Personal Names

1 Genesis
All the creatures in this world have a language or a medium for communicating their thoughts and feelings to each other. The cries and sounds of birds and animals are understood by their fellow-beings. A horse's neigh, cow's low, cat's mew, lion's roar or a jackal's howl are intelligible to other members of their species. Man is the crown of creation. God has made man after his own image. In the earliest period of his development man used a symbolic language and with the help of signs and gestures communicated his thoughts. and feelings to other beings of his own species. Accordingly with the gradual development of medium of expression man began to identify things around him and expressed his thoughts and feelings by means of his tongue  'Max  Muller, a renowned orientalist said, "Language is noting but a contrivance devised by human skill for the most expeditious communication of thoughts and who would wish to see it treated, not as a production of nature but simply a work of human art."

2 Origin
The gradual identification of objects, animate or inanimate, by man gave birth to what we call the NAMES of these objects. Thus the continuous and repeated use of a word or wordgroup for individualising a certain object became its name in the society. A name may, therefore, roughly be defined a word or a small group of words indicating a particular entity in the entirety without necessarily or essentially indicating any special quality of entity. Name of an object makes us familiar with that object. Names are, therefore, the words used to identify and distinguish individuals. Accordingly, the name is a medium of direct contact between an individual and the society as it distinguishes a person or an object from others of the same class. Name is a powerful instrument of convenience invented by man. It does not work only in a civilised society but even the tamed animals immediately respond to it mechanically. Ask the efficacy and usefulness of a name to a stranger who was struggling to get his leg out of the powerful jaws of a furious dog, who on hearing 'Moti' from his master, immediately left the stranger and began to lick the feet of the master. Shabdha Kalpadramu defines a name thus, 

2.1  Categories
Names do not always present a pleasent experience. An instant irritation is caused when we call a person by a name which he does not like for one or the other reasons. It works like a needle prick and the person, not only a man but even an animal, is in a state of madness and behaves as if under a lunatic fit. On the other hand if we call an ordinary man by a pleasing name elevating his social or official status, we get immediate response of all help and friendship. Consciously or unconsciously, therefore, we have created different categories of names, pleasant and unpleasant; respectful and disrespectful, holy and unholy, awkward and non-awkward, normal and abnormal. This large number of names has compelled man to use his wisdom and judgement to select suitable one for his own self and other beings. This process of selecting a name was primarily a linguistic exercise but, as in other spheres of human activity, with the gradual predominance of religion the name giving, christening, namakaran, or with what term we may call it, ceremony assumed great religious importance (See Sec. A 92 and A 93).

3 Dissimilarity
Personal names reflect the socio-religious as well as linguistic traditions of a particular region. Names in Europe, Africa and other non-Indian areas are remarkably different from the names commonly found in the Indian sub-continent. These are not identical even in different regions of a particular country. A striking difference is noticed between a North Indian and a South Indian, a Muslim and a Hindu, and a Christian and a Parsee name in India. Names do not differ in appearance and meaning only but in their syntax and usage also.

4 Given Names
From the beginning of civilization a child has been receiving a name after it is born and welcomed in the society. Names have a special significance, perhaps describing the child's appearance or expressing high hopes of the parents for the future of their child. In the beginning every individual had only one name which is sometimes called as 'Personal name', 'Given name' or 'Christian name.' This one name served the purpose of the individualisation and identification very well as the number of people in a particular region or cultural group was very limited and lived in a splendid isolation."

"Given names are usually drawn from some older language. For example, from Hebrew comes Benjamin; from Greek, Andrew; from Latin, Amy; from German, Albert, from the Celtic, Donald; from the Anglo-Saxon, Alfred. Originally these names had a meaning. A girl born during a famine was sometimes called Una (Celtic for famine). A golden haired blonde might be called Flavia (Latin for yellow) or Blanche. (French for white). Mercy and patience (used by puritans), David (beloved), Susan (lily), Deborah (bee), Margret (pearl) are other examples."

4.1 Naga Names
Sources of names in India have been diverse and varied. But Sanskrit language and literature have served as an unending treasury of names for almost all Indians including ancient Kashmiris. Name giving among Hindus is a very ancient practice but its critical appreciation is obscured by a chain of complexities like caste, creed, sex, race and language. During earlier settlement of Aryans in India, and later in the valley of Kashmir, the local (non-Aryan) names were fanatically sanskritized by Hindu name makers to conform to their imaginary etymology. A study of names of ancient Kashmir reveals that they were derived mainly from the Sanskrit language, the language of learned and elite. Some of the selected few from a huge stock of such names are Vasugupta, Kallata, Somananda, Utpala, Rama Kantha, Laksmanagupta, Bhaskar, Abhinavagupta, Bhatta Narayana, Ksemraja, Srikantha, Yogaraja, Narayan Kantha, Bhatta Vamadeva, Subhatta and Jayaratha etc. (see appendix). It will not be out of place to mention here some of the non-Aryan names of some Nagas preserved in Nilamata Purana. They are:

Ajakarna, Asvakarna, Vidyunmali, Darimukha, Orana, Rocana, Hasi, Naratana, Gayana, Kambhata, Subhata, Bahuputra, Nisacara, Magura, Kokila, Trata, Malaya, Yavanapriya, Kotapala, Mahipala, Gopala, Patalasuci, Rajadhiraja, Vinata, Svarga, Vimalaka, Alani, Chakrahasta, Suli, Pasi, Saga, Naga Citrakara, Vatsa, Bakapati, Sitarta, Yavamali, Ravana, Raksasakrti, Yajva, Datta, Hota, Bhokta and Bhogapati.

While going through the above mentioned Naga names we should not forget the fact that these names are spoken by a Brahmin well-versed in Sanskrit language and have come to us through a famous Sanskrit work. We should not, therefore, be astonished to find a very little, nay a very negligible dissimilarity between these Naga names and other Aryan names. As a matter of fact they have been allowed to survive to this day only in a sanskritized form. Thus leaving very little scope to know the real morphology and meaning of aborigine names of Kashmir. Had a little tolerance been shown to present these names in their true aborigine from it would have thrown open new vistas of research on very dark zones of Indology. We should not blame the author of Nilamata Purana only in this context. Almost all the Sanskrit works including the Mahabharata have presented all the aborigine characters, whether it be Naga, Pisaca, Madra, Nisada, Raksasa, Daitya or latest Yavanas in a sanskritized form. As a matter of fact, names undergo interesting changes when they are translated from one language to another. "Henry (Teutonic, head of the house) became Harry, Hal, Henri (French) Heinrich (German), Enrico (Italian) Hendrick (Danish), Jacob (Hebrew), a supplanter becomes James, Jacques (French), Giacom (Italian), Diego and Jaime (Spanish), John (Hebrew, gift of God) becomes Johannes (Latin), Hans (German), Jean.(French) Giovanni (Italian)."

4.2 Local Influence
Similarly the Sanskrit names like Govinda, Vishnu, Shiva, Suriya, Darshana, Ishwara, Kashi, Nila Kantha, Tilaka, Chidambhara, Sarvananda, Parmananda, Sudhania, Hari, Kailasha, Vasudeva, Deva, Gangadhara, Ganesha, Bhavani Das and Bhagvandas were changed beyond recognition when. used in spoken Kashmiri. Their present form is Goondu, Veshnu, Shevu, Siriyu, Dashu, Ishu, Kaashee, Kaantha, Teluk, Chedu, Sarvu Paru, Sodhu, Haru, Kalas, Vasu, Divu, Bhog, Bhonu etc.. Same, change has taken place in female Sanskrit names. Thus, Jaimala has become Zaimal, Ganga has taken the form of Ganguj, Lakshmi became Lakhim, Bhavani was changed into Bhoni, Yashmala became Veshir and Pushpa became Poosh in the day-to-day spoken language. Muslim names, which are mainly derived from Arabic, Persian and other Islamic literature have also not been able. to keep their original form unaltered. Accordingly Sultan became Sulu, Mohammed became Momu, Ahmad took the form of Amu, Rasool became Rosul, Khadeeja became Khatij, Al Khaliq became Khalu, Ibrahim became Ibu and Al Majeed became Maju.

4.3 Fancy of Authors
Moreover the whims and fancies of different authors have played a great role in giving a definite character and shape to a particular name. After all what are the reasons behind the fact that almost all the sons of Dhritrashtra are having very repulsive and abnoxious names? Is it that there was no Sanskrit scholar of good taste present at the Royal Court of Kaurvas? Ancient names used to be very beautiful and full of meaning. The name Dhritrashtra itself. is a very wonderful name meaning a person capable of shouldering the responsibility of a nation. Moreover the Pandavas, the cousins of Dhritrashtras sons, possess very beautiful and pleasing names. So the phenomenon of Kaurava names is not only puzzling but intriguing too. Vyasa seems to have expressed his anger and displeasure with Kauravas by deliberately mutilating and disfiguring their names." This bigotory and jealousy is not peculiar to the author of the great epic Mahabharata only, even in other kinds of literature and folk tales we find villains being called with such names which even an ordinary person would not give to his children. Munshi Prem Chand a celebrated Hindi writer, seems to have been very critical of the role of Pandits and Purohits in Hindu society. Perusal of his important works would unveil a character Mote Ram Shastary who happens to be highly ignorant of Shastaras with a large belly, clumsy appearance and greedy look in his eyes. Therefore, any person in possession of above characteristics is even now called Mote Ram. Similarly Sarat Chandra's Devdas has become an immortal figure and any lovesick man indifferent to his person is called by the name of Deva Dasa. More recently a thug and a cheat who befooled both police and public many times has made people to call any person (possessing above mentioned traits) as Natwarlal. We in Kashmir even now call a person as Mahadev Bisht if he displays any trait of the courageous and benevolent thief. Such names have, however, never served as a source of christening but are on the other hand very powerful agencies of nick names (Details in Chapter D).

5 Sources
As stated above the sources of Hindu names have been many and varied. Dronacharya the famous Pandava Guru was named Drona because he was found as an abandoned child in a Drona (i.e. bucket). Bhisma acquired his name after he took a severe vow of life long celibacy. A sage named his disfigured son as Ashtavakra because all his eight limbs were in a disfigured shape. Well-known heroine of Ramayana and beloved wife of Sri Rama was called Sita because she was found under the earth. Her other name was j'anaki because she was the daughter of the Great janka. A sage, being an ardent lover of dogs and their tails, named his three sons as Shunashep, Shunapucha and Shunolangul. These names were symbolic of a dog's. tail. May be the nature of the sons resembled that of a dog or its curved tail.

5.1 Totemism
Ancient Hindus held firm belief in totemism. Accordingly Aryan families and clans were named after some animal, plant or an inanimate object. "From Aja, 'goat' comes the name of Aja, a tribe mentioned in the Rigveda; Asva, 'horse' is the root of such names as Asvapati and Asvathama (Asvani Kumar) and also of Svetasvatara, 'White seed', the title of an Upanishada, 'Bharadvaja', 'Skylark' is the totemic name of a celebrated Rishi family; from 'Chhagla' 'goat', is derived Chhagaleya, the name of Vedic teacher and also of an Upanishad now extinct in its sanskrit form; from 'Gotma', 'bull' come the names of several wellknown sages; and from 'Hays', 'horse' are derived the names Haihaya, a tribe, and Hayagriva, a godling;. 'Ibha', 'elephant' is the totem of Ibhya, a village people mentioned in the Chhandogyaupanishada; from 'Kausika', 'owl' comes Kausitaki, the name of an Upanishad and from 'Kachhapa', 'tortoise' comes the name of Kasyapa, a Maharishi; 'Kshudraka', a variety of gadfly gives its name to a Gana, or clan, of ancient India; Wikura', 'dog' were a tribe associated with the Vrishnis along the Yamuna; Malava, a white flowering plant, is said to give the name to the Malava tribe; from Manduka, 'frog', comes the title of the Mandukyaupanishada; from 'Matanga', 'elephant' the name of a pre-Mauryan dynasty of Maghda; 'Matsya', 'fish' is the name of an important tribe in Hindu Mythology; and Mayura, 'peacock' the origin of the name of Mauryan-dynasty; from 'Mudgala', a kind of a fish,. is derived the name of a rishi; 'Maushika', 'rat', may be t the origin of an ancient Indian tribe known to the Greeks as the Musicani; 'Naga', 'snake' is the name of an ancient people, and is still used as a 'surname' by Hindus of Eastern India, 'Nakula', 'Ichneumari', was the name of Pandava Prince; from Pipal, a kind of fig tree comes the name of Pippalada, the founder of a vedic school; 'Riksha', 'bear' is the name of a Rishi family to which Samvarana belonged; from 'Sakla', a species of snake comes the name of Sakalya, a teacher who founded a Rig-vedic Sakha; from ' Sardula ', a 'tiger' comps Sardunya, the rishi after whom a now lost Sama-Veda sakha was named; 'Sigru', a plant, possibly the horse raddish, gave the name to a people mentioned in the Rigveda, 'Simha', 'lion' gives its name to Sinha, and Singh; the name Hathisingh (elephant-lion) is used by certain classes of Punjabi Hindus, from 'Sukti', 'oyster', comes the name Suktimati, capital of Chedi, 'Sunaka', a 'dog' gives the name to Sunaka, a famous vedic grammarian; a sage mentioned in the Chhandogyaupanishada who imparted secret knowledge to a student, was called Sunaka Kapeya, a dog-monkey, 'Titira', 'partridge' gives its name to the Talttiriya Upanishada; and 'Vatsa', 'calf'  to the Vatsa tribe of the Ganga-jamuna confluence, with capital at Kausambi."

5.2 Personal Beliefs
Sometimes wrong ideas and blind faith of a certain parent gives birth to a very awkward and unusual name. Such names become life-long burden for their owners and they feel crushed under a terrific psychological burden. Names are after all a reflection of one's personality. A recent survey conducted by University of Columbia has shown that a person's satisfaction with his name coincides with his approval of the kind of person he judges himself to be. Seen Thornton, a Dublin Psychologist, says that a person who does not like his first name tends to find faults in himself. An unusual name is a social handicap and the owners of such names face more troubles in adjusting to the pressures of every day life than their more conveniently named colleagues. Our strong emotional reaction when our name is honoured, mis-spelled or slighted, shows how closely--often right out of proportion-we identify name with self. Forget a person's name when he expects you to recall it, and you arouse resentment. All of us, at one time or another, have committed this embarrassing social blunder; and psychologists believe that we are more likely to forget the names of people we unconsciously dislike, so perhaps resentment is justified."
 
 

6 Western Approach
Shakespeare, Kalidasa of English literature, does not attach much significance to a name. He considers a name only as a removable appendage. Name is not the self. The owner of a certain name, however, awkward or beautiful it may be, cannot change or modify his essential characteristics. Name is a superfluous stamp marked on the self of a man and is not at all an identity of the character of its owner. Change of name does not guarantee any qualitative change in a man. After all, what is in a name ? The following conversation between Juliet and Romeo express the Shakespearian views more clearly : " Juliet-O, Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name, or if thou will not, be but sworn my love, And I will no longer be a capulet. Romeo(Aside) shall I hear more or shall I speak at this?. . . Juliet 'This but thy name that is my enemy; thou art thyself, though not a Montague. What's Montague? It is not hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, nor any other part belonging to  man. O, be some other name; what's in a name ? that which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet, so Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd, Retain that dear perfection which he owes. Without that title Romeo, doff thy name. And thy name which is not part of thee. Take all myself. Romeo-I take at thy word: call me but love, and I'll be new baptized, Henceforth I will never be Romeo"-
 

6.1 Indian Approach
But contrary to above, the Indian literators have attached a great significance to a name. Phrases and idioms like 'to earn a name', 'to bring a name', 'to shine one's name', etc., are found in abundance in all Indian languages. Pages of Indian history bear testimony to the fact that many a bloody battle was fought only either to make a name or to save a name. To save the honour and dignity of his clan name (Raghukul) Lord Rama gladly accepted the iq. years painful exile. To make one's name to perpetuate after one's death thousands of Hindus have undergone severe penances and sacrifices to have a son to keep alive their name. This phenomenon (Putraichha) perhaps, has contributed more to the subjugation of women in Hindu society, than any other. Hindus generally believe that only a 'Putra', 'son' can perpetuate the name of the family; and only he delivers the father from hell as it means in Sanskrit i.e., Put (Hell) plus tra (Deliverer). Even at the funeral the Pinda ceremony is performed by the son in a family. A daughter is considered as 'Paraya-dhana'. One of the major causes for the inferior status granted to women in our society is the exaggerated emphasis on the role of the 'Putra', 'son' to the exclusion of the daughter in functions and ceremonies. It is also because of this custom that daughters are treated as second class members of the family and are subjected psychologically to a shabby treatment by being given the feeling of not being essential and easily dispensable.'

A name, once given to a person, in due course of time becomes an essential and irremovable facet of his person. "American comedian Will Rogers knew well how important names are to their owners. Challenged by a friend at a White House reception to make the Sedate President Calvin Coolidge .mile. Rogers shook hands with the President, leaned over and murmured casually, 'Pardon me I didn't catch the name '. He was rewarded by a surprise guffaw from Coolidge."

6.2 Numerology
Numerologists believe that names can bring good fortune as well as bad to their owners. Eskimos, when old, adopt new names to 'take a new lease on life.' In some Eastern societies seriously ill patients are given new names by their relatives as a ruse to cheat the Angel of death.

We can quote a number of instances where agitations have been launched to re-name the cities, states, villages, hospitals and other institutions. In most of such cases people have either demanded to revive the old names or to perpetuate the memory of a saint, leader, social worker etc., attach his name to a public institution. This clearly demonstrates the emotional attachment of an individual or society to a certain name.

6.3 Trade
The importance and influence of names have been felt more in the world of trade and industry than in any other sector of human activity. Brand names are being imitated every now and then and hundreds of cases of litigations are finding their way to the courts of law in every part of world. After British withdrawal from India a number of Brand names were sold at a very high cost to the Indian successors of British companies. These names had won the public esteem and approval during their long period of existence in this country.

7 Wrong Pronunciation
Very amusing. situations arise when deliberately or otherwise a name is mis-spelt or wrongly pronounced. This author had to face a few embarrassing moments in one of the towns of Punjab when he addressed a certain gentleman (having his surname written as 'Makkar' on the name plate) as 'Mr Makkar' which in the vernacular means a 'cunning man'. In reality the surname of this particular gentleman is pronounced as 'Makkad' . The embarrassment caused to a lady addressed as Mrs Fool instead of Mrs Phoola was really a painful experience both for the addressee and the addresser, the former being ignorant of Kashmiri practices and the latter having failed to bear the burden of sarcastic smile of the bearer of the letter. An irritated young man, recently wrote a strong worded letter to the editor of a news paper complaining that his name has been intentionally mis-spelt. His name appeared as Mr. Miecziplaws Dzesdosz while his actual name was Mieczrlaws Dziadosz. He bitterly complained that his friends were asking him if he had changed his name. Such amusing but awkward situations are. created more often when a local name is transliterated in a foreign language or vice versa. In my article on 'Kashmiri names', I had mentioncd the name of much reverred hermitess 'Lallashawari', which, to my amazement was later translated into Hindi as  (i.e. Harmet the red lion). I have no hesitation in confessing that, in spite of being a student of world history, the Chinese and the West Asian names have often confused me. Similarly, South Indian names (full form) are a strange phenomenon for any North Indian. Europeans have more than once expressed their displeasure at the appearance and pronunciation of Indian names. An irritated middle-aged English lady once came with an unusual complaint to Mr Nehru for in one of the communications she was addressed as Mr. instead of Mrs. To quote Mr. Mathai 'while we were in London in 1948, a member of the small staff from the Indian High Commission attached to the Prime Minister reported to me that a middle aged English woman had arrived at the hotel (Claridges) requesting a meeting with some one connected with Prime Minister Nehru. She was shown in. She introduced herself as Margaret Cholomondeley. She had come with a letter written to her by a man called Ramamrittan (Rao Saheb), an Assistant Secretary in. the Ministry of External Affairs. The letter was in reply to a communication she had addressed to the Prime Minister on Kashmir. She had a serious complaint about that letter because she was addressed a: "Mr Margaret Cholmondeley." She had a further complaint that the name "Ramaritham" was too much of a mouthful. I was somewhat annoyed and numbled to myself "as if her's is not." I told her that Ramanritlhan was an oldman who had never travelled abroad, so he could not distinguish female names from male ones. I asked her if she could say whether " Lakshmi. Kanthamma Reddy" was a male or a female name. She said 'No'. I told her that almost all Indian names had meanings and they sounded musical to Indians.. I asked her if I call you "Miss Chumley won't you be agreeably surprised." She said, "you are the first. Indian who, has pronounced my name correctly." I told her that, "we in India are used to phonetic languages. We pronounce according to the spelling.. English is an illogical language though a sublime one and some of your names are baffling to foreigners. I happen to know personally a Lord Cholomondeley in London who has a valet called Bottemley who created complications by changing the pronunciation to Bumley. But for this knowledge, I would not have been able to pronounce your name correctly." Then I told her how an Indian name helped in the escape of three Indians from Germany after Hitler had seized power. Mr A. C. N. Nambiar was informed by his German friends that Hitler's S.S. were after him and two other Indians and they should hasten to escape to Switzerland. Nambiar took the advice, collected the two Indians and left Berlin. As they came within a few yards of the Swiss border, an S. S. Captain arrived from nowhere and stopped them. He lined them up asking questions in English. First came a Bengali, who was voluble and argumentative individual.

S. S. Captain: Name?
Bengali: Basu
S. S. Captain: Christian name ?
Basu: There is no such thing in india
S. S. Captain: (shouting) Christian name?
Basu: Tarapada
S. S. Captain:  Catholic or Protestant?
Basu: There is no such thing in India
S. S. Captain: (Furious) Catholic or Protestant?
Basu:  Protestant
Next came A. C. N. Nambiar who knew German well.
S. S. Captain: Name?
Nambiar: Nambiar
S. S. Captain: Christian Name?
Nambiar: Araththil Candeth Narayan
S. S. Captain: Catholic or Protestant?
Nambiar: Catholic
Bengali (intervening): He is no Catholic
S. S. Captain (Angry): Do you know punishment for lying?
Nambiar: I shall explain. If you look at the map of Europe you will see all the northern countries are predominantly protestant and the southern countries are predominantly catholic. This is the result of Reformation. Mr Basu comes from northern India, that is how he is protestant. I come from the south of India, that is why I am a catholic
S. S. Captain: (impressed) You must be a Brahmin.
Nambiar: Yes, (Actually he is a non-Brahmin).
Last came the Telugu Brahmin who was smart.
S. S. Captain: Name?
Telugu Brahmin:  Prathivadibhayankaram Thiruvenkatesh Warayya Pantulu Garu.

The S. S. Captain was flabbergasted. He looked around and made sure that no S. S. man was spying on him. Then he said, "Go, I will never be able to write this". All the three walked over to the safety of Switzerland.

I also told her how an Indian name created temporary estrangement between a husband and a wife. The story relates to Alladi Krishna Swami Aiyar, the renowned lawyer of Madras. On the day he was knighted by the British in India, the lawyer told his wife in Tamil, "Nee Lady Alladi"! This lent itself to two meanings. The lawyer meant "You are Lady Alladi." The wife understood the other meaning "You are no lady." The immediate result can be imagined.

I also told her that the British had to unlearn many things and learn new things. I reminded her that it was only recently that an Englishman returned from a visit to Egypt and made the revelation that the Mediterranian Sea was south of the African Continent because he saw that the Nile was flowing into the Mediterranian at the Alexandria. He could not conceive of any river flowing other than the South because he was used to the Thames flowing South"!

7.1 Foreign Names
Very often a particular foreign name having a ridiculous meaning in a local language gives rise to instant laughter and guffow much to the embarrassment of the owner of the name. Recalling an incident Khushwant Singh states that he had "an embarrassing encounter with a distinguished Swede, A Mr. Lund (very common name in Scandinavia) who was due to visit India. After a few drinks I got courage to tell him that he should not be upset if Northern Indians smiled or sniggered at being introduced to him and explained what his name meant in Hindustani. He was most amused and told me that he had not long before escorted an Indian lady called Miss Dass and had to introduce her to various audiences. 'Why should that have embarrassed you?' I asked him. "Because in Swedish the word 'dass' means 'shit' replied Mr. Lund."

8 Bawdy Names
The selection of a name is a critical matter. Final choice should rest with the person who has to own it. Parents may give a temporary name which its incumbent should be entitled to throw away as it sheds milk teeth and choose another which he fancies. Only he or she who has to live with a particular name should have the right to choose it. There is a bawdy story about a man who lost all his children soon after they were born. On the advice of a learned Pandit he decided to give his future children ugly and obscene names, believing the God doesn't mouth obscenities and will not send for them. Accordingly, he named his next son as 'penis' and his daughter as 'vagina'. He also named his goat kid as 'buttocks'. The advice worked and the three lived in good health. Obscene climax of the story reached at the nuptials of the girl and her mother's pleading with her son-in-law to be considerate towards her 'vagina' daughter. The stunned son-in-law ran out of the house and his fatherin-law pursued him pleading that he was as dear to him as his own 'penis' (son) and if he came back he would slaughter (Hindi word Maro) the 'buttock' (Goat kid) to feast him."

Bawdy and awkward names were usually given to ensure the safety of child from ghosts and ghouls. But sometimes they reflect desparate mood of parents. A couple to whom seventh daughter was born named her as ' Kshemeshwari ' (i.e. they begged for mercy of God to stop the chain of daughters to come to them.) Funniest climax, of naming of a child according to the parent's high hopes .for the child's future, reaches when the child comes out to be quite contrary to the hopes embodied in the name. Imagine the plight of blind man bearing the name 'Nainsukh' or 'Lakhnaina'. A tall, thin and fragile man named 'Pahalwan Singh' was a source of amusement and frolic for anybody to whom he got introduced. Similarly a very timid and a coward man had been christened as 'Sher Singh' and even a cat's mew would make him to shiver terribly. A boy was called 'Rogadhaman Lal' but hardly a day passed when the unfortunate boy was not under the attack of one or the other disease. 'Appearances are deceptive' hold its good in the world of names also. A 'muscleman' with long moustaches was employed by a money lender to safeguard him against miscreants at the time of need. He was very well fed on meat, milk, curd and butter. But when the time of action reached the man was found hiding under a 'Charpoye'. He was asked as to why he hid himself and of what use his long moustaches were. i Prompt came the reply; "Sir, don't blame my moustaches,  even cats possess long moustaches, are they to be called lions? "

9.1 Importance
Names have, however, not always been drawn out of unusual sources or the whims and fancies. of parents only. Christening has received the greatest attention of ancient 'Law givers'. It has been discussed in full and all proper guidelines have been framed by 'Sutras' and 'Smrities'. Brahaspati, the famous Indian sage, says that names are the primary means of social intercourse, they bring about merits and are the route of fortune. From name man attains fame.Therefore naming ceremony is praiseworthy:

9.2 Samaskaras
Ancient Indians evolved a number of 'Samaskaras to be performed during the full life cycle of an individual. A Samaskara-less person was not deemed fit to live a civilized life. These sacraments are not unique to the Hindu society only. Almost all the civilized social groups framed their own sacraments. But Hindi Samaskaras are very wholesome and comprehensive All the finer details of life have been discussed thread and bare. They are considered as instruments of purification of body and soul. Different meaning have been given by different people to the word 'Samaskara'. Its common meaning is connected with a religious rite performed for improvement of mental and physical well-being of a man who strives for a suitable place in the society. But, Hindu Samaskaras combine in themselves many social and religious performances which do not aim at formal worldly well-being only, but are necessary for the alround development of personality and unification of the 'self'. A man of 'Samaskaras' is considered a mine of good qualities and manners.

9.2.1 Vedic age
'Samaskaras' had evolved in or before the vedicage, as is evident from the 'Ved Mantaras'. But use of the word 'Samaskar' itself is very rare in vedic literature. 'Brahman' literature also does not make any mention of this word, although 'Upanayana', Antishti' etc.,, prevalent samaskaras do find place in them.

Commentators have used this word not only for the religious rites performed for personal purification but for the purification of 'Samagri' used for 'Yajna' also.

9.2.2 Number
There is no unanimity amon . 'Smriti', 'Sutra' and other 'Dharma Shastara' writers regarding the; number of 'Samaskaras'. But modern scholars are agreed on their number being sixteen. However, 'Namakarna' has been included by all in their list of 'Samaskaras. Vedvyasa enumerates sixteen Samaskaras from 'Garbadhana' to 'Anteysthi'.

(Vedvyasa 1, 14-15)

Swami Dayananda Saraswati and Pandit Bhimasena Sharma have also fixed the number of Samaskaras at Sixteen 'Samaskaras', particularly the 'Namakarna' ceremony was performed by all castes and 'Varanas' of ancient Hindu society. But certain law .givers prohibited Shudras from having any Samaskaras.

Sudras have been connected with the other three castes through matrimonial aliances from the very beginning. 'Anuloma' marriage i.e., of males of higher castes with female of lower castes were not uncommon in society down to the 8th century. Even orthodox 'Smriti' writers regard them as legal. But 'Pratiloma' in which the female of a higher caste is married to the male of a lower caste was vehemently opposed by all.  Even this stiff opposition did not stop such intermarriages completely. According to 'Dharma Shastara' and 'Smriti' writers 'Chandala' was the outcome of 'Pratiloma' form. of marriage i.e., marriage between a Shudra male and a Brahmina girl.

9.3 Namakarna
Benjamin Walker has described in detail the procedures followed in the actual ceremony of 'Namakarna'. A sacrificial fire is lighted and darbha grass is laid to the west of it in a north-south direction, but with the blades of grass pointing north. The father of the child sits on the grass facing southwards, and. mother holding the child sits facing him. Both parents dress in new unwashed clothes and the child is covered with a clean piece of cloth. Prayers are said, and at the given time the mother hands the child to father, head first so that it is passed over from south to north. A gold object, usually, a ring, is placed in a brass vessel containing ghee, oblations of ghee are poured into the fire and then the golden object is taken out, washed and tied around the child's neck by the father. The father then anoints his hand with ghee, warms it over the fire, touches the child's forehead, smells the child's hand as a cow would smell its calf and pronounces a benediction. He then gives the child's name previously selected by the priest or astrologer.

9.3.1 Time
There is, however, no agreement among the 'Smriti' and 'Dharmashastara' writers as to how many days after the birth of the child name giving ceremony is to be performed. 'Grahsutras' prescribe that 'Namakarna' should be performed after ten days of the birth of the child. Brahaspati is of the view that Kshatriya could perform 'Namakarna' after 16 or 19 days of the birth. He laid down that 'Namakarna' of the child maybe performed on tenth, twelfth, thirteenth, sixteenth, nineteenth or thirty-second day after birth.

According to other Dharma Sastra writers it should be held after 10,100 days or one full year

Yajnavalakya and Laghu Aswatayana prescribe 11 days after the birth. Vedvyasa,also supports the period of eleven days as interval between 'Jatakarma' and 'Namakarma.

Kashmiri Pandits used to perform the christening ceremony of the new born chid after sixth day of its birth. 'Shran-Sundar' and 'Namakarma' were performed on the same day. However, Lawrence states that "on the ninth day after the birth (Sundar) the mother and the child are bathed in some auspicious hour and the child receives its name". Whatever might have been the day for performing the 'Namakarma', it has now become an anachronism. No longer is seen such a ceremony being performed in any Pandit family. Children are given names without any inhibitions and often likes and fancies of parents determine it.

The Sikhs observe :this ceremony in a different way. The parents take the baby to the nearest Gurdwara where the priest, after regular prayers, recites at randon a hymn from the Holy Book. The first letter of that hymn has to be the first initial of the baby's name, and name is coined which, if approved, is announced. To a boy's name the word 'Singh' and to a girls 'Kaur' is added.

The Sikh idea of religion consists of 'Nam' and 'Seva'. To practise 'Nam' means to practise the presence of God. . .worship of the name is made more impressive by being organised in the form of congregational recitations or singing. ' Guru Nanak preaches 'Nam' (the name of God) as a potent means of religious realization.

9.4 Vedas and Sutras
There are specific directions available in the 'Vedas' and other ancient Hindu texts for giving names to newly born. Patronymics were commonly used, generally by a modification of the father's name e.g., Upagu's son was called Aupaguva. Metronymics were current in matriarchal systems, but in other areas, according to Panini, one's designation by one's mother's Gotra or clan implied that the father's name was unknown.
Graha Sutras have discussed the composition of the name in full. Parashara prescribes that the name should be of two or four syllables, beginning with a consonant, with a semi vowel in it, with a long vowel or with ' Visarga' at the end -a name formed from a root with Krt affix and not a nominal derivative formed with a 'taddhita' affix. Baj-vappa lays down no restriction on number of syllables. "The father should give a name to the child containing one syllable, two syllables, three syllables or an indefinite number of syllables"."

But Vasistha restricts the number to two or four syllables and asks to avoid names ending in i and r.

Amaloyana Grahy Sutra says that "one who is desirous of fame, his name should consist of two syllables, one who desires worldly lustre his name should contain four syllables.

9.4.1 Female Names
The rules laid down for naming girls were different. The name of a girl should contain uneven number of syllables. It should end in 'a' and should have a 'Taddita'. Bajv-appa laid down that the name of girl should contain three syllables and end 'i'.

Manu is of the view that "it should be easy to pronounce, not hard to hear, of clear meaning, charming, auspicious, ending in a long vowel and containing some blessing."

Manu, further, laid down that a Brahman should be named by a benedictory word, a Kshatria by a might depicting word, a Vaisha by a wealth and prosperity depicting word.

9.4.2 Four-fold Names
Four-fold naming was also current among the ancient Indians. This type of naming was done according to asterism under which the child was born, the deity of the month, the family deity and the popular calling. This development was due to rise of religious sects and astrology. 'Nakshatra name', very well-known to the Grahy Sutras, was derived from the lunar asterism under which the child was born.

9.4.3 Nakshatra Name
There is a written directive that the father or the eldest member of the family should name the baby after a 'Nakshatra'  Names of 'Nakshatras' and their corresponding 'Gods' is as follows: 'Asvini'--'Asvin'; 'Bharni --' Yama'; 'Kritika'--'Agni';'Rohini'--'Prajapati';'Mrigshira'--'Soma'; 'Ardra'--'Rudra'; Punarvasa'--'Aditi'; 'Pushya' --'Brahaspati'; 'Ashlesha--'Sarap '; ' Magha '--'Pitra'; 'Purvaphalguni'--'Bhagha';'Utraphalguni'--'Aryamana'; 'Hasta'--'Savitra'; 'Chitra--Tvashtra'; ' Svati'--' Vayu' ' Vishakha'--Indragani'; ' Anuradh '--'Mitra'; 'jeyshtha' --' Indra ';' Moola'--'Niriti';'Purvashada '--'Aap';' Uttrashada'-' Vishvadeva ' ;' Shravana '--'Vishnu' ' Dhanishtha '--' Vasu '; ' Shatbhiha '-'Varun'; ' Purva badarpad'-- Ajaikpad'; Utrabadarpad'--'Ahiburdhanya'; and Revati'-'Pushan'. If the child was born under the constellation 'Asvini ., he was named 'Asvini Kumar', if under 'Rohini', 'Rohini Kumar' etc. Another procedure of christening on the basis of 'Nakshatra' was also prevalent. It was believed that every 'Nakshatra' was the deity of one or more alphabets of Sanskrit. Accordingly a child born under 'Asvini' nakshatra had. to be given a name to start with its subordinate alphabet (i.e., ).

9.4.5 Deity's name
The second practice of naming was based on the deity of the month in which the child was born. According to 'Bhargay' the name beginning from 'Marghashersha' were, 'Krishna', 'Ananta', 'Achyuta', 'Chakri', ' Vaikhuntha', 'Janardana', ' Upendra', ' Yajapursha', ' Vasudeva', 'Hari', ' Yogesh' and 'Pundrikasha'.

The name based on month deity used to be the second name of the child.

'Kuladeva' or the family deity was also a source of name for: A child.' Every family used to worship one. or the other deity and naming a child after him would mean extension of protection of the deity to the child. These deities could be vedic gods 'Indra', 'Soma', 'Varuna', 'Mitra', 'Prajapati' etc., or the Puranic Gods. like 'Krishna', 'Rama', 'Ganesha' and 'Shankara' while. naming the child the word 'Dana' or 'Bakta' was added to the name of the deity.
e.g., (i) Ganesha Dass (ii) Rama Bakta.

9.4.6 Popular Name
The popular name was meant for general use in, the society. The rules.given above governed the composition of such a name. The cultural and the educational background of the family would play a dominant role for framing, of such a name. But as a general rule such names should necessarily be benedictory and full of meaning.

9.4.7 Guiding Principles
The guiding principles of 'Namakarna' were thus

• Name should, be easy to pronounce and pleasing to auditory system;

• Name should be indicative of the sex of its owner;

• Name should be representative of fame, luxury and power and in the last

• Name should indicate the caste of the owner.

9.4.8 Paninien Rule
The Paninien convention for the formation of names went as 'follows: If Ganga was the father, then Gargi was the son, Gargya the grand-son (also called Vriddha 'Senior') and Gargyayana the great grand-son ,(also called Yuvan 'Younger'). This is a common practice in English speaking countries still. They name a child after the name of its father or grand father with an epithet 'senior', 'junior', 'primus' or 'secondus'.

9.5 Divine Names
The Vedic Aryans avoided personal names drawn from the vocabulary of divine or religious nomenlclature. But a study of Kashmiri names of past reveals the gross violation of this rule. Almost all the Pandit names of Kashmir are a true copy of the names of gods and goddesses. Custom of giving names of deities seems to have been prevalent among non-Aryans. It is clear from Kashmiri as well as South-Indian names. This practice was later on adopted by Buddhists and most probably Kashmiri Pandits have adopted it from them. The names of stars, constellations, planets, sun, moon, asterism were also avoided in vedic times by the Aryans as well as the use of names taken from nature e.g., of mountains, hills, rivers, forests.
Manu has laid down a clear directive that a girl should not be given an awkward name indicating "a constellation, a tree, a river, a mountain, a bird, a servant and a terror." Nature names being very commonly adopted by aborigines, many law givers, including Manu, forbade the marriage of a girl, named after any of above things, with a man of higher -castes'. These rules were, however, seldom observed by succeeding generations. We find many women bearing names, in contrast with the above rule in our ancient texts. Women with names of rivers include 'Narmada', wife of the Paurava king Puruktsa; 'Kaveri', wife of Jahnu etc.

9.5.1 Sameness of Names
Pargiter has discussed at length the 'sameness of names' of ancient Hindus. He has sorted out a large number of names having been given after gods, places,. animals, stars, plants, rivers and also names of countries given after the names of kings.

9.5.2 Names of Gods
"Kings, Princes and Brahmanas had the same name as gods and the mythological beings and heavenly bodies". There was Varuna among the Vasisthas and among the Bhargavas. Agni was the name of an Aurva rishi and of a Maharishi called Bharatas. Aruna was the dawn, and two Brahmanas were so named. Rishis and others were named after their deities, and heavenly bodies were called after rishis such as the seven stars of the Great Bear and the Star Canopus.

9.5.3 Names of Places
Further kings and brahmanas sometimes had the same name as places and peoples. Thus there were a people called Asmka, yet it was the name of a king of Ayodhya and of a Brahman". Anga was the name of a country and people (East Bihar) and its king, and also of the reputed author (Aurava) of Rigveda " Aja, king of Ayodhya had the same name as a people. 'Pukkara' was the name of a son of Rama's brother Bharata, Nala's brother, a town, the moder Pokhar. Kuru, the Paurava King, had the same name as the people
.
9.5.4 Names of Animals
Kings and Brahmanas also bore the names of animals, as Rksa, Rsaba, Kurunga, and Vatra, of birds, Sakuni, Hamsa, Suka and Uluka; of trees and plants, as Asvatha, Plaksa, Nala and Munja; of inanimate objects, as Sankha, Drti, Asman and Drona; and even of ceremonies, Asvamedha, also of parts of body, as Bahu, Karna, Caksu, and of abstract ideas, as Sakti and Manyu.

Women had the names of animals and birds as two God (Sukra's wife and Yati's wife) and also Brahmadatta's queen and Hamsi, of plants of flowers, as Malt, Padmini and Kamala; of inanimate objects, as Aksamala, Arani and Sita; and also of abstract ideas as, Maryada and Samati".

9.5.4 Names of Rivers
Women had the similar names as rivers, and this fact is in violation of the injunction that a Brahman should not marry a maiden having such a name. Thus the queen of king Purukutsa, of Ayodhya was named Narmada; Yauvanasvas grand-daughter Kaveri was wife of Jahnu, king of Kanyakubja, Sarasvati was queen of the Paurava king Matinara and Kalindi (Yamuna) was the name of the wife of Asita (Bahu) king of Ayodhya. There were three queens named Drsadvati, (i) wife of a King of Ayodhya  Visvamitra's queen, wife of Divodasa king of Kasi . Urvasi was the wife of  Pururavas  and Urvasi was also the original name of the Ganges.

9.5.5 Names of Constellations
Again, women had the same names as stars or constellations; thus there were two Rohinis (one wife of Vasudeva) and the other wife of Krisna. Several Revatis (Balrams wife and others), a Citra Name of Subadra), and Radha; hence Arundhati (the star Alcov in the Great Bear) wife of Vasistha, may not perhaps be mythical.

9.5.6 Names of Survile Status
The use of a name indicative of any subordination or survile status was not allowed by Vedic Aryans. But this rule was later on very often violated by adding the word 'dasa' to the name of family deity or any other god e.g. 'Durga Das', 'Ganesh Das', 'Bhagvan Das' etc. No Rigvedic Aryan would think of calling himself a 'dasa' even of a deity because of the contempt in which the ,term was held. Hence it is believed that the sage  'Mahidasa' and the king 'Divodasa' were non-Aryans since these names occur so early in the vedic period. In course of time, however, the Aryans adopted the native names and "the early Hindu philosophy, particularly that of Upanishadas, the rishi families, and the renowned Indian clans of yore, were all intimately connected with indigeneous people.

9.5.7 Secret Names
Besides a popular or an official name, every child in a Hindu household received a secret name. This practice is still in vogue in India. But such a practice was never prevalent among Kashmiri Pandits. They, of course, gave a name of affection to every child, besides his official name. But such a name was never kept as a guarded secret. Everybody in the household would call the child by his 'affectionate name'. Many taboos were connected with giving of a secret name. Ancient Aryans believed that a name is one's personal possession. It was to be guarded against any attack by magical means. Furthermore, there was thought to be a limit in the 'personal treasury' to the 'Units' of one's name, and constant use of it depleted this stock and weakened the owner. One's name is, therefore, not to be banded about, and strict conventions governing modes of address are almost universally observed in India. Visitors will ask to see 'the master of the house'; a pupil will refer to 'Swamiji' or 'Mahatmaji', or 'Guruji'. A Hindu husband does not utter his wife's name, nor a wife her husband's, but they will either just say what they want without address, or will call out, 'O mother of Krishna' or 'Hey Rama's father.' Formerly during the baptismal rites a secret personal name used to be whispered into the child's ear, which would be conveyed only to father and grand-father of the child by the officiating priest, and would thus never be known to more than three or four persons. It was the child's talismanic, and inviolable name. According to Bodhayana 'Nakshatra' name should be kept secret and should be known to the parents only till the 'Upanayana Ceremony' of the child.

This name was thus closely connected with the person of the child and was not made public to keep away the evil eyes and harmful designs of enemies.

"Among many primitives a child was given a secret name in addition to the one he was publicly known by, in order to foil evil spirits. In some tribes it was forbidden to utter the king's name, in others, even words that sounded like his name were taboo. When former king Bossa Ahadi ascended the throne of Dahomey, in French West Africa, he made sure that no one pronounced his name by accident, even. He had everyone killed who was named Bossa.

9.6 KASHMIRI NAMES

9.6.1 Male Names
Ancient Kashmiris had mainly one-worded names drawn from sanskrit language and literature. Even aboriginal names were preserved in a (See Sec. A 41) sanskritized form. An epithet like Gupt was sometimes added to the given name but it had in no case an independent existence. It was yoked with the given name in such a way that the two combined words would appear as one, e.g., 'Abhinavagupta.' One-worded personal names continued to be in vogue during the mediaeval period also. We have many famous names like, Kalhana, Bilhana, Srivara etc., available for ready reference. But the fashion of one-worded names seems to have lost its value when we come to pre-Independence era. Very rarely a single-worded given name is seen during this period. Every individual possessed a name having two parts. The first part being the name of a deity, God, a Puranic figure or even a saint followed by the second part which usually was represented by a word like Ram, Kakh, Chand etc., e.g., 'Sona Ram', 'Lassa Ram', 'Govind Ram', 'Nath Ram', ' Vassa Ram; 'Daya Ram', 'Shiv Ram', Juvan Ram', 'Kantha Ram', 'Sirij Ram', 'Soda Ram', 'Dasha Ram', 'Isha Ram', 'Kisha Ram' etc. Except with one or two names the word 'dasa' was added. It is quite contrary to the general practice, of expressing humility and complete subjection to the deity, followed in other parts of northern India. 'Kakh' was also very commonly used as the second part of a given name. It besides being the part of a given name is a 'Kram name' and also a term of respect and reverence Any elderly person was addressed as 'Kakh' e.g., 'Goonda Kakh', 'Lassa Kakh' etc. 'Kakh' was also used singally to address a dear and elderly member of the family. An elderly female in the family was called, similarly, as' Kakni.

During early forties till late fifties the word 'Nath' had a complete sway over the Kashmiri Pandit names. It was used as the second part of almost every Hindu name of Kashmir during this period. 'Nath' which means the master has been used very indiscriminately with all names coming from the names of gods, goddesses, Puranic figures, names of saints, inanimate objects and even sacred places. Thus 'Durga Nath', 'Master of the Goddess Durga'; 'Omkar Nath', 'Master of Om' (the mystic symbol of Hindus), 'Brij Nath', 'Master of the Brij Land', 'Dwarka Nath' 'Master of Dwarka', 'Prem Nath', 'Master of the love', 'Janaki Nath', 'Master of Janaki (Sita)'; 'Kailash Nath', 'Master of Kailash mountain (abode of Lord Shiva)', 'Prakash Nath', 'Master of the light'; 'Gopi Nath', 'Master of the Gopic (beloveds of Lord Krishna)', 'Hrady Nath' 'Master of the heart'; 'Pushkar Nath', 'Master of Pushka- (a sacred place of Brahma)', 'Maheshwar Nath"'Master of Lord Shiva', 'Triloki Nath', 'Master of the threeworlds''Raghu Nath', 'Master of the Raghukul'. This practice of adding the word 'Nath' is quite amazing and often amusing also. Imagine a 'Durga Nath' worshipping and flowing tears of devotion at the feet of goddess Durga with least idea that his very name is insulting and unrespectful for the goddess. 'Lal' was another important appendage, followed by 'Krishan', giving thus birth to names like Brij Lal, Girdhari Lal, Shyam Lal, Bansi Lal, Makhan Lal, Ramkrishen, Dayakrishen, Roopkrishen, Radhakrishen, etc.

During early sixtees, however, 'Nath', 'Lal' and 'Krishen' went to background and the word 'Kumar' got prominence as the second part of personal name. Names during this period were slightly modified. They were given a poetic touch and poetic words and expressions were borrowed from Hindi and Sanskrit literature to serve as the names of newly born babies. Rarely a name without 'Kumar' as its second part would fulfil the requirements of fashion of the day. Thus the names like 'Ashok Kumar', 'Kiran Kumar', 'Pawan Kumar', 'Raj Kumar', 'Anil Kumar', ' Vasant Kumar', 'Sharad Kumar', 'Sunil Kumar', 'Ajay Kumar', ' Vinod Kumar', 'Narender Kumar', 'Saneh Kumar' 'Sanjay Kumar' etc., became current among Kashmiri Hindus. But cycle of the names seems to have completed a full circle and again one-worded personal names have gained the popularity. Present Hindu names are derived mainly from ancient texts and mythical figures, besides literary expressions of the past. Accordingly Rahul, Siddartha, Dushyant, Amit, Ashwani, Navin, Sanjay, Ashu, Sanjeev, Pravin, Gaurav, Parikshit, Utpal, Kalhan and Bilhan have gained the currency and are very much prevalent these days.

9.6.2 Female Names
As regards the female names of Kashmir, they were one-worded during the remote past. However, during pre-Independence days 'Mal' (corrupt form of 'Mala') was usually, added to the given names of women. The first part of these names would generally be corrupted. form of a benedictory and beautiful Sanskrit word. Female names like 'Vyash Mal'-(Yasha Mala), 'Zai-Mal' (Jai Mala) Yambar Mal (Flower garland), Daya Mal, Zacha Mal (Shining garland), Ganga Mal (Garland of the Ganges), Arni Mal (Flower garland), Boni Mal (Chinar garland), Posh Mal (Pushpa Mala), Konga Mal (Saffron garland), Himal (Flower garland) were very common. Like Kakh (in male names) the word 'Ded' was generally used as an expression of reverence. Any elderly lady would be called as 'Ded'. Therefore, the names like 'Rop Ded', 'Zoon Ded', ' Yambar Ded', and 'Ranim Ded' were popular during those days. But with the coming of Independence and popularisation of female education, the word 'Devi' got appended with the female Hindu names of Kashmir. The given names still continued to be drawn from the names of deities, Puranic heroines and Sanskrit literary characters. Thus the names like 'Tulsi Devi', 'Roopa Devi', 'Lakshmi Devi' etc., gained the currency. The custom of changing the given name of a girl after her marriage continued to prevail. Therefore, the married women used to have slightly a different name from the virgins. The word 'Vati' seems to have been very popular as the second part of a married woman. During this period we see a large number of names like 'Somavati', 'Prabhavati', 'Padmavati', 'Durgavati', 'Dhanavati', 'Leelavati', 'Chandavati' 'Kamlavati' etc., being consistently used for married women. By and by the practice of using 'Devi' with a given name lost its ground and the word 'Kumari' caught the Pandit fancy. . Therefore, names like 'Nancy Kumari, 'Phoola Kumari', 'Santhosh Kumari', 'Beta Kumari,"Krishna Kumari' etc., became current. The given names 'Phoola' and 'Tosha' were so common that often the problem of homonyms would create difficulties. But the use of one worded female names is gaining ground very fast, and as in case of male names, benedictory and beautiful expressions are used as given names. Names of the heroines of yore, deities and classical characters are used in abundance as sources of given names for girls. We see names like ' Vasna', 'Priti',. 'Shakuntala', 'Geetika', 'Rekha', 'Anjali' etc., are most prevalent in present day Pandit community. As a matter of fact such bewildering names are now given to boys and girls which are hardly indicative of the sex of their owners. Names like 'Santosh' 'Preetu', 'Ashu' and many others are given to children of all the sexes.

9.7 Pure Kashmiri Names
A Kashmiri Pandit lady, in a sentimental appeal has called upon all Kashmiris to give pure Kashmiri names to their children. She writes, "my name is Poshkuj. It could be Pushpalata or even Kusam Lata, but I am Poshkuj because Kashmiri names fascinate me ...Pure Kashmiri names possess a greater appeal. To change Himal, Gonwati, Zoon, Sangarmal, Wanmal into Gunwati, Vanmala, Chandarkala or Sumanlata,, seems to me, ludicrous. A limitless treasure of names is hidden in our history and literature. Why are not they owned? However, I feel delighted to see many people having christened their children and houses like Pamposh, Abhinav and Shahzar, Zoondab, etc. Please continue with this trend. . .and select an attractive, beautiful and melodious Kashmiri name for your child."