“Samsung, IG and Faltu to meet Namkeen over a CHAI” What ??
Every person is known by his name, and behind his name there is a deep meaning of that and some people make perception over the name.
But there is a village in Rajasthan called Ramnagar village, which is about 10 km from the district headquarters and has a population of a little over 500 people from the Kanjar community, the names are usually after top ranking posts, high offices and popular figures.
Doesn’t sound weird ? Yes you have read it right there are names like High Court, Samsung, Hawaldar and Magistrate.
Though most of the people in the village are illiterate, their names speak otherwise.
A teacher in the government school of the village told “Several people in the village often engage in illegal activities and frequent police stations and courts. Influenced by the reputation and dignity of officials, they tend to name their children after posts and offices like IG, SP, and Magistrate.”
Women and girls from the Meena community in Arniya village have their own share of uncommon names — ‘Namkeen’, ‘Photobai’, ‘Jelabi’, and an unfortunate ‘Phaltu’.
Not only this there are also names based on mobile brands and accessories which are popular as names among members of the Moggiya and Banjara communities from villages in the Nainwa region of the district. “So you will come across several people named ‘Nokia’, ‘Samsung’, ‘SIM Card’, etc. in Bargani, Arniya, Hanumantpura, Suwaliya and Sesola villages of Nainwa,” said Ramesh Chand Rathore, who works at the registration counter of Nainwa’s Community Health Centre.
“We were stunned when we first came across these names. But now we are used to them,” Mr. Rathore says, adding that ‘Smartphone’ and ‘Android’ are some new entries to the list.