Bengaluru
FC 250 had many readers posting comments, which is very rewarding for me. There are far more comments than usual, which just goes to show that the topic resonated with the readers. I urge all the readers to read the comments, which add to the discussion.
Krupa Murthy: “A name gives a particular identity, individuality, and recognition to an individual. The topics you come out with every time make me wonder about your capacity to think and also the compulsion of your commitment to friends, relatives and the society at large. It is bewildering to think how committed and disciplined you are! Kudos to you. The topic this time is not uncommon but dealt with elaborately, interestingly and expansively to evoke interest in anyone!!!”
Commander V K Santhanam: “Interesting topic. What comes to my mind is that we do not have the option to choose a name when born, which is decided by the parents. Changing a name is painful as of today. I wonder why the system in India can’t make name changes easy and fast?”
Kamalini Jassem: “In this context, I would like to mention the matriarchal system in Kerala, where, especially in Nair households, the children took the mother's surname. The mother was the centre of the household, as the Nair men were warriors and away from the home quite often. Also, before the era of DNA testing, you were always sure who your mother was, but the father... Have a great Sunday, everyone!”
Lakshmi Raman: “I enjoyed reading your FC, ‘What's in a name?’ And laughed at the Ajit dialogues. I remember the ‘loin’ one also came in some ad many years ago. I recall that in one training program which I facilitated, one man said he was living with such shame and low self-esteem because his parents named him Kuppan (of garbage). And then I asked him to look at it from another perspective: women in Tamil Nadu who had no children or who repeatedly miscarried often named their surviving offspring with such names so that the gods wouldn't take them away. So, Kuppan seems to have been precious to them. His face cleared, he smiled for the first time in the program, and said, ‘You know, I like my name now.’”
Subahu Desai: “Akira Kurosawa (March 23, 1910 – September 6, 1998) was a Japanese filmmaker, widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers. My daughter wanted to name our granddaughter after him. But two of my daughter’s friends beat her to it. On surnames, my daughter retained her maiden name just to avoid the hassle of changing bank accounts, Aadhar, passport, etc., when it came to registering her daughter's name, my daughter, being prudent, named her Maya (conjoined MArisha & ameYA). MAYA KAGALI DESAI. I told her that as time goes by, the middle name is seldom remembered. She just smiled. Get the drift?”
Radhika Prasad: “Loved your FC 250 on names. The famous director Sanjay Leela Bhansali took his mother’s surname, Leela, as he didn't want to identify with his abusive father. I find names fascinating and always seek the meaning of them. I feel sorry for kids whose parents might have given them complicated names that the global world can't handle, but I am glad to see the world making an effort to pronounce Indian names right these days. I also love tracing the genealogy of strange surnames like Khasnabis, for instance. ‘nab’ is nib, and these people used to be writers in the king's courts who would pen declarations and important notices.”
Tarun Kunzru: “Pet names always intrigue me. All your near and dear ones only know you by your pet name. Often, they don't remember your proper name. What is close to one's heart and simpler gets used. To illustrate, Bhupinder becomes Biloo and Parminder becomes Pappu. Naming people based on festivals is interesting too. Like a young army jawan recruit said to his boss- ‘Sir, main Holi per paida hua, issi liye mere baap ne mera naam Hola Singh rakha.’”
Uma Shashikant: “Congratulations, Pras, on the 250th post! One of the most hilarious things about North Karnataka has to be the surnames people take—Kempannavar, Neelannavar (the red and blue man, referring to something of that colour associated with them); Hittalamane, Naduvinmane, Moolemane, Sannamane, Doddamane—all references to their houses. And there, the crop series is based on what they traditionally grew—Akki, bele, ullagaddi, belloli, mensinkai, adike, and so on. I could go on. But let me mention that the surname Halbhaavi was common.”
Amba Prasad: “250 ra Shubhashaya... you have taken the time to explain the Parsi names and their meaning. I take this opportunity to attempt to tell all how apt the name Prasanna suits you perfectly. Always pleasant, cheerful and a smile! (including etymologically) ... ಪ್ರಸನ್ನ ವದನ. Stay cheerful and cheers to many more Filter Coffee!!!”
Rangarajan: “In Andhra, there is intiperu [Surname] which the bride adopts when she marries. Our puranas show that men were known by the name of their wives, such as Sitaraman, Lakshminarayanan (Radhakrishnan, Saraswatichandra to add). In Tamil Nadu, there is no surname, and so they keep the name of the father, and when they go to the USA, they are called by their father's name!”
I forgot to include an interesting comment of Hemalata Seshadri on Bonding. She says: “Strong bonding between siblings can bring so much peace as one becomes older. No other relationship can be so healthy! Bonding between women friends, again as they become older and mature, can be a cathartic experience. But the most peaceful bonding, laced with respect and love in equal measure is between a married couple who have grown older together and look back at their pasts as memories to be cherished and live their present with utmost care for each other, maybe watch serials together, laugh together, dine together and go on tours together!”
Dear Readers, I realise that I have devoted more space than usual to the comments, but they are worth the space given to them. Hope you guys enjoyed reading the comments. Thank you!
💪 The Underdog
The term ‘underdog’ is believed to have originated in the 19th century from dog fighting. It refers to the dog that was forced to fight against a stronger dog, often losing. On a positive note, an underdog can be a team or a person who, against all odds, is competing or contesting against a stronger opponent, and there are more than a handful who root for the underdog.
An underdog could be an unseeded participant in a competition, or it could be an unfancied horse in a race both expected to lose. The person expected to win is referred to by some as the top dog. If the underdog wins, the outcome can be considered an upset by the onlookers, but for the underdog, it’s an unshackled achievement.
The term aptly applies to individuals and organisations who face significant challenges and who, in the face of adversities, persevere. Let me put it in context. When I joined the Aditya Birla Group way back in 1998, I was given temporary office space on the 11th floor of Raheja Centre, on Free Press Journal Marg, Nariman Point. It was a functional office, nothing fancy or impressive. Though there was a nook which could house a pantry to dispense coffee/tea, there was no pantry boy.
Through the building grapevine, the word spread of my looking for a pantry boy. One day, a boy of 18+ years stood in front of me. He was literally in tattered clothes and looked quite malnourished. Talking to him, I came to know that he was from south Canara (Mangalore Area) and he was washing plates and utensils in a nearby hotel. Here, he had a roof to sleep under with many others and was fed twice day, but given very little money which he struggled to save and send it to his ailing mother.
I did not feel sorry for him, but rather admired his desire to rise above the mundane life of a cleaner and dishwasher. We made the pantry operational with his help, and soon we had tea & coffee going. He was very meticulous and made sure the crockery was kept clean. We gave him some money to buy new clothes, and soon we began to see a more cheerful person.
He continued, and when we were asked to relocate to regular office accommodation, and the anxiety on his face betrayed his fear of losing the job he had found for himself with his initiative and grit. The office that we were moving into had a full-fledged pantry, and there was no place for him.
God helps people who help themselves, and particularly the underdogs. Miraculously, Gopal, the head of legal for Aditya Birla Retail, came to see me just before we shifted and in the course of discussions the topic of the pantry boy came up. When I shared my concerns, Gopal offered to take him as an office assistant which would elevate from the pantry duties to handling files, attending to mails and doing all odd jobs that came his way.
Remarkably, not only did he acquit himself, but he also endeared himself to all the people working there. The underdog does not like to be fed and pampered but desires to be challenged. So, the new office boy was taught by caring officers how to surf the web and conduct searches on the portal of the trademark office. Retail had many marks and copyrights, and the office boy was now gravitating to be a trademark investigator!
He is doing very well and is now married and has a kid. He is rather hesitant to interact with me, but does give information about his well-being to my wife, whom he has had the opportunity to meet many times.
I am sure each of my readers has met an underdog who is doggedly in pursuit of liberation from the shackles of penury and deserves all the help she or he can get. I have done my bit not just for the pantry boy but for others too.
There are many such untold stories of the rise of an underdog. A lot is spoken of the underdog attaining celebrity status, but then they will be a role model for someone who is aspiring to rise above mundane existence. All underdogs who have risen from the ashes like the phoenix demonstrate three chief characteristics: resilience, resourcefulness and courage. They do not like to be thrown a bit to chew on. They would like to earn what they wish for.
Take the example of Malala Yousafzai. Her fight for education for girls faced extraordinary resistance, and she almost got assassinated by the Taliban. She survived and, with unwavering determination, continued to advocate, becoming the youngest Nobel Prize laureate.
I gather that before she was identified with Harry Potter, JK Rowling faced a lot of rejection and struggled as a single mother living on welfare. Creativity and perseverance ultimately got her the recognition she so richly deserved.
The best thing about being an underdog is knowing that the real prize in life is inner success. They participate and don’t expect to lose. A confident underdog still prepares a victory speech. No one expects you to win, except yourself. But there are many out there who root for the underdog. Many such underdogs have made a mark in life and have been role models for others. I am sure my readers will have stories of such underdogs to share.
Struggling, breaching barriers and making a mark for themselves is in the DNA of underdogs. If they accomplish a goal, their sights are set on the next one. This ‘never give up’ attitude makes them stay in pursuit of not just milestones for themselves, but also by opening the road for other underdogs for whom they have a natural empathy.
An underdog wallowing in self-pity and lacking the motivation to rise above the mundane will stay under. Most underdogs find themselves pitted against odds, but they seize the opportunity they get, brave the odds, swim against the tide and persist in staying on course until they accomplish the desired objective. They don't play the victim card. Underdogs are not objects of sympathy but potential beneficiaries of empowerment. If I have to help an underdog, I look for an opportunity to provide him the motivation that he needs to run on his own steam.
This post is rather short compared to the usual. But then, the comments were so nice that I wanted my readers to know what others thought about ‘What’s in a name’.
Let me end this post with a quote:
When the Negro was completely an underdog, he needed white spokesmen. Liberals played their parts in this period exceedingly well.... But now that the Negro has rejected his role as an underdog, he has become more assertive in his search for identity and group solidarity; he wants to speak for himself.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Take care, readers, see you all next week. Ciao!
Good morning Prasanna! The filter coffee this edition is one close to my heart too - the underdog. I have always championed the underdog and thankfully, found that many I helped found their feet and went on to do well in life. Like the dishwasher boy you spoke of and helped to come up. While the help is welcomed, the thing the underdog wants most is that you treat them with dignity, make them visible.
Talking of underdogs,I am not sure that he was an underdog but financially he was. That much I know and he had fire in his belly to succeed. I distinctly remember the day Pras was introduced to the then boy. I remember that Pras took to him as a protege. Pras found a financier for him that continued to finance his studies and today he is a doctor in his own . I am mentioning this as you have mentioned about the dishwasher boy.