...RaJi...

So today I am gonna write (read Boast) about myself. (Hail Raji).
Naah!!! I am too modest to do that (Yaaa right (Snort)… Wake up Sleepy Head)
Just wanted some post to be titled with my name. This was the best opportunity.
Well, coming back to the point.

What’s in a Name???

The whole drama is going to revolve around my name or basically this is a dedication to all those people who have a “Different” (hatke) name.

God definitely didn’t bless me with a face that’s a head turner (now I am doing down right self abashing…Phew) but to make it up my Parents blessed me with an eyebrow raiser name. And the name is Raji… Raji Rajan.(Does James Bond rhyme??? )

Half of the population wonders what my name means.
According to my parents: The one who rules (I loooove the meaning)
According to a website: Originally a short form of any of the various names containing the element raja (king, sovereign), Raji is also bestowed as an independent given name. (Also, it says it’s a girl’s name… Bless You)
According to another website: Name of KING (It’s a male name… Dhishum Dhishum)

In a terse phrase it means ROYAL. (Oooo Lala… )

Every time any body asks me my name and I say Raji the following cases occur:
Case 1: huh?
Case 2: Raised eyebrow
Case 3: Nice Name (a polite way to say that’s different) accompanied by what does it mean.
Case 4: Come again (believing that they misunderstood what I said)
Case 5: Is this your NAME or is it a shorter version of something like RAAJESHWARI.
Case 6: Assume they hear Prachi or Rachi or something that rhymes or some word which fits into their vocabulary.
Non-existent Case: Normal reactions or basically no reactions

And every time someone is writing down my name I have to spell it coz most of the time they fall in Case 6 and would pen down something totally not-my-name.

To make myself clear, I am not cribbing. I love my name. And every different name does trigger a pulse in every person. Coz when one says a name, which fits into people’s vocab it just registers. For an unusual name to register it first triggers a response then it registers. Hurray. (Modest Raji at work) (Psst Psst … A secret... It isn’t that unusual down south)

The name has the following comments attached to it:
1. “Raji” aint a word. It’s just a sound. A weird sound. (Murder Murder Murder)
2. (Beat this) Raji cannot be a name. During your naming ceremony the moment your grand mom was about to say your name she sneezed, Aaachhiii, and your parents mistook it for Raaaji. And hence you are called so. It can’t be a word. (Murder? Naah!!! Too smart)
3. Raji. It feels like I only say half the name. Incomplete type of a word. It feels as though I am saying your name and half way through I lost my voice. (Where the hell do they come with this from… )
4. Raji resulted in a lot of people calling me Bhaaji.
5. Many a times my call letters, or documents have had my gender being mentioned as Male if people haven’t seen me. The client I interact with though I am a male till I corrected her. Rather till she heard my voice.

And Shakespeare asked what’s in a name. There is sooooo much in a name!!! But, only if you have been privileged with a different name. (Ha! )

What's in a name? That which we call a roseBy any other name would smell as sweet.~William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
(couldn’t find a better quote than this)