Showing posts with label Fact and Fancy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fact and Fancy. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Could i speak to Mr. Gun Gun
In a Sikh's household, soon after the birth of a baby, the naming ceremony is held at the Gurudwara. A name starting with the first letter of the shabad of the holy hukam (command) should be proposed by the granthi (man in attendance of Guru Granth Sahib), and after its acceptance by the congregation, the name should be announced by him.
It so happened that in my case they bent a rules a bit and my uncle named me... so here I am... Gagandeep Arneja! My name has and will go a long way in making me the sport I am (Thankyou :) ) But for the life of me I cant remember more than two or three (if i stretch) people, who could pronounce my name as it is supposed to be! (As pavan says - In your face suckers!)
There are many common deviations to it - Ganga, gungun, gangdeep, gaga and the list knows no end... In fact I even got my first internship pay cheque with one of these on it.
Here is what people are capable of making out of my name:
I'm in the training room on a fine morning and an HDFC representative rings me up.
Me: Yes?
HDFC: Can I Could I Could I speak to Mr. Gun - Gun - deep ?
(All the Can I's to get time enough to pronounce this extremely complex name)
Me: Speaking (what else could i say !!)
HDFC: (Baffled, still expecting a man on the other side) Mr. Gun - Ga?
Me: (going beet red) YES!!!!!!!
HDFC :Is this Mr. Ganga ?
Me: YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HDFC: (switches to a language he is more comfortable with) Idu ladies aa gents aa?
Me: (I'm in training...ten people around..how can i get myself to say.. I'm a lady speaking) Kiwi kelsalva?
Rest as they say is history.
Anyways, after i was born and before i was officially named, i was given a pet name - Preeti. Just when I thought this could be my hot back up...yes this is what i can tell people when they ask me "What is your name?”,I came across this.
Here is how you pronounce my name -
gag - say gun replacing the n sound with the g sound.
an - remember how they taught us way back in school that it is "an" ice cream.
That should be enough! :)
It so happened that in my case they bent a rules a bit and my uncle named me... so here I am... Gagandeep Arneja! My name has and will go a long way in making me the sport I am (Thankyou :) ) But for the life of me I cant remember more than two or three (if i stretch) people, who could pronounce my name as it is supposed to be! (As pavan says - In your face suckers!)
There are many common deviations to it - Ganga, gungun, gangdeep, gaga and the list knows no end... In fact I even got my first internship pay cheque with one of these on it.
Here is what people are capable of making out of my name:
I'm in the training room on a fine morning and an HDFC representative rings me up.
Me: Yes?
HDFC: Can I Could I Could I speak to Mr. Gun - Gun - deep ?
(All the Can I's to get time enough to pronounce this extremely complex name)
Me: Speaking (what else could i say !!)
HDFC: (Baffled, still expecting a man on the other side) Mr. Gun - Ga?
Me: (going beet red) YES!!!!!!!
HDFC :Is this Mr. Ganga ?
Me: YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HDFC: (switches to a language he is more comfortable with) Idu ladies aa gents aa?
Me: (I'm in training...ten people around..how can i get myself to say.. I'm a lady speaking) Kiwi kelsalva?
Rest as they say is history.
Anyways, after i was born and before i was officially named, i was given a pet name - Preeti. Just when I thought this could be my hot back up...yes this is what i can tell people when they ask me "What is your name?”,I came across this.
Here is how you pronounce my name -
gag - say gun replacing the n sound with the g sound.
an - remember how they taught us way back in school that it is "an" ice cream.
That should be enough! :)
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