Names hold power, identity, and sometimes, a bit of fun. Take Caryn Elaine Johnson, for example. Who? Exactly! Nobody knows her unless we call her Whoopi Goldberg, a legend in acting and comedy.
I don’t follow Western music much, but names like Sting, Bono, and Diddy pop up often in newspapers and magazines. Sean Combs alone has morphed into Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, and now simply Diddy.
And Ice Cube? Before taking rap and Hollywood by storm, he was O’Shea Jackson—a name that probably didn’t scream “cool” when ordering drinks.
In sports, it’s even wilder. Former NBA player Ron Artest famously reinvented himself as Metta World Peace. In Buddhism, metta is a term that refers to loving-kindness, or a pure, unselfish, and universal love for all beings. If you attend 10-day meditation sessions a Vipassana centers you would know this. And World B. Free? That was no metaphor, it was literally his name. Then we have rappers like Vanilla Ice, whose stage name makes me think of a frosty dessert topping.
India isn’t far behind in quirky names. Ever heard of Aditya Prateek Singh? Of course you have, just not by that name. Say hello to ‘Badshah’, the king of Bollywood beats. Hirdesh Singh, a name that would blend into any classroom roster, is none other than ‘Yo Yo Honey Singh’. And Dilin Nair? He’s now ‘Raftaar’, racing to fame with lyrics faster than a speeding bullet.
But names can also carry deeper meanings. Lalu Prasad Yadav famously named his daughter Misa Bharti after the draconian Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) from India’s Emergency era. Misa was born during Lalu’s imprisonment under that law imposed by the prime minister Indira Gandhi.
Then there’s CH Raghavendra from Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh, who named his son ‘CH 126’. Not a typo — it’s a name deliberately chosen to avoid the baggage of caste or religion.
His logic? 1 for ‘I,’ 2 for ‘AM’, and 6 for ‘INDIAN’. Guess you got it! Raghavendra has also registered the boy’s name in Aadhaar Card and other records. It’s profound, but also perplexing. In a world obsessed with labels, this might be the boldest attempt at a blank slate.
From stage names to symbolic initials, it’s clear: names are more than just labels; they’re personal manifestos.