For the sake of NAMESAKE!

Don’t misinterpret this post as review of the book ‘Namesake’ or the movie ‘Namesake’.

This is post is about the NAMES and about the natural inclination towards namesakes. It is a feeling hard to be defined, and this doesn’t imply that the feeling is positive one. Around 20 years of my life I had hated my own name. Earlier I thought it is too short, I had many students in my school with long names like Harpriyageet (no offences!) and later I left my name was too long when I loved watching Remix on Star one and leading lady had a short name (Tia). I tried my level best in all my school years to get my name changed but my parents were more in love with my name than me (Mind you! It was feeling I had back then L now I think otherwise.)

Then, on one fine day my papa told me a short story on why was I named Sonam! The day was fine but the moment was not I was fretting as usual about my name. My papa is fond of movies and read a lot of entertainment based content, especially filmy magazines. On hot June day he read a news report in Screen telling about newly born Anil Kapoor’s daughter and her being named as Sonam. Papa first read it as Sanam and thought such filmy name. As he glanced at it again he read it right and told momsy that they will name their daughter as SONAM!

The story is part of fairy tale called Sonam’s life :p but I was hardly impressed by it since I had never liked hairy Anil Kapoor and had never known the existence of Sonam Kapoor. Readers must have guessed after so many posts about me and my life that I was prejudiced to the core. And this rift in thought came in later years of college. J And yes I’m happy about it. Why to judge anyone?

Later, in 2007 when Saawariya was all over the idiot box, I being a media student at that time and almost in love with Ranbir Kapoor started to like Sonam Kapoor too. I use watch even the repeat telecasts of all reality shows where both Ranbir and Sonam appeared to promote their upcoming flick and always told momsy I’m taking notes luckily that very semester I was studying Film Studies.

Now, I can look upon that sudden like as a liking for my namesake. Earlier I was so blinded by the liking for Hottie Ranbir. Before this I had never known any of my namesakes. Now I don’t like Sonam Kapoor much but I love my name! Without doubt some credit is to be given to her.

Two years ago I read the book ‘Namesake’ and liked it, though movie was utterly depressing. And since then I keep finding namesakes, not just my own but of others too. Last semester I had two Kunal, two Aditya, three Sumit, two Rohit, two Swati, two Ranjan and two Sandeep in the section I taught. I was always wondered how different namesakes are, do they know each other, do they like each other, are they friends and stuff. I even introduced Kunal Dubey with Kunal Paul and still wonder if they are friends now! Fingers crossed.

Interestingly I have never known my namesakes, though I have known many namesakes of my brother, Karan. He was named after Shashi Kapoor’s son Karan Kapoor who had appeared in the movies around the time my brother came to our family. J  Two of my class fellows were named Karan, one of my college friends’ name is Sukaran but everyone calls him Karan, one of my colleagues currently in my department is named Karan… I tell you I see him every now and then and get such brotherly feeling… oh I miss you bhai so very much. Pretty recently I made friends with a beautiful girl named Karanvir, faculty in university where I work.  Strangely I have never had any student named Karan and I wish I don’t…for the fear of being biased!   

I have known namesakes of my papa many times somehow I avoid calling them by their name, it an awkward feeling and same goes for my momsy as well.

Hoping and praying to find my namesake soon…to be continued if I found one! J