My Name

I was sitting idle today, just because the television was not holding my interest. And my internet download speeds were pathetically slow, so I couldn't download any episode of Scrubs. (Downloading episodes of Scrubs is now my favourite pastime.) As I was laying down on my bed, under the covers, all warm and sleepy, I started thinking about the names people call me by.
Don't ask me why I did that, I really, I mean really, cannot explain.
Sometimes, somethings just cannot me explained. And me thinking about all the nicknames I've had thus far, is one of life's unexplainable mysteries.

So, my actual name is Ajeeth Parkal. (don't let it scare you, my ignorant North American friends...It is pronounced like it's spelt. Go on, try it. It's easy...there you go, nicely done!)
My first name, commonly spelt Ajit in India, means Invincible. I like that. I like my name.
But throught out my life, I've had some kind of nick name.

At home, my parents call me, Ajoo...but hang on a second, they just call me that when they want something. I know, I am not judging my folks, I love them, God Bless their hearts. But, they just use Ajoo only when they want something done; chores, errands etc. My mother especially!
My dad on the other hand, has these real rare spurts where he shows me some affection. Three times in the last 24 years (something like that). He uses Ajoo too.
My brother, he probably doesn't realize it, but he does the same.
The only person who uses Ajoo consistently, with or without any ulterior motives, is my cousin in the States.

Growing up, at school, my friends started calling me Perky. Yes, Perky. I guess it came from my last name: Parkal. I got so used to being called that, that I started signing my name as Perky on birthday cards, school benches etc. A variant of that name is Perks. I have a close circle of friends who still call me that. And I still respond. I too, have names for them. There is Dur which is short for Durand; Bulldog for Siddharth Rege because he used to look like one; and Yogesh was Dhaps. (Dhaaps is short for Dhaapneya...which is slang for Bespectacled in Marathi.) And I still call all of them by that name. Its been atleast 8 years since I've been called 'Perky' consistently, but if someone were to yell out Perky while I was walking down the street, I would turn around and look for an old chum.

This brings us to what I am known as now, here in Toronto. Well most people call me this anyways: A.J.
Yes, I know, that's also the name of a Backstreet Boy.
How did this come about? Ok, I do have an explanation.
At College, here in Canada, one of my professors/instructors, decided to call me that. And it's stuck with me since. Everyone I've gone to school with here, or worked with, inevitably call me that. Some people do make the effort to call me "Ajeeth". But those same people, refer to me in the third person as A.J.
A.J has its own ups and downs. When someone introduces me as A.J, I get a wide spectrum of reactions, ranging from "They have people in India with a name like that?" to "Oh a brown man with a white name." (I like that reaction. I get to typecast some more people as ignorant. I like doing that. ) The good thing about being called AJ is that people remember me. And that's a good thing I guess, especially at work. I was really uncomfortable at first but now, I used to it. I thought I was being lame by calling myself that, but, what the hell, I am used to it now.
Some people even call me "A to the J" or "A dot J dot".

I prefer being called Ajeeth, and most of the time I tell people that. But they have the choice of calling me what suits them best.

What's in the Name, eh?

Thanks for bearing with me. Hope you enjoyed today's quota of useless information.