !!

  • Rather interesting. Has few times re-read for this purpose to remember. Thanks for interesting article. Waiting for trackback

  • Well, I have a different story I guess. My name is Niharika but in my home I am called by a different name “Ruchira”. People who know my family call me “Ruchira”. Though I have not really met people who mis-spelled my name Niharika very often. But I know many people who change my name from Ruchira to “Ruchika” or “Ruchi”. I did try to correct them, but my efforts went in vain. This does not annoy me however , it has never annoyed me. Yes, I do get annoyed sometimes when the people who are supposed to be my own and very close to me do not understand (because they have not taken the effort) the basic things about my perosnality and behavior. I hate being misunderstood. Even with my name “Niharika”, many people call me Niha and I like it, becuase it sounds good to me.

  • yes the name means a lot …and you are right it becomes sort of one’s personality with the years …..I would never trade my name ….even though again u r the last person to be called in the school attendance…..but i would hate to be the first with ‘A’ coz the later your name comes gives you enough chances to be with your thoughts ….lol