The Yin and Yang of my blog
by Zephyr • December 4, 2011 • Zephyr Times • 131 Comments
Recently when I made contact with an old friend whom I have not met for over two decades on FB, the first thing she asked me was, ‘Why the pseudonym and how on hell can I recognize you?’ what with the profile picture of a little girl (my granddaughter)? I told her it was not a pseudonym, but my NAME.
How I got my name is a long story folks, so sit back…
I was named after my paternal grandmother, as is the custom with most Tamil families. (Sudha has done a hilarious post on this custom here). But my folks were seized with a sense of adventure perhaps and so added a suffix to her original name, and that proved my undoing.
Living in Nagpur during my school and college days, it always stood out, or rather made me stand out. The north Indians could not pronounce it and often caused kolaveri in me to hear it being mispronounced. And when on the occasions I had to go to the stage to get some prize or award, everyone craned their necks to see who the girl with a weird sounding name was. Others didn’t know where I came from since my features were a mix of several regions too.
Ah, the name. It was a girl’s in one south Indian state and a boy’s in the neighbouring one. This meant that when I lived for a few years in the state where it was a boy’s name, I had to bear the snickers of fellow students. Added to that there was a politician by that name at that time and whenever he was in the news, the snickers increased in volume. So I had to bear the cross of my name in addition to the other insecurities and confusions of teenage. Poor me!
That was when I began dreaming of a name that no one would be able to stereotype or mock. And one day, I suddenly came across the word that would become my name — Zephyr. Mmmm…it was such a soft, lyrical and musical word. It carried no gender tag nor regional identification. And so I became Zephyr and soared in my own world. I didn’t talk about it to anyone but it gave me invisible wings to fly when my feet felt fettered. Unrestrained and free, I wafted through my teenage years.
Image courtesy: fantom-xp.com
But since changing one’s name back in the 70s was unheard of unless for professional reasons, I had to remain content with just fantasizing about it — till emails came to India in the late 90s. And then it became my username in all the accounts I created and maintained. I had finally got a personality albeit a virtual one! And when my blog came into being last year, I retained Zephyr. But it was incongruous – a nag who was also a gentle breeze. How contradictory could you get?
But that’s how I am – a bundle of contradictions. Rough on the outside but soft from the inside. The exterior mask hiding the real me, with the names making the two explicit. And though many friends and family know who Zephyr or Cybernag is, I am loathe to give up my virtual name and personality, at least in cyberspace. This is my world and here I want to be known as Zephyr. So much so that sometimes I feel my real name is my pseudonym and not vice versa!
And then came my wedding. Since the name my parents had given me was not really a Tambram name, it was shortened to the original name of my grandmother in the wedding invitation and thus also on the marriage certificate. Floating on cloud nine in the first few months, I didn’t pay much heed to the fact since the full name had never been used to address me at home. But then one day, I suddenly woke up. The very name I had tried to run away from became something that I had been deprived of by someone else! I felt as if my identity had been lopped and diminished. So I made a trip to the court to give a sworn affidavit and changed the name back to my original one. If anyone had the right to change my name, it was me and no one else!
How I wish I had had the courage to also change my name to my fantasy one — Zephyr! It wouldn’t have been too different an experience for me actually if I had had. People would still have wondered who the woman with the funny name was and craned their necks in any public place where I happened to be. The name would also have confounded anyone who wanted to place me vis-à-vis a geographical location, only this time I would have got questioned as to whether I was a foreigner or in the least, if I was a Christian. But alas, I lacked the courage and probably practicality prevailed and I chickened out.
While my real name is not a secret nor do I believe that I am incognito, I am happy with my assumed name which has given me my virtual identity. My friends still call me Zephyr as they term it ‘uber cool’ or ‘rad’; others say, ‘I don’t want to know your real name’, or ‘I prefer calling you Zephyr. I love it!’ Since it is an impersonal name, I guess my virtual friends feel comfortable addressing me by it.
After reading this post, I am sure you love my name! But if you don’t think I am a Zephyr, you can always call me Cybernag.
Don’t you think the two names represent the yin and yang of my blog’s persona and consequently mine?
Top Image courtesy: dailymail.co.uk
hello Zephyr..
I’m back in action after the fever..
I very understand your problem..when I was in school,I was the only Bhavia around and it was nit a common name 25years back..there were a lot times when I have secretly wished for having a common name..
but later I got used to the fact..since it was a unique name,I didn’t create much trouble to parents..even today in my office all over India,I’m the only Bhavia..
if you check my about me section in my blog,you can read that I dislike my name..
I don’t know why..its not bcoz of that my name is not popular..but..ah I don’t know how to tell out the reason..
now coming back to your post..
you will be always my sweet Zephyr..let it stay that way
Good to see you hale and hearty though your pic is of times when you were not unwell.
I thought Bhavia is Bhavya spelt that way. What with other ‘ya’s like Kavya, Sharanya et al so it came as a surprise that your name stood out too! I will hop over and read the about page 
We should be given temporary names till we are old enough to change it to our liking, what do you say? And thanks for loving my name, that means loving me too, right?
I know my name is unique with the spelling too
I love you that I love your name too.. (wink)
Thank you dear
Even I have wished to have a common name. But, I think, Bhavia is still okay.
I am happy that the name Bhavia is on its way to become a popular and common name
Ahhh… names
I like Zephyr the most and since you are a cybernag, that suits you too. As for your real name… its nice, but its not Zephyr 
That was a wonderful compliment considering the original one is a precious name too
You were the one I had quoted as saying that you don’t want to call me anything but Zephyr. Love you for that! 
Thanks for linking to my blogpost on names, Zephyr
It was too good not to be linked.
What is in a name? I think Shakespeare did not come across India and its various cultural – linguistic differences which makes our name having a floating meaning in different parts and a floating identity! And as far as my name is concerned I have successfully confused people throughout my existence on my gender identity … and ya I had to even fight a lady when the bank counter person called “Lakshmi Rajan” to handover the passbook. Standing behind me she snatched the passbook from the bank guy cos she refused to believe a guy can have a name as lakshmi rajan and coincidentally her name is Lakshmi and her surname rajan. By the way Zephyr indeed sounds cool!
That was one hilarious incident and I could well picture the ‘Don’ fighting with the lady for his place at the counter
I understand your dilemma and advantage with such a name. Ya, Zephyr is a super cool name which is why I love it so.
I have had similar problem many times. Wherever it’s Bharathi Raja with an unwanted space and the capitalized R, people think it’s some girl’s document and not mine. Luckily, unlike you, I don’t have the space in my original name, which makes things slightly better for me.
In most places, I stress twice or as many times as required – “Bharathiraja… no space… no space in between anywhere…”
Hey Z, great to hear your story of acquired names. Makes me wonder if we all were allowed to do so, what would become of identities. Zephyr reminds me of ‘XZAR’ a secret club that I had formed when in school just with 3 very close friend. Or ‘Maverick’ that I picked up after being enamoured by the protagonist in Top Gun. As I grew up, I realized it was a bit corny so dumped it.. even though some of my school friends who still remember to use it for fun.
I hope I never dump this name. I have lived with it for close to 4 decades now and I think that is long enough to fall in love with it forever
Do your other XZARians remember the club too? It would be nice to find out and maybe blog about the memories 
So it’s actually Zephyr lost in the cyber world and nags everyone….or the ones who choose to be nagged
I would like Zephyr pronounced like sapphire
My Mallu friends would pronounce it as Sapphire, for sure
From the comments I get from readers across age groups and gender, I do believe people love getting nagged, don’t you?
aaah the tale told!
frankly had never bothered about the origins of your name….
That’s a true friend speaking. thanks Deepak!
You can call a diamond by any name but it will continue to shine….And I always prefer calling you by your original name, makes it more personal
You can call me by any name, original or assumed and we will still be friends:)
An interesting story and brings back memories of a Tamil friend in school called TNS Kamesh. I would not elaborate but I still remember his full name which was a feat to remember..So the world is! I agree with Purba a diamond is a diamond and with polish its sparkle increases!
That indeed is a feat — first you master the name being unfamiliar with the pronunciation and then remember it all these years. He must have been a good friend for sure.
Gah! I love the name Zephyr…just sticking to that…I hate my name..I always fight with my mom that my name is not unique enough
You should not be doing that. See the number of people with ‘unique’ names who are cribbing? Love you for loving my name
Have been majorly lurking around here for some time, I have never known whether to feel good or bad about having a slightly uncommon name. Its true that I didnt have a say in my naming
), I’ve met only one other person with my name, and that was when I was 26 and she was born. The next time I met my name, was when some guy from Sri Lanka , with the same name , got indicted into one of the IPL cricket teams. While people always thought the spelling of my name was a mistake or a misprint, no one was surprised at the IPL chap.
Then blogging happened, and i chose to blog under a marathi nomenclature that meant, “someone, just like that” . Surprisingly, now , no one messes around with the spelling of my real name . By now , I really dont care. Maybe its old age. Who knows …:-)
Oh Suranga, it is nice to see you here! I love coming to Gappa and Kavitalihi and have even left comments there. I like your S posts best of all. I am glad you decided to comment this time
Who was this person who was born 26 years after you? LOL about your Sri Lankan namesake! I know people refer to you as Ugich as if it were a first name
We do get used to things over the years don’t we? I did too to my original name but couldn’t forget my notional one in all these years. So…
Very interesting! Don’t know your personal name but like this one. Love your picture that accompanies your comments
. I can completely identify with the angst of those who suffer from weird names. Luckily, I loved the name my parents gave me. I hate it when people misspell my name or mispronounce it by pronouncing the ch and na as chana. It gets my goat, happens very frequently down South 
. Kya karen. Interesting post!
A rose by any other name will smell just as sweet, but it will lose some of its beauty if it were christened cactus
.
That’s the problem with one region being unable to pronounce the names of the another. LOL about the chana in your name. That had been my problem too. And I love the analogy of a rose losing its beauty if renamed cactus
Well, you will always be Zephyr to me; smell just as sweet and blow just as breezy
I have heard quite a few “name” woes from my friends but for some reason I always loved my name, as it was quite unique even in TN. After moving to the US, several folks have told me that my name sounds very “international” (apparently, it is a fairly common African name, spelt differently though and also sounds similar to Japanes/Arabin names) – so no complaints.
Hey, isn’t that cool? i mean unintentionally ending up with an international name? Does your father know it? And thanks for keeping me a zephyr
I think it helps as it is easy to pronounce for most people of non-desi origin. And yes, appa knows that he is mighty proud as he chose the name
You said it. Pronunciation is the key to popularity
To me you are Z !!! and Z only…and ummm in my mind’s eye, you do resemble the lady with a balen
- though i have to say i am mighty curious about what your name is…i have been guessing in my head!!
See, that’s why I said yin and yang. The profile pic and the name are two parts of the same me
And I am so happy you like my image with the belan and are not intimidated by it. Keep guessing and you might just get there by the time we meet and then I will tell you if you still are curious. 
oooh !! what suspense : am dying to know your grandmom’s name now !! Zeph of course is cool and lovely but after reading that story behind it -we deserve to know the other one too _On Popular Demand
Ha ha. i will make a deal: if the demand for it on the blog is more than those who are happy with Zephyr, i will go public with it, else, I will tell you when (and if) we meet. Are you coming to the Indiblogger meet, btw?
Please include me also in the list… the list of those who want to know your real name…
Included!
the name of a man (or woman) is a numbing blow from which (s)he never recovers.. and you can say that again (and again) for a Tam Brahm man/woman
Back when I was in college (in Chennai) – there were 23 Srinis in my batch – distinguished from each other only by various letters of alphabet that served as ‘initials’ and height (short/medium/tall were the going categories). On the flip side, a common name has its advantages, as it’s easy to give Interpol the slip ..(but that’s another story for another day).. 
I’ve always loved names that started with Z. So Zephyr you shall be, for me. In fact, you might have just inspired me to take the plunge towards becoming a ‘Zynga’ or a Ziggurat myself ! cheers!
You are kidding me right? I don’t believe the 23 Srinis. Anyways what distinguished you? The Srini who makes you guffaw? Ahem, I will shoot off a mail to the Interpol about your idea of giving them a slip. when you do have to pick a Z name, can’t you find something nicer than Zynga?
am pretty sure it was 23.. or some similar double digit prime number. too late to warn interpol. plastic surgery already done. now with impending soon-to-take-effect name change to Zucchini, i’ll be practically untraceable..
What a sapatu raman name! Come up with something more imaginative, can’t you?
Zorro? Zapatu Raman? Zingh? (like Singh, only with a zing).. need a new passport soon, and have to pick one fast..
Zapatu Raman is good since it has a surname too, easy to get a passport.
Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad… everywhere it’s Srinis that dominate in all registers and records.
A survey found that most names in the world start with an S which explains it probably, but not why only Srinis dominate
And oh, do read Sudha’s take on Tambram names. It is hilarious.
I did read that post, and it is awesomely hilarious. somehow have this lurking suspicion that rules were over ruled in my case, and a 10 century old ancestral default applied..
Your original name’s still a mystery to many Zephyr…..
Personally I love both your name – both unusual and unique ! But then what’s in a a name…? You are the unique one – one of a kind !
I have promised Varsha that I will make it public if the demand outnumbers the one asking me to remain unnamed
And thanks for the compliment. I am floating on cloud nine!
I’m wondering what ur real name is…
How about making some informed guesses?
May be you should announce a competition to guess/vote for your real name
I have been thinking this post was a bit corny and if I were to do that. it would definitely become one
Before I go off on a a tangent and start a rap of my own, I want to reassure you that your writing has true qualities of Zephyr: soft, soothing and serene. There is no artificiality about it and that also means your heart is the source of the breeze. So I’d rather prefer Zephyr over the phonetics of your real name.
I am pouncing upon the chance to point that I’ve also been through eerily similar struggles in my life. As a child I hated my name because it bestowed undue senility on me. Most of my friends reported to have had fathers or forefathers with the same name. Then there was the issue of ‘Uma’ being a classically feminine name. Later on, as i entered adolescence, folks would start calling me ‘Pandey’ for want of a better acronym. Even the girls.
Keep blowing Zephyr. For there are times when I find myself crouching in an airless, parched land gasping for breath.
That was a wonderful compliment USP, thank you. We had taken special care not to give any name that would not be known in any region of India due to my own experience. but since we have the custom of giving three names to our children, the other aspects of grandfather/family deity names were also taken care of
But girls calling you Pandey? That must have been the unkindest cut of all 
Good one. First when I saw your comment on my blog, I thought it was a Christian name. Then when I realized what you were, I could roughly understand why you would have gone for such a name. Now you are confirming that my guess is right. But from then on I always wanted to know your real name. I think, I can crack it in a few hours if I put some effort. Hope it’s not the equivalent Tamil word for Zephyr.
It’s an interesting topic that most of us can relate to. Even I had written one on the same thing with a different perspective. Check out when you find time. It’s in http://bharchive.blogspot.com/2011/08/funny-people-funny-names.html. I read Sudhagee’s article as well. That’s very interesting one too. There is so much that each one has to say about this thing.
I can understand the agonies of those who don’t like their name but I am somehow not comfortable having two names or changing it mid-way. It’s like split-personality or losing the original personality.
Even I don’t like my name so much. It’s good but it has its share of problems too. It sounds girlish when people call me Bharathi (that’s how most people call me!). It was okay as long as I was in TN because we have a lot of male Bharathis there but it became a problem when I came to Bangalore. I also like to be called Bharathi than Raja. I also faced similar situations like Lakshmi Rajan’s whenever it was written as Bharathi Raja. Once, a traffic constable didn’t believe that the licence I carried was mine until I asked him to look at the photo and explained him about the unwanted space that came in between. These days, I stress – “Bharathiraja… no space anywhere in between…”
Another problem that I have with that name is, it’s not a very common name. I like to be one among the common (on certain aspects… this is one of them…). I don’t like people craning(!) their necks to see me when they hear my name. It always happens in TN because there is already a well-known personality with this uncommon name.
I thought you would have been able to crack the name with so many clues littered in the post! I can understand your problems outside TN, but at least there you were known what with you sharing the great poet Bharathi’s name. I was singled out even in my own state! I can sense the tension of having to say ‘no space in between,’ every time you give your name. Trust cops to be so dumb as not to see the photograph before penalising a driver!
It’s also because my licence is a booklet – not the usual card type. Anyways, he didn’t penalize me for that. He found another reason to take a few hundreds from me.
Nice to learn about the origins of your online name. (and also about the travails caused by your real name!) Zephyr suits you!
Loved this post- interesting comments, too!
Thanks Manju. You know why I ask my friends to call me Zephyr online, now, don’t you?
I love the way you write and more, the way you read my thoughts….irrespective of the name.
But Zephyr is such a lovely name…Though I cannot identify you with Cyber Nag…You are anything but a nagger.
I think people love to read you because it comes from deep inside…..It is a heart to heart.
In most of your posts you are echoing my thoughts, in a manner that is beyond me.
Thanks for all the compliments and I am so glad we think alike on a lot of issues. And when I read your posts I wish I could have articulated the things so well. You are a wonderful writer too, Alka, or I wouldn’t be reading every one of your posts
You love the name too, don’t you? Thank you!
Well, pronouncing names of people from one region by those from a different regions is difficult in our country, it is sometimes impossible to pronounce the names of people from a different country. For instance many African names cannot be pronounced easily. Also, names or surnames in our own country are sometimes very funny. Well Thangam, you forgot or did not mention the most important reason why you were given the name about which you have written this article. Your sister passed away an year or so before you were born and you were just a copy of that sister of ours when born and hence you were renamed as amma felt she was reborn. Amma saw the dead child in you and named after her. For that matter, my name is so long in LIT when I was doing Chemical Engineering, one Professor used to mark me present without calling out my name and one day when I had bunked his class, he had marked me present too!! Of course, I was not a habitual ‘bunker’ and was one of the sincere students there. What is in a name? It is the person that matters and you will always be the darling of your siblings being the last born.
Beans spilled!
So you read the comments
First my brother and now you. But still that is not my full name. Now if you guess…
Well, that is the reason I did not write your full name either. Was wondering whether to write even what I wrote!! Thought no harm writing just ‘gold’. I agree that the custom of naming a child after one’s paternal grandfather or grandmother, depending on the child’s gender, still exists. Also, in the days when husband’s name was not uttered by wife, in the event of husband living at the time of naming, the grandson would be named after grandfather but for purposes of calling him, another name used to be given. I am sure many are aware of this fact. Perhaps three names are for that purpose only.
You are doing the ‘appa kudirulla illai’ routine now. You should read the post in the link I have given.. You will enjoy it.
Somewhere else you have told about the suffix. I think it was in Sudhagee’s blog. So, now I know your full name. I think, it’s an ‘okay’ name – not to feel so odd about. It’s not as odd as a Thirupura Sundari or an Abitha Kujalambal, right?!
Are you with the Interpol?
I must admit it is a smart piece of sleuthing but had it not been for brother dear, you might have taken a little longer to come up with it. but you don’t understand, when you have all brothers and sisters named after gods and goddesses and to get such a name can be a let down and when it is something so hard to pronounce for north Indians, where we lived, you know the score. Even you are only saying it is an ‘okay’ name, see?
Bharathi, awesome the way you cracked this one. have you considered a career in hunting down Al Qaeda? With your deep knowledge of Srinis and Abitha Kuchalambals (these are the most common names in Af-Pak) – you could be formidable . or course, i mean to be good natured and no offense meant
cheers man.
I remember you telling me about this professor who marked you present every day. As for funny surnames we have any number of articles talking about the Marathi surnames
And no, I didn’t forget at all, but did not mention our sister for a reason. But the fact remains that we were named after our grandmother with an added suffix. I know you all love me for the cry baby I had been then and the nag I am now 
I can understand your annoyance or anger, whatever you wish to call it at my action of ‘exposing’ or whatever you call it (‘appa kudirulla illai’ ). I do not have the habit of saying ‘sorry’ as I feel that it is something which is supposed to forgive you for any wrong you do. You slap a fellow and then say, ‘oh, I am so sorry’. The damage is done and the only atonement is to get punished!! So, I will take the punishment you give for this act of mine but will not say sorry. However, I do not like ‘Zephyr’ as it sounds something like ‘Cipher’ which you certainly are not. Otherwise so many people would not be reading your posts.
May be this is irrelevant for this post of yours but still I am writing. The days we are children is something which everyone would love to go back to, if possible. We all are together in a family, tease each other, play all sorts of nonsense games etc. We never had the facility which the present generation has of preserving all moments worth remembering but they have no time to sit and see all that even when they grow older as responsibilities increase, like baby sitting all over the world with children living abroad and making them run here and there, sometimes from one country to another. It is really sad.
Hey, I was neither angry nor annoyed as it is not as if it is a classified matter
But thanks for the thought that I am not a cipher. I can understand what you mean by your comment on today’s children and the fact that families are getting dispersed.
Love both, the yin and yang of your blog and the virtual space: Zephyr or Cybernag – it’s always a pleasure to be here and read what this adorable lady with a belan in hand has got to say
Thanks Arti for the wonderful testimonial to my writing abilities. Keep visiting. Btw, your Neelkanth photo is adorning my desktop. thanks
I dont know abt others.. personally i like the fact that there s a mystery that surrounds you – from what i know you ( very little ) and what i read
sorta painting this mental picture of how you would be in real. At one side you are so blatant about your thoughts and still vague. 
well come couple of weeks, its gonna end soon
With reference to – http://thatandthisinmumbai.wordpress.com/2010/12/10/whats-in-a-name/
Reminds me of many Fiction/fantasy novels / series / trilogies where the real name of the magician/elf/dwarfs are hidden by a call name. Well this is done so to avoid magicians to direct the evil spell on you. Hence always hide your real names
It surely must have been designed for the purpose of warding off evil spells, isn’t it? good observation!
On the similar lines.. when we do archana or some pooja we always give our real names with lineage ( gothra, s/o, place etc.. ) so that the blessings reach us.
ok, please add me to the list of people who want to know the second half of your name.. unless you prefer i ping your son about it and get him to spill the beans
In the biking fraternity, hardly anyone of us are known by our names… i am Deelux ( half of deepak and lakshmi- my wife) . i have been ribbed enough that i also am named after a famous underwear brand…
To me , the call signs as we call it, are just a wonderful way to step away from our daily life, re creating a person and re- inventing who you are… Ok thats a little much on the heavy side, maybe you should ask signals aka justify more!!!
I can imagine the ribbing caused by your name
You are right about the call signs : they do help us live a life removed from the daily one and gives us wings literally. Btw, you should read the comments. My brother has already spilled the beans and Bharathi has put two and two together to get my whole name. Since i don’t plan to disclose it in this comment thread, let me know if you have not been able to get it and I will mail you 
Before anything else…please please change this profile pic…it so doesn’t depict the correct YOU! Its almost impossible to imagine you like that!
Me too had wondered what made you choose this name,although I agree with you that it has a beautiful ring to it. I see you as the zephyr that touches hearts with its simplicity.
I can’t say I feel the same way about my name like you did with yours, since in any language it means the same. Signifies the weather when I was born, and although unplanned seems like a completion of A’s name!
But Varsh, that profile pic is so loved by so many of the readers that I had recently given up the idea of changing it. It is the other half of my personality
And when we meet, you can decide if I suit the image or not. But I love the Zephyr bit too, like you. Thank you Varsha. And as for your name, my granddaughter has it as one of the five names she was given when she was born and she was born during the monsoons too.
This makes my curiosity of seeing and meeting you even more dense
I’m sure you’re going to hide that ‘belan’ of yours with me since I have a feeling that we’ll have a good time. A Jr in all probability would be joining us and you’re going to have a whale of a time with him. He’s definitely going to love another grandma
That would be wonderful, I mean meeting Arush. I don’t carry my belan but be sure to be on your best behaviour
I like ‘Zephyr’, reminds me of aladdin.
I watched that program over and over when I was a kid.
My name is Laura Abigail, and yes, that’s my first name.
People always forget the ‘Abigail’, or they think it’s my last name,
that’s frustrating sometimes, but I love my name
x
Welcome here Laura. Zephyr certainly has a lot of connotation for a lot of people. But Aladdin is a first.
Curiously, I had also got attached in a converse way to my given name since it is my ‘official’ identity which is why I was mad that it had been shortened. But by comparison, Zephyr is way way ahead 
I remember Abigail too from stories. But having two first names is like us from south India, who have them — ours and our fathers’!
I think it’s because I’ve always watched that show in Dutch.
They pronounce it in a different way
That explains it
finally a women named abigail, fairy tails are REAL
That had been my reaction too.
very interesting!! now am wondering whether I really want to know your ‘real’ name…guess i will always associate u with zephyr or cybernag! names have always fascinated me, esp due to me having 3 names! yes 3! one was my great grandmothers name, kept at my grandfather’s insistence, but which few people in the family knew, because he didnt want anyone to use it!!! the second is my official name “Anuradha’ and the third is a nickname i am usually called by in my mom’s place! since my marriage, its even more hilarious, because i am called Anu by my hubby’s side and deepa by my mom’s side….and the third name has been forgotten by one and all!!!! earlier, the surname was an even bigger problem, since my dad wasnt happy with his own name and shortened it, and getting anyone to accept the shortened version as my surname was hell!! now at least shankar is easily accepted by everyone and saves me a ton of explanaitons as everyone assumes its my surname!! and u might like this post which has a piece by yours truly about names….
http://pocketcultures.com/2011/04/13/children-naming-traditions/
you seem to have gone through more confusion than me. At least I had only one name to contend with
I will definitely read the post ASAP
@Laughing Gas- Thank you… thank you… I never thought of it so far. Looks like I have to start giving some serious thought about it.
Ah! So I have to wait to meet you to know your real name, though now that isn’t too far off
! Though Zephyr aunty is what always comes to my head!
Zephyr aunty will do fine. Haven’t i said i love that name over my original one?
Interesting!! Because of your virtual names, I actually thought the author of this blog was a man for many days. Remember I told you I thought Cyber Nag was “Nag Devta”?
GB, for God’s sake, that is a No Ball !
Oh I remember that comment and how relieved you were that I was human after all.
Ho Ho Ho! now that was a great piece to read,
The sorrow of a name of someone else’s choice is same that we bear.
But you definitely have gone through more than I have ever. But I have life left so no worries….
How were the exams? While your name was inspired by lofty things, mine was to create a new identity, but we share the same element
Hello Zephyr. This is my first time here. I am coming in from Rachna’s Anniversary post. I have some issues with my name too. I was given my grandmother’s name as my surname initially. That changed when my passport was made at age 5. It again changed after marriage. I have always wondered the magic of names. If at the moment of naming me, I was named something else, would my fate have been any different?
I love your blog and I am trying to follow it. But blogger is giving me an error!
Welcome here Jyothi and I am glad you liked the blog. You sure have gone through so many name changes in life! Regardless of the horoscope dictating the letter the name should start with, or the custom of naming after elders in the family, we ultimately become what we are by our own efforts. Else everyone would be successful, happy, rich, etc. etc. right?
I see you have succeeded in following me
Thanks.
Ooh, those names – say one who has an easy a not so easy name. But I love you name, Zephyr.
Your name is so easy though the last name is a little difficult unless one knows the exact pronunciation
Thanks for the compliment. I love my name for what it signifies — freedom and gentleness.
so I became Zephyr and soared in my own world . How wonderful .
Shall call you Zephyr only spare me the belan .
You know what Dhiraj? I was recently contemplating changing the profile picture but realised that people love it and associate it with me and my blog. So it stays.
And thanks for calling me Zephyr.
I do agree with you on your profile picture, it is become your virtual image for us . I always think twice before commenting here because of that belan .
Hey hey, ask anyone who has met me, and they will vouch for my harmless countenance. (Probably it was because I had lefr my belan at home
) So please don’t stop commenting 
Granted will never stop commenting as long as you keep your Belan with you at your Home .
Done!
I feel honoured that you told me your real name on your own.
What’s in a name!
I shall still love you, whatever be your name.
Aww That’s so sweet of you
_oh spare me the horror_ Calling you by your name, will be the last thing i do, amma..
_runs away before she gets the WR-ARE-YOU-THESE-DAYS comment_
—catches you by the collar before you run away and shakes the belan at you: Where are you these days?
gotcha! you know may be this will remain a life long regret that my official name doesnt have my father’s surname in it. i thought i didnt require a surname to prove my identity but now i regret it.
Goes to prove that there are more people who have regrets about their names than those like Laura who are happy
hmm Zephyr is a beautiful name .. actually when i was growing up bikramjit was not that common there were a lot of Vikram, or vikramjit but not many had a B.. I never liked the idea of a nick name , and every one called me Bikram.. and mostly since i was the eldest in the family it was more of everyone calling me Veeri ji or bai ji etc .. so name was not that used ..
but nowadays I am called all kinds from B, to bikky to bik, to biku to what not but I love all of them aftr all I think whats there in a name .. its the person and the heart inside that person that is more important
Bikram’s
A slight twist to one’s name is ok since it is identified with the original name anyway. But when it is something outlandish and becomes an object of ridicule or fun. then it is a problem. But we sometimes get used to the name and don’t mind it anymore. I agree with you about the person being important than the name.
I love the sound of “Zephyr” and the assumptions it creates in my mind. But. Now I am dying of curiosity to know your “real” name.
I find Cybernag so exciting – that I wish I had thought it up myself! 
Hi Vidya, nice to see you here! Cybernag has been my virtual name since my boys became teenagers. It is a completely liberating name just as Zephyr is, and which has been with me longer and also more loved. my real name? I will tell you that too!
Ahhh!! I had a hell of a problem with my name! My mama wanted cool names for his neices and nephews. He named me Jenny, my cousin sis Raisa( a russian czarina was named this once) and was about to name my cousin bro has glenn.. but his father interupted and decided to name him aditya.. am really happy for that.. u know why? Just imagine Glenn shetty! sounds so weird! and irony of all, my mama named his daugther as Gauri!! and we were like oh god why us?
), but now the hubby likes it.. and doesnot want me to change it!
Till date people wish me on christmas and never on diwlai.. and I so yearn for a hindu name.. My nani had nidhi and mummy had barkha in thier minds..
I do think of channging my names sometimes, to maybe Jani(hindu verison for Jenny
have rambled onnn !!
BTW I like Zephyr and this post tooo
when I went to change my name I was seriously toying with the idea of changing it to Zephyr, but chickened out at the last moment as I said. And if your husband likes it and you have got used to it, maybe you should stick with it. Raisa sounds like a Muslim name, so you have a cultural potpourri in your family, don’t you? LOl about how your mama named his daughter Gauri, perhaps didnt want to deal with a rebellious teen, I suppose
Ramble on, Jenny, this field is only for that purpose. 
Both the names are unique. I think we all start identifying with our blog names, I think of Indian Homemaker as my name …sometimes when I read I H M I read my real name
I was under the impression that I have read and responded to this post, but my comment is not there!!
Your comment must be there since I remember responding to it. But IHM, I had assumed Zephyr as my name when I had been a teenager as I have said in the post, and not after starting to blog. I used it as my mail id since mails came to India. I must have had various forms of zephyr in the international service providers like yahoo and others but had just Zephyr with the Glide account of Spice back in ’98 when we were in Chandigarh. Blogging just gave me a chance to go ‘public’ with it, that’s all. I think it was a good idea to have a yin and a yang for my blog because those who identify with the one are not able to identify with the other of my blog names
Hi Zephyr,
Hilarious, true, and ironical too. As I am reading the page, my mind is confronting, ‘ how come? She has a nice name and won’t use it, I have a weird, most unusual name, and longed for a name with regional , recognition!. ‘.
I am also amused , that you said //The name would also have confounded anyone who wanted to place me vis-à-vis a geographical location, only this time I would have got questioned as to whether I was a foreigner or in the least, if I was a Christian. But alas, I lacked the courage and probably practicality prevailed and I chickened out.//. where in, I have a name that suits all you described. When people hear my name they do not know what to expect! More funny stories on that later.
What a strange way to connect , but I understand the issue fully
)))))
In a way cyber space is a great leveler. It keeps us all happy in whatever way we want to be recognized.
As I read your thought, and the scores of comments, I am convinced that many people are having issues with their names, due to various reasons.
A comforting thought .
There are a lot of people who would love to change their names, surely
We do have unique names don’t we? 