bLOGGING in

“What’s in a name?” asked some wise guy in the 16th century. Sure, there’s nothing at all if you have a real cool name like Shakespeare! I mean it sounds powerful any which way you decide to look at it (shake-spear or sheik’s peer or whatever).

But if you happen to be from my part of the world, you would appreciate what I’m trying to say here: Imagine being named Shallow Shajimon or Blossom Babykutty or worse imagine being a girl and living your life with a name like Lousy Lucykutty or Titty Thomas – all because your parents thought alliteration was way more important than meaning! Or consider having a foot-long set of initials before your name – V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.N.S for example - and you would understand.

But at least the latter, unlike the former, doesn’t defy logic – it can be readily explained. What? You want the explanation? Ok you asked for it! Here goes…

Grandpa wants to name his grandson after his favourite planet. Being a little forward, he decides to give it an English touch - Venus Laxman had been pretty much a unanimous decision. Educated though grandpa is, he has a tiny speech disorder. Yes you guessed right, grandpa stutters. Grandpa takes his son to the school on his first day. “What’s his name?” asks the teacher. “VVVVVVVVVVeNuS Laxman” and voila! There you have it. V.V.V.V .V.V.V.V.V.V.N.S Laxman set a new fashion trend (not to mention a Guinness book record) that day, what happened later is quite understandable!

Yes these are the horrors which my people have to live through. No wonder Indians are more spiritual, we start praying right from the time we are in our mothers’ wombs – “God please don’t let my parents be drunk when they name me!”

So next time you see Shakespeare around, tell him that I’m looking for him!

With all of this in mind, we set about trying to name this blog. It was on the 9th of July that it struck me, the name that is, at 2:50 AM to be exact. Arjun and I were sitting, rather uncomfortably I might add, in the vestibule outside the intensive care ward of the Rohini hospital, watching over our eccentric virtuoso pianist. The chump’s jump from the first floor of the 14th block, advertising the to-let sign plastered on the top floors of his anatomy had put us in this uncomfortable predicament. On a dare with himself, Mr. EEE’s believe-it-or-not had taken the plunge, rendering him unable in the process.

So while he was sleeping peacefully inside, completely oblivious to our existence, we were outside trying not to swear too loud. Sleep deprived and weary, Arjun compacted his, self proclaimed, well built body on to a steel chair in the hope of getting some sleep. I’d given up trying to read a book with a mobile torch light. For lack of anything better to do, I thought about what name the lnd blog could have.

Something like the literary times was too cliché. Yet it had to convey that meaning. And then like all good things in life, the name came to mind with no effort at all. The first six letters of the club’s name – LITERA! It was just amazing - it split up brilliantly as LIT ERA (literary times) and LITE RA (the most popular component of the college lingo).

That’s exactly what this blog intends to be - a blog bringing out the literary side in a totally fun and light manner. Hope you have as much fun reading the blog as we have in bringing it to you. Until next time, cheers and blog on.