Monday, January 21, 2008

What "religion" is your name..?

How does a name acquire a religion..? I've had countless number of people asking me why i was named Febin.. Apparently it is not a "Muslim" name... What anyway is a Muslim name..? or for that matter what makes a name belong to any religion..?

Okay, certain names can be categorized into religions. True.. Names like Krishna and Vishnu are obviously names chosen by people following Hinduism.. And Muslims choose names like Abdullah and Abdul Majeed. These names mean something, something that pertains to God or something connected to that.. What I am talking about are the million other names, especially Indian names that have been classified into religions, the reasons for which I do not understand..

How did Sangita become Hindu when all it means is music..? Abhay(fearless), Pawan(wind), Anand(happiness) are all "Hindu" names.. Why..? Who made it that way.? They are all beautiful names with meanings that are in no way religious.. What made them "Hindu"..? Faiza(gain), Gul(flower), Shabnam(dew drops).. What made these "Muslim"..? Aftab and Aditya mean the same (the sun).. then why is each one of a different "religion"..? Who made these rules..?

I'm glad my name belongs to no religion.. And i wish all names were chosen not for its religion but for its meaning...

6 comments:

Eternal Child said...

beautifully written.. makes complete sense.. i wish everybody thought like you.. :)

Kedhar said...

I thought u were christian when i first met u you! :D
beautiful thought... you almost never write.. and when you do its nothing short of fabulous :)

shrikanth said...

well.. err. i guess wot makes it religion bound is, most likely the fact that, those "hindu" names are sanskrit words, which is formerly believed to be the language which is sorta hindu centric... making it hindu... same goes to the "Muslim" or Christian names...
that kinda is the reason.. now however thngs are different, the intermingling cultures changes thngs a waay lot.. soo, i guess thats my take on it... hope it makes sense...

shrikanth said...

btw..
jus to make who this is clear..
Gonzo = Shrikanth

PV said...

Shri is bang on... making sense... for a change! :P You have penned down meanings of names... In which language do they find their respective meanings? And what is the Major religion of the ppl who speak the religion.... or which religion is the language associated with? Most of the names today will find their roots in one of latin / urdu / sanskrit.

Of course, no one thinks of all this when they are associating names with religions. Ultimately, it is to a large extent social conditioning, and you are right at that. Also I think that we all have to hold in good regard, the old traditions that condition people. Conditioning in many cases is a necessary evil! (debatable!)

touche!

S.H.I.B.U said...

Shibu! Another one in the list!!!!