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Sunday, September 20, 2009

Nick Names

Nick names are more funny and sometimes they have meanings sometimes not. One is short form of the full name like Subbu, Mani, Rangu, Gangu, Chinnu, Babu, and Balu and for girls it is Janu, Banu, Sugan, Sugu, Raji, Hari, Mali, and Susi etc.

The other type is meaningless like Bablu, Paappu, Ghattu, Chotu, Nannu, and Dolly.

The third is what I keep Sometimes as per the person’s look, character, activity and taking into consideration so many other factors. The first one I remember is ‘’ poikkal gudhirai’’,[பொய்க்கால் குதிரை ] one of my cousins used to wear pavadai, chokkai like midi ,it resembled as if she was going to play with the gudhirai.

A person with a big head for a small figure is called ‘’ anbulla alli’’: those days .In ‘Rani’ Tamil magazine, there was a column for the Q & A. One of my tutors in college had try to put her hair strand on her forehead, it resembled the cyclonic version of trees drawn in magazines, so she is cyclone, whoever sat in the front row of another lecturer in the class was multiply blessed coz of the spit coming out when she spoke, so she is Waterfall Venkamma. [a character in Raja Rao’s novel Kanthapura]


The one who plonks and does not easily move around is ‘idichha puli’, one who does not go leaving your place is ‘’kammbaliyil ottina chiklet, ’one who keeps blowing his own trumpet is DPTB [donkey patting on the back], verbal diarrhoea for one who keeps on talking and does not end a conversation.

I remember my paternal grandma keeping people names like ‘kona kkanni’, ‘saichha kanni’,’ vayadi’, and’ ulagalanda perumal’ [for tall ones]’ kettle’ for the angry ones, ‘ engine’ for a chain smoker, citizen [ tamizh kudi magan for drunkards . Some family members will be fat and fleshy, so they are Dunlop families.

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