The mother of the family was holding an adorable six months old in her lap....
COVER STORY
The night was still young and the party was in full flow. After all it was a family get-together where even the members of the extended family were invited. Few were even meeting each other for the first time.
Sitting in the living room with around twenty or more of my relatives, I heard the host announcing, “Yeh lo Munna aagaya” (And here comes Munna). Gulping down one of the few calories-laden snacks in my plate, I leaned forward to see the two boys and a girl followed by their parents. The mother of the family was holding an adorable six months old in her lap.
“Hey” I whispered to one of my cousins sitting next to me, “both the boys seem Munna enough to me!”
My cousin started giggling. However his smiles were short-lived as to our amazement the father of the family introduced his family members, himself being ‘the Munna’!
My cousin looked at me in a state of utter disbelief. Later on, when we were able to come out of the room, we couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
For someone belonging to Pakistan, India or even following the local culture, the above stated incident should not come as a surprise. You must have been friends with or related to people who might have a specific but one of the very common nicknames.
Most of your older relatives might still be having nicknames like Munna, Munni, Pappoo, Tanno, Guriya, Babu, Guddo, Guddoo, Apia, Bajia, Bhaiya, Aani, Anu, Billo, Sonu…and the never ending list goes on.
Most of your older relatives might still be having nicknames like Munna, Munni, Pappoo, Tanno, Guriya, Babu, Guddo, Guddoo, Apia, Bajia, Bhaiya, Aani, Anu, Billo, Sonu…and the never ending list goes on.
A few decades back those kinds of names and nicknames were widely used, still are. Mostly, the oldest brother would be bhaiya or bhai jaan and eldest sister baaji, bajia, apia, aapi, etc. Similarly, the cutest or youngest would be the guriya or baby of the family and would remain one, even, if she turned into a 90-years old great-grandmother. The youngest of the lot would generally end up being Munna / Munni or even Chotu.
Lack of awareness of the repercussions for a society in wake of racism can be judged by the fact that in many Punjabi families the fairest of all siblings is usually referred to as Goray or Gori, while one with a darker skin tone may end up with being Kaalia. Maybe, it was the same ignorance that prompted the ex-Pakistani cricket team skipper, Sarfaraz Ahmed, to call out the Proteas cricketer Phehlukwayo Kaalay during a crunch match. After realizing the gravity of the matter, he apologized.
Many of the nicknames, few decades back, would be carrying a meaning or denote some characteristics of the bearer. There were few nicknames, however, that would be carved out of the original, sometimes longer, names.
A very popular name for girls when it comes to the Memon community is Zubeida. This, however, is replaced with and fine tuned to a much shorter and sweeter to one’s ear Zuby. Same is the case when it comes to Anwer (short form being Anu) and Qurat-ul-Ain (squeezed into being Ainy).
However, things over the years have become much more confusing than ever before. One of our fellow students at our medical college, Ainy, astonished us when she claimed that her name was never Qurat-ul-Ain and that her parents named her Ainy in the first place.
Similarly, the younger generation following the western trend tends to give pet names carved out of the original names. Instead of using the old nicks like Pappu, Guddo, etc. people tend to use the first few initials, half the name or sometimes even changing it to something altogether different.
So my friend Sidrah is, of course, Sid of our group; Salman, yes, you got it right, Salu and Madiha is called Madi. Though there used to be few other Sids in my college as well, all of those were Sidrahs. One just can’t think of any other nick for the poor name. Funnier as it may sound, two of my classmates Abdul Samad and Samreen were both tagged as Sam; thus, even making the gender of the bearer of the nicknames indistinguishable.
Usually, people with smaller names seldom end up with any nicknames. I, being Ali, always remained one, nothing less! Same goes with names like Zain, Sana, Saba, Sarah, Tahir, Tuaha, etc. But, when it comes to longer names, people tend to come up with nicknames or initials. We can never forget the very famous ex-captains of Pakistan cricket team who get called by their nickname; thus, Inzamam-ul-Haq is referred to as Inzi, Waqar Younus as Wicky while Sarfaraz Ahmed is Saifi. Ravi Shastri, an Indian cricketer calls himself Shaz. Almost all the Australian cricketers have at least one nickname depending on their field of expertise or unique ability concerning the sports. You might even have a few SMs in your class; these are the Syed Mohammads.
There is downside to nicknames as well. For instance, many a times, grown-ups or those who may have acquired a respectable position professionally feels irritated to be referred to with their childhood nicknames; especially, with younger or junior people around. They try to not respond, ignore or in some rare cases show their frustration when being referred to with their nicknames.
Sometimes, nicknames and even the full name makes the bearer the brunt of the jokes in different phases of life. A kaalia, bablu, motu might begin to feel offended at a certain point. Such nicknames become dangerous when the bearer is victimized and may become target of bullying at school or among friends elsewhere.
Parents, while naming, and even while nicknaming, should also realize the probable unwanted repercussions of a wrong choice. They should be extremely careful because any lapse of judgement on their part can have a bad impact on their child, who may not only end up being teased around, but could also develop complexes and phobias. If a certain Mr. Butt wants to name their daughter Seema or Kisma, then it is an open invitation for absolutely everyone to make fun of her. Similarly, if you are in awe of Qutub-ud-din Aibak or Tipu Sultan, you may apply for a name change, but try to refrain from burdening your child with the same, as it is again an open invitation for everyone to use their creative juices while making fun of them.
Overall, nicknames or pet names are usually used to show affection for the person. So be it Sadru, Aimi, Goray, Munna, Chinto, Tinku or whatever, nicknames are usually there to show one’s care and emotional attachment with the others. It depicts their appreciation and liking for the other.
Be it fashion or film industry where models and actors opt for glamorous and sweet sounding nicknames because of the dynamics of their profession, the play-grounds where teammates are called by their nicks or even the grown-ups referring to their loving spouse or partner with the romantic ones; as long as we have to say something beautiful to others, the nicknames will definitely keep on cropping up!
The author is a physician, health care leader and a YouTuber host for the DocTree Gardening promoting Organic Gardening in Pakistan. He tweets @Ali_Shahid82
