Whats your Omanaperu?

Clueless about the title?? My Malayali readers would have understood what I’m asking though.

Lately the blogosphere has been abuzz with posts on real names and pseudo-names, which made me think about another type that contributed a great deal in identifying us. Its the pet-names or nicknames that our family and friends give us or know us by.

I want to particularly touch upon the pet-names that our parents address us by. Hence the word ‘Omanaperu’ in the title which means pet-name in Malayalam.

Not that nicknames are not special. They are, indeed. They are what you are known by in your circle of family & friends. They are what your friends christen you with mainly to pull your leg. Like I was given by my childhood friends.

I was often called ‘Teepatti'(match-box) as it sounded a lot like my real name :D.

Some have really cute nicknames. One of my oldest childhood friends’ nickname is Rinki. I know another girl who’s called Pankhudi, the sound of which I absolutely love. I also like Saritha’s daughter’s name, Pinkuda :).

Having said that, pet-names have always held an extra special place in my heart. I always felt doubly cuddled and pampered when my parents addressed me as Molu, Malu, Muthey(Pearl), and so on. Or when my maternal grandmother called me Molunni. They effused so much of warmth, affection and love that many a times a mere Deepu, my other nickname, missed to convey.

I remember how I used to gauge my mother’s temperament by the sheer way she used to address me. If she called out with a stern ‘Deepu’ I knew I was being summoned for some serious talk. And a signal to a massive blast was when she would call me out by my real name(I still dread this signal!! ). But a soft ‘Muthey’ was all it took to soften the mood and make me run to her for a tight hug.

I strongly believe cuddling & pampering should be a vital part of your growing up. If a parent can reprimand his/her child for any misbehavior, then he/she should also cuddle the child and make him/her feel loved and cared for. That I feel, will go a long way in making the child emotionally secure and stable.

R & I are doing whatever possible to make sure Namnam too grows up in a cuddle-filled environment just like we did. Hence we have all sorts of pet-names for her from Ponnu to Cheeku to Shonu to Jaanu to Chakkara apart from her regular nicknames Namnam and Namnu :).

So tell me,whats your pet-name?