Whats in a name ?

A fellow blogger (http://srinitheemperor.blogspot.com/)  inspired the following post .... 

My name is Reenga. When people first here this i usually get the following reaction some people say its a nice/ different name and I get others that say thats quite a weird name isnt it ? And i usually say thank you or nod politely --- i dont kno what else to do considering i didn't chose the name --- my only role has been that i have most definitely grown to love the name and am happy i am not named rita or reemakshi or anything like that ..... oh if your wondering why specifically starting with ree -- well appa tells me that when i was born the astrologer person told them to give me a name starting with ree --- and reenga is what they more specifically amma came up with and i am very much thankful. 

Back to the story --- so these days in addition to a compliment or a semi-diss about my name people have started to wonder if i have changed my name in order to assimiliate myself into my new country of residence and I HATE THAT .... i know there is no reason too aana I do .... most people think that  i have changed my name to suit the english tongues of this land much like quin-sho changing his name to john or Kwon-ho changing hers to Candy - ho or even dear old Namachivayam Mathivanan calling himself mathi (pronounced - mattee) .... but alas this is not true with my name .... infact when i mention to Tamizh mozhi speakers that my name is infact Thooya Tamizh peyar -- i get a "you must be kidding" expression when in fact i am not --- so here is where my name comes from --- REENGARAM --- which in tamizh means echo or in some cases the buzzing of the bees (the sound bees make) or in thooya thamizh it represents the basic musical note , and like all good tamizh peyars -- it also happens to be the name of Parvathi (Shiva's pondati --- i mean lord's shiva's better half) --- her's being reengaree --- amma just shortened those two words to name me Reenga --- tho growing up since it is a R , I was pretty much used to being called towards the end of everything --- there are some luxuries to having Reenga -- cos i KNOW --- that there has never been a time when i have been denied a email id/account name etc ... cos there are no mutiples -- for instances --- i have never been given a suggestion by gmail or hotmail to use reenga45 like usha33890 cos well i am the only one out there --- well thats not really true either --- one of amma's former employees , because of his undying loyalty for amma , and love for me -- named his daughter reenga too .... so yeah ...when she does eventually try to get a email id they might suggest reenga1-- but that ain't too bad....

PS: i have been told that one of my grandfathers -- a tamil teacher by profession and a part-time poet -- who has named more that 70% of the makkal in appa's side is said to have suggested "Panimathi" to amma and appa when i was born --- he got there by using mathi from appa and amma is usha which he translated to ushass kalam the early morning hours with due drops --- but that happens to be in sanskrit -- which once again translated into tamil becomes pani .... my god or rather thank god for not picking that name!

PPS: I m also grateful that appa didnt get all gungho about his kuladevam cos i would have definitely been named either VEERAEE or PERRIYAEE.... need i say more .....

PPPS: (i am going to stop now) --- i am infact Reenga alias Sambooranam --- (amma's amma's name) --- and i love both names --- very very few people know this .... and i am forever intrigued by all the different versions people have choose to call me all the way from papa, ree, reenga, reengree, reengy .... my my do i want to kno what they might call me if i was called PANIMATHI ... i dont think so ....