Nicknames

The other day, I was wondering by how many different names people have called me in the two and a half decades of my existence on this planet.


The Usual

1. Shekhar-aa - Considering that this is perhaps the simplest 'Indian' way to contort my name, I'm surprised (and relieved) that very few people have used this one. The only person that comes to mind is one school buddy called Thyagarajan Krishnamurthy (called TK throughout his school-life, more for simplicity's sake than anything else).

2. Shekhar-va - Again, not many takers for what one would have thought to be a popular take on my name. The most recent culprit? A female named Avanti.

3. Shekhu - Used by numerous people over the years. Most recently, and frequently, used by Shubhra.


The Not-So-Usual

1. Smarty - Perhaps the first nick-name that I ever got!! ~grins~ I was in class 1, and by far the most outspoken character in a class full of 30 yelling children. The Hindi teacher realised that someone who, at such a young age, had the ability to be heard in the midst of a din like that deserved to be called no less than 'Smarty'.

2. Jai - During my first year of MBA, as I sincerely (ahem) strained to listen to every word spoken by the prof., the non-stop chatter originating from the lady on my right convinced me that I should call her 'Basanti'. Amitabh Bachchan (may his tribe increase) must've hiccuped a million-times the day our lady retorted by calling my 'Jai'.

3. Mr. 3 pointer - What can I say?? I'm just brilliant when it comes to bungling up studies...and then recovering brilliantly (I remember failing a history test in the first term of class 4... determined to show my worth, I remember topping the history exams for the rest of the year). MBA was a bit like taking an old Padmini Fiat out of the garage and going cross-country driving... till such time I decided that I wanted to be on the F1 circuit racing alongside Schumacher in a McLaren. Come the last term of MBA and I decided to put the cynics to rest. I studied like crazy and ended up becoming what every geek in b-school dreams of becoming: a 3-pointer! Mini couldn't believe I'd pulled off such a miraculous feat...she's called me Mr. 3 Pointer since...

4. Hindustan Ki Awaaz - The juniors at my b-school were doing a parody of 'Mughal-e-Azam'. Somebody was needed for the voice-over of 'Hindustan Ki Awaaz'; the fella who in the original talks about how Akbar was one of the best kings that India ever had. The juniors asked me if I would do the honours in the parody, and I willingly agreed. When my name came up at the end, most people in the audience (faculty included) were surprised to know that 'Hindustan Ki Awaaz' was courtesy Second Year, Section B, Roll No. 50.

5. Rambo - For further details, please contact Arpz, the conferrer of the honour.

6. Mommy - ~sighs~ Motee insists I always had a motherly aura around me.

7. Goo-Gaa Smile - Not exactly a nick-name, as much as a caption for a pic of me as a baby. I'll never be able to thank Rose enough for this. :D


I hope I haven't overlooked any... Let's see what other nick-names are bestowed upon me in the future.

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