Names entail a lot, especially in my Bangladeshi culture. My name, Anurupa, means "atom (Anu) of silver (Rupa)" in Sanskrit. The way that I interpret my name is that Anurupa stands for something untainted and pure; if something is added or removed from a silver atom, it's not considered a silver atom anymore because it doesn't maintain that same kind of purity. I believe that my name defines me pretty well because I identify with the uniqueness of it.
Not many people have Anurupa as a name, and I view that as a strength but also as a weakness. Living in a Western society where these kinds of names are uncommon, I have gotten used to the mispronunciation and confusion that arises when someone sees my name. I still dread the first day of class when teachers call role or even when we have a substitute teacher. However, I have learned to accept this and embrace the fact that my name is unique. Whenever someone says my name is pretty, I take pride in that. All these scenarios and emotions that come with my own name is why I believe that names are a definitive part of someone's identity.
My Bangladeshi culture also factors into how I am "two" people within my family. My parents are immigrants from Bangladesh, so the culture and traditions they follow have not been that influenced by the Western world. However, being a first-generation immigrant, I have a interesting duality between American culture and Bangladeshi culture that isolates me from my parents. I identify myself as Bengali, but I have certain values and ideals that stem from an American background. That can sometimes conflicts with my parents' beliefs and it causes disagreement within our family, which I do not enjoy.
It is cool that your name means Atom of Silver. I wonder about the conclusion on purity, since the reasoning could be apply to any atom. I wonder why the element was silver in particular. I've thought about naming kids Argentum, which might apeal to your Latin affiliation. Many of my MapleStory (videogame) character names were made with two elements. Elements make such good names!! Sorry, ummm, I didn't know you were wary of sub's mispronounciation. I haven't had this problem and haven't thought of it much. I much prefer names that are difficult to pronounce than common names. I just thin of, wait for it, Avatar, when the sword Master sudgests a fake name (something along) "go with Lee, there are a million Lee's." At the same time, my feelings remind me of Lord Voldemort, who wanted a unique name to match his unparalleled life. I've rambled enough, see you!
ReplyDeleteIt is cool that your name means Atom of Silver. I wonder about the conclusion on purity, since the reasoning could be apply to any atom. I wonder why the element was silver in particular. I've thought about naming kids Argentum, which might apeal to your Latin affiliation. Many of my MapleStory (videogame) character names were made with two elements. Elements make such good names!! Sorry, ummm, I didn't know you were wary of sub's mispronounciation. I haven't had this problem and haven't thought of it much. I much prefer names that are difficult to pronounce than common names. I just thin of, wait for it, Avatar, when the sword Master sudgests a fake name (something along) "go with Lee, there are a million Lee's." At the same time, my feelings remind me of Lord Voldemort, who wanted a unique name to match his unparalleled life. I've rambled enough, see you!
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ReplyDeleteI find it interesting how many of the names I've read in these blog posts mean in some way purity. I think it has a lot to say about the values of cultures and the similarities between cultures because purity is usually connoted with peoples names in not only Bangladeshi culture but, English culture as well. I love when in almost every class I have with Anurupa the teacher or substitute either asks,is it "AnUrupa or AnArupa" or they ask her if they pronounced it right. I think I actually pronounced it AnArupa for awhile...sorry. Honestly, people call me Chelsea every once in awhile and I get super annoyed. I don't know why it just gets on my nerves. I think it's really awesome how you can accept the uniqueness of your name and have both Bengali and American culture in your life. Your name is very pretty Anurupa.
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