What’s in a name?

> What’s the story behind your domain name? (Or your government name, or your online handle.)
> This post is a response to an IndieWebClub prompt #

My domain name is just my government name, Tanvi Bhakta. Tanvi means epitome of feminity - it comes from the root word tan which means body. But that’s not what my mother (who named me) told me :) She said that Tanvi means “of strong body and beautiful mind”. She said it is another name for Parvati, the wife of Shiva. #

The story goes that Parvati, a princess, had decided she wants to marry Shiva (and Shiva alone). So she leaves the worldly comforts and climbs a mountain where very little grows and meditates, calling upon him, for days. Amused, Shiva takes the form of a tribal hunter and questions her desire - he says, “O you of such strong body and beautiful mind, what do you want with the likes of a man as crude and uncouth as Shiva?” She is affronted and defends her beloved well, winning him over and ultimately marrying him. It is from this shloka that my name was taken. #

My surname, Bhakta, is not typical for the caste I belong to. Most surnames in the caste I belong to have been around for several hundred years - they are the Kamaths, Nayaks, Pais, Shenoys, etc. But apparently, my grandparent’s grandparents were very pious people. They undertook some kind of pilgrimage and established two temples - one off the coast of Kumta, and one in today’s Kasargod. For this deed, they were named “Bhakta” - the devotee. #

Today, the word Bhakt is synonymous with an AndhBhakt - a blind devotee. It is (rightly) a pejorative. I used to think about changing my name but I can’t think of anything I would change it *to*. I have introduced myself with this set of syllables for too long now - it is a part of who I am; the syllables have almost lost their meaning as anything apart from my name. Thankfully, I’m able to separate the meanings in my head :) #

[insert Ted Mosby calling a bowl a bowl gif] #

I’ve also chosen the name Tanay for myself. It means *the chosen son*. Mum refuses to tell me now, but I think it might have been a contender for my name if I had been a boy? I like that it can play with lots of things - chosen by who? Me! Whose son? The son of *the chosen family*. Son? Or maybe Sun? (My favorite element). I like that it has a strong gendered aspect, to mirror my government name. Tanay Bhakta. It fits, and it feels like a version of me that could have existed. #

For a long time, I went by the handle padawanjack. When people see it, they instantly make a Star Wars joke. I am sorry friends, I have never watched Star Wars (and I don’t intend to). When I had to come up with an online handle for some dumb site, I had a vague notion that Padawan meant student of some kind, and I thought that Samurai Jack was cool. I wanted to be perceived as a nerd of some kind, and I wanted to learn sword tricks and perseverance in the face of horrifying evil (Aku). Please cut me some slack, I was probably 8 years old and wanted to play flash games. #

I also have another handle based on the characters but I’m not going to doxx myself with that one :grin: #

Nominative determinism the theory that what something is named can predict what it becomes. I think names are indicative of a wish that the name-giver has for the named, and that can often be an indicator of the environment that the named grows up in as well. Names are often used as a tool for meaning making in the relationships they we come across later in life. Indian names are especially fun because some meanings are very on-the-surface and can be used in all sorts of puns. #

I think I’m pretty bad at coming up with names, and it’s a skill I would like to get better at without thinking too much about the consequences. #

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Related: The story of roughly fifty Sanjanas, how their parents decided to call them that, and the secret history of why Indians give their babies the names they do; https://fiftytwo.in/story/the-namesakes/ #