What's in a Newa Name
by Raju Kaji Tamrakar
What's in a Newa Name
by Raju Kaji Tamrakar
Giving a name to a child is one universal social act that possibly pre-dates many other social rituals known to humankind. This one is uniquely significant not only for the moment but also for the individual in the act. A child, now, and for the rest of his or her life will be known by this textual identifier - name. A Name is a very critical aspect of child's identity whether the identity is trivialized to an opaque address or one encompassing physical, psychological, spiritual, and metaphysical, transparence.
We, Newa, most certainly do not lack in time and resources spent in the child's name giving rite. The naming of the child is a major significant event under Newa culture, both Buddhists and Hindu Newa alike. From the birthday of the child till the naming of the child, numerous childbirth rites are performed namely, Macha-Bu-Gu-Ka-Wanegu, Dachhina-Chha-ye-gu, Macha-Bu-Swa-Wanegu, Macha-Bu-Benke-Gu, Pi-Yu-Cha-Nhyakegu, and Macha-Junko. Macha-Junko is one purification rite marked by the rice feeding of the child and the naming of the child.
As a Newa, I enjoy and take pride in our culture and it^�s continuance to this day and age. There is no doubt that we are very scrupulous about our rites including the naming of the child rite. Whether it is the religious aspect, the astrological aspect, or the feasting aspect of the rite; we meticulously spend our time and resources with great thought and preparations. We know it all and do it all very well in aspects, which are beyond the boundary of rational objectivity, more in the domain of mythology and cultural conscience.
While we celebrate all aspects of this rite as one function, it is of extreme shock to me that we pay very little attention to the rational aspect of the rite - picking a name, a Newa name, for the child. There is no doubt about the fact that parents choose their child's name to their liking and taste. It is also equally inarguable to say that liking and taste can also go beyond the simple task of just picking any name. Parents, these days, seem to subscribe to this, other world, if not incomprehensible notion that a child's name has to be catchy, trendy, and definitely not a Newa one. We, Newa seem to have a cultural conscientious break down or melt down of some sort when it comes to picking a child's name.
In so far as religious names are concerned we have no alternative but to yield to the Sanskrit et al languages, namely Sanskrit, Hindi, Nepali. The fact being, Hinduism and Buddhism, both religions have been propagated into our culture mainly in these languages. We followed our ancestors' footstep in the name of respect and tradition with very little scrutiny or in some cases none at all.
There is no instant harm or consequence in picking a child's name in any other languages. And it would be foolish to suggest choosing a Newa name would be any major undertaking for any would be crusaders of Newa culture. So the ultimate question is - what is wrong with a Newa name? Or what is right in using non-Newa name? The catchy and trendy Newa people are quiet content with their taste and liking on the surface at least. Here are some of the names given to my Newa relatives and friends' children, during the period of last couple of years:
What do these names speak of us? Is it that Newa people need to wake up soon or else we are doomed, picture? Or does it speak of us as very creative, trendy people who can outsmart any culture when it comes to naming children. Has any one seen a Japanese trend in naming their children in Chinese or French people going crazy over English names? The above mentioned names simply suggest that we have not gotten over with the Sanskrit et al dominion in our culture. A name is not merely and individual identifier but also a carrier of his or her culture's identity, to which the individual belongs. How can a Newa be distinguished from others, if we keep naming our children in such fashion?
What does it take to name a child in Newa language? The prevailing practice in naming a child would not surmise to a morbid prognosis of our culture but we should take it as a sign of a culture in decay. If we cannot express culturally ourselves in a mundane, symbolic way, how can we prepare ourselves for the discerning ones? My wife and I, as parent of a newborn child, had to go through this quagmire of picking and naming our child just recently. From our experience, the outlining reasons behind not naming a child in Newa language seem to stem from these three situations:
All of our conscience hit home when we have to face these situations. The act of picking a name, Newa name, for our child became our months longs crusade. My own name is not a Newa name so that immediately put me on the high horse and the race gears. Then, what do you do? Wait till you find a tasteful Newa name or get some help from the current trend. Enduring the pain of the continuance of the status quo became unbearable for us, so we took some actions. We compiled a list of names from Newa magazines, books, Internet sites, library of congress old collections, and of course suggestions from our friends and relatives. To our surprise the compiled list was quiet long. Our only problem was to pick the one we really liked, not finding one. We finally picked a name, loved it, and gave it to our child. The joy and contentment of naming our child in Newa were very heartfelt ones. The temptations of the trend, fashion; the lack of help, and the reigning of the status quo was much too powerful in enticing us to a different direction and conclusion. Newa as a culture cannot afford to subjugate itself in any trend or fashion of the day in a dignifying act such as naming a child. Let us not forget that a trend or fashion is not culture neutral, it is either our culture or somebody else. We would be much better off by initiating a cultural trend and fashion of our own, not only in naming a child but on many other rites and act we practice today.
