A rose by any other name…
When invitations were printed for his wedding, the groom was called Pradeep. But in addition to acquiring a bride, the groom (the grandson of late Dravidian leader Dharmalingam) had to give up his “Aryan” name and was christened Madhivaanan.
The man who gave him his new name is a lover and promoter of Tamil and is none other than the CM. He was affronted that Dharmilingam, a hardcore Dravidian leader, had a grandson with a non-Tamil name. “I see that Pradeep resembles his grandfather very much, but it’s not enough. He must also exhibit the same (Dravidian) feelings. I can take the liberty of changing his name here and now because I am also a grandfather to him. From now on Pradeep will be known as Madhivaanan. Long live Madhivaanan,” the CM said to wild cheering from the large audience. The groom, we are told, was not exactly thrilled. But what’s in a name?
Not just Pradeep, even poor parents apparently prefer a Nikhil or Neha or some modern (read “Aryan” name) for their newborns. That is why for successive years, on Karunanidhi’s birthday, corporation hospitals in Chennai have had to entice parents with a gold ring to give their children Dravidian names. Last July, deputy CM Stalin (for those who don’t know, he was all set to be christened “Ayyadurai” but his namesake and Russian leader died and his father being an admirer decided to give him his idol’s name) , while speaking at the distribution of the gold rings scheme, said a total of Rs.3.67 lakh had been spent on providing 250 gold rings costing Rs.1,468 each. And that’s only last year. Move over Pradeep, Madhivaanan is here.