NAME-Place-Animal-Thing: Savvy Soumya Misra (Part 2)

It just felt like a follow-up was required. I will break down a few things for greater clarity. So bear with me. I am really getting this name issue out of the way!!!

1. Savvy is not a descriptor that I added. I am not the kind of person who takes initiative or makes life-changing decisions. Although it would have been cool to do that!

2. For the first couple of years of my life I was only Soumya (pre school).

3. Then when on one occasion mum was talking to dad about some neighbour in Patna married to a Mauritian and who was (or someone in the family) was named Savvy, dad called dibs on the name. Mum still gets angry at dad for being cut in the middle of what she thinks (cant recall now) was an important conversation. He was only interested in the name. That, plus the Savvy magazine they read those days. So, I became Savvy Soumya (just before school enrolment).

   And I remained Savvy Soumya till I got married. My newspaper bylines were Savvy Soumya and that is how I wanted my substack to be. For first time readers, Why I chose Misra is there in part 1.

4. We are Biharis. If you have Bihari friends or are married to one or work with one you will probably know that we gravitate to two-name names. It is not a must-do but it is what is almost-mostly-done. My brother is Ashish Gyan. My cousins are Natasha Richa, Ishan Vandan, Nilay Nishit. Colleagues and friends were Prem Pradeep, Pankaj Anand, Rakesh Roshan, Stuti Shiva… You get the drift.

5. Like a friend pointed out—"No one can connect you with each other, even within the family". True. And it would have worked wonders if we were into the business of murdering people. Anyways, forget cousins, it is difficult to draw a family tree without getting confused — My dada was Lal, my oldest chacha was Prasad, my dad (the youngest) was Sinha and his children have no surnames. My nana was Prasad, my mama is Anupam (only)… once again, you get the drift.

6. Also since we take up two names (or go mono-name), we keep the surname out. I was never Savvy Soumya Sinha. NEVER. I would like to believe it was to keep us caste-neutral or caste-agnostic or some such. But as it turns out the name actually is a conversation starter which invariably veers towards detecting your caste. What is your name? What is your father’s name? What is your grandfather’s name?

7. However, I once did go by another name. This was between the only Soumya and Savvy Soumya phase. The name was AK Soumya. This was in KG in Bala Bhavan school in Vellore. I went to that school for six months during dad’s treatment at Vellore’s CMCH. I think that is how the enrolment must have happened: What is your name—Soumya—Father’s name—AK Sinha—OK, your name is AK Soumya. Simple!

   

   This is me. AK Soumya in Bala Bhavan School. Photo: Dad or Mum