Whats in a Name ?

Thus spake Shakespeare.
That which we call a rose,
By any other name
Would smell as sweet. Romeo And Juliet ( II, ii, 1-2 )

Ilayaraja, the music maestro, ( the first Indian to compose a symphony and the first Asian to have it played by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra ) couldn’t think of a title for his first fusion album, and finally decided on How to Name it ? and moved on in life, to create other masterpieces.

The mascot for the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics was initially named Whatizit, because that’s what everybody would say when they first saw it…
After a few modifications to give it a more athletic look, it was renamed Izzy.

Apna Asian Paints had an adorable mascot – Gattu, a concept which revolutionized branding in India. The little boy with unkempt hair and a paint brush in hand ( created by R K Laxman ), became a ready reckoner for your friendly neighbourhood house-painter, who more often than not, was illiterate and couldn’t read the brand he was purchasing.
Today, Indian Advertising is divided into two phases, BG and AG ( Before and After Gattu ).

Corporate lores abound on the naming of some great brands the world has known. E.g. how Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard tossed a coin to decide whose surname should come first in the name of their company. Packard won, btw...
[ More of those and on origins of rock bands’ names, in a later scribble, after due research ( i.e. google ), I promise !!! ]

Now, I have a naming fetish…everybody I connect with ( leaves a footprint on the sandy beaches of my heart ), gets a name, based on how I relate to them and the intensity of my interaction with them…

Not just that, my worldly possessions get names too.
Depending on your gender, I'm sure you just said "What on Earth !!!" or "How Cute !!!"
( The idea is shop-lifted from The Bridges of Madison County )

My mobile is called Jeeves – the all knowing, infinitely resourceful butler immortalized by P G Wodehouse. Any time I’m in a jam, just phone-a-friend; and hence, my solution provider.
My scooter is called Hobbes – that ever loyal companion. With everybody else around, its just an LML Vespa Select II ( the stuffed toy parallel ), but when with me alone, it’s a full blown Harley Davidson !!!

I have just gotten myself a laptop. It’s a Dell Inspiron 1420, a dream machine.
( Yes, here is where you congratulate me ;-) )
And this is my first post from it.
After passing up Matrix, Slash, Back Slash and many many others ( Pappu was in the running for a while ), my brother and fellow Warrior finally came up with the winner. So we've settled on R2D2, the delightful android from Star Wars.

Welcome to my family, dude…looking forward to having some great times together !!!