Sanjiv Behera's Blog - Posts Tagged "adivasi"
What's in a name?
Hi everyone. Sorry for the long hiatus. In any case, I’m glad to be back.
Character names can add a great deal to the overall impact of a story. Some of my favorite ones to date include: Captain Ahab from Moby Dick, Humbert Humbert from Lolita, Shadow from American Gods, Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, Voldemort from Harry Potter, Willy Wonka and Miss Trunchbull from Roald Dahl stories. In my opinion though, the most iconic names come from Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. When I first read it, the very mention of Scout, Atticus, and Boo Radley conjured such strong ideas about who they were. The names added so much depth to an already profound story.
Naming characters in a book can be an interesting exercise. While writing Vikram… I had an added advantage of using Indian names which always carry literal and implied meanings with them. Here are a few that I used:
Vikram – “worker’s stride”. Implicit meanings include: one that employs purposeful action, and victory to Rama (from the Ramayana). The idea of a “purposeful action” works well with that of Dharma “dutiful action”, a concept which also plays a significant role in the book (the Dharma cube). Its a perfect name for one that embarks on a hero’s journey similar to that of Rama's.
Jai – “victory” or “hail”, as in "Jai Ram". A great name for a supportive brother. Its also the name of one of my all-time favorite characters in Bollywood cinema: Amitabh Bachchan in Sholay. In the film, Jai was the coolest hero/sidekick from the 70’s, and someone I pretended to be in my youth.
Manu – “thinking” or “wise”. But, more commonly known as the first man in Hindu mythology. Many farm laborers from my part of India are descendants of natives known as “adivasis”. They were the first inhabitants of India and endure struggles common to many indigenous people. The name here hints at the character’s ethnic origin.
Kama – “desire”. The king’s name represents a selfish desire for power. The lure of supreme power is enough for the King to pursue it at all costs.
That’s it for now. I'll let you guess at the meaning of the other names in the book.
Again, thanks for reading!
-Sanjiv
Character names can add a great deal to the overall impact of a story. Some of my favorite ones to date include: Captain Ahab from Moby Dick, Humbert Humbert from Lolita, Shadow from American Gods, Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, Voldemort from Harry Potter, Willy Wonka and Miss Trunchbull from Roald Dahl stories. In my opinion though, the most iconic names come from Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. When I first read it, the very mention of Scout, Atticus, and Boo Radley conjured such strong ideas about who they were. The names added so much depth to an already profound story.
Naming characters in a book can be an interesting exercise. While writing Vikram… I had an added advantage of using Indian names which always carry literal and implied meanings with them. Here are a few that I used:
Vikram – “worker’s stride”. Implicit meanings include: one that employs purposeful action, and victory to Rama (from the Ramayana). The idea of a “purposeful action” works well with that of Dharma “dutiful action”, a concept which also plays a significant role in the book (the Dharma cube). Its a perfect name for one that embarks on a hero’s journey similar to that of Rama's.
Jai – “victory” or “hail”, as in "Jai Ram". A great name for a supportive brother. Its also the name of one of my all-time favorite characters in Bollywood cinema: Amitabh Bachchan in Sholay. In the film, Jai was the coolest hero/sidekick from the 70’s, and someone I pretended to be in my youth.
Manu – “thinking” or “wise”. But, more commonly known as the first man in Hindu mythology. Many farm laborers from my part of India are descendants of natives known as “adivasis”. They were the first inhabitants of India and endure struggles common to many indigenous people. The name here hints at the character’s ethnic origin.
Kama – “desire”. The king’s name represents a selfish desire for power. The lure of supreme power is enough for the King to pursue it at all costs.
That’s it for now. I'll let you guess at the meaning of the other names in the book.
Again, thanks for reading!
-Sanjiv
