Naming a Child

 This is the biggest decision facing parents to be. I will outline the problem.

The name has to have a bit of both parents' names. Otherwise, you wouldn't know that they were equal contributors in this production. So a complicated set of combos appears on the menu, with many possible permutations and combinations.

It cannot be just any name, can it? Has to be special. He or she could be a game-changer, so you have to be a name-finder!

It can't also be too complicated for a foreign tongue to pronounce, coz he/she might just land up being a Venezuelan (Ok, Canadian is more likely) citizen. And woe betide, if they mangle the name, it might leave scars on the not-so-young impressionable mind!

Therefore, you see, it's a nimble act like those tight-rope walkers who are almost extinct now. They live on as parents to be, before they have named a child they will bring into this universe.

Understanding Unnaming

 I can understand Unacademy being an academy of coaching, like Byju's or Rao's Tutorials. Or Aggarwal Classes (in my days, Kota was known for stone only). 

Long ago, there was a famous campaign for one of the soft drinks that talked of it being Uncola. It was quite cool, not un-cool at all.

Then, a Pepsi commercial took a dig at the official sponsor, Coke, in a guerrilla campaign before the Cricket World Cup, with a witty tagline- Nothing Official About it, and got more publicity for less money than Coke did.

Anyway, back to the point. It is certainly democratic to criticize an undemocratic party, in a republic- or is it the other way around? I am confused. Should a campaign for vaccination be tagged with a line Unvaccinate Yourself, for greater impact? Some people may be unnerved by that.

Anyhow, we are fine, as long as the undertaker is not involved. Or the Maker..wouldn't dare to call Him the Unmaker.

Names and Brands

Parents, beware! Names are brands, and positioning a brand is easier when the name is in sync with what the brand is doing. So, think about what your kid's name will be. India has some great names coming out of our history, mythology, and collective cultures.

Ajatshatru is literally, a person who has no enemies. Loved by all, hated by none. Mamata, notwithstanding a prominent politician who signifies anything but, means love of a kind.

I like the sound of some names (may or may not have anything to do with the people behind it- I am not telling)- Alok, Meghna, Shweta, Neha, Shruti, Bala, Frane, Steve, Saumya, Gopal, Prabhakar, Vikas (who doesn't like development? :) ), anything with a Kaur following it (ha, ha), Srinivas, Pooja, Prarthana (you may have guessed why), Anupama, Roshni, Priya, Anuradha, Manju, Raghavendra, Samrendra, Shahida, Divya, Abhinav, Tanaya, Nikita, ...Ok, I can go on. Leslie, Robin, Shirley, Lauren, Ron, are some that are easy on the tongue, and these were/are some friends too.

The point is just that it is easier on the kids if parents give some thought to what the kids and the public at large may think about the name, or the ease with which they can say it.