Naming Games

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Alice could only look puzzled: she was thinking of the pudding.

'You are sad,' the Knight said in an anxious tone: 'let me sing you a

song to comfort you.'

'Is it very long?' Alice asked, for she had heard a good deal of poetry

that day.

'It's long,' said the Knight, 'but very, VERY beautiful. Everybody that

hears me sing it--either it brings the TEARS into their eyes, or else--'

'Or else what?' said Alice, for the Knight had made a sudden pause.

'Or else it doesn't, you know. The name of the song is called "HADDOCKS'

EYES."'

'Oh, that's the name of the song, is it?' Alice said, trying to feel

interested.

'No, you don't understand,' the Knight said, looking a little vexed.

'That's what the name is CALLED. The name really IS "THE AGED AGED

MAN."'

'Then I ought to have said "That's what the SONG is called"?' Alice

corrected herself.

'No, you oughtn't: that's quite another thing! The SONG is called "WAYS

AND MEANS": but that's only what it's CALLED, you know!'

'Well, what IS the song, then?' said Alice, who was by this time

completely bewildered.

'I was coming to that,' the Knight said. 'The song really IS "A-SITTING

ON A GATE": and the tune's my own invention.'

 ...Alice Through the Looking Glass.

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Names fascinate me. And I wrote several blogs on the topic. How and why we name people, places and things as we do is an intriguing subject.

Here is a news item that tickled me pink:

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Adolf Hitler is running for election in India. So is Frankenstein.

The tiny north-east Indian state of Meghalaya has a fascination with interesting, and controversial, names and the ballot for state elections on Saturday provides proof.

Among the 345 contestants running for state assembly are Frankenstein Momin, Billykid Sangma, Field Marshal Mawphniang, and Romeo Rani. Some, such as Kenedy Marak, Kennedy Cornelius Khyriem and Jhim Carter Sangma, are clearly hoping for the electoral success of their namesake US presidents.

Then there is Hitler.

This 54-year-old father of three has won three elections to the state assembly with little controversy despite his name.

His father had worked with the British army, but apparently developed enough of a fascination with Britain's arch-enemy to name his son Adolf Hitler – though he also gave him the middle name Lu...

 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/22/adolf-hitler-frankenstein-india-elections

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Last night all of us went to the fabulous greenfield airport here in Hyderabad ('hairport', according to Ishani).

And we discovered a tiny new coffee outlet just outside the arrival lounge. It is in a nook without any pretensions of chairs, tables and ambiance. Just take your cup of coffee and drink it standing if you can, or as we did, squatting on the floor. The coffee was too good for its price...just Rs 20...at the hairport! My son and D-i-L had two swell cups one after the other and little Ishani had a cup of Badam Milk. I was through after a cup of steaming RKN's stuff.

The outlet has the curious name:

"Hatti Kaapi"

The Kaapi part was evidently a fun take on the South-Indian pronunciation of coffee. The choice of Hatti was not obvious. When my son asked me its meaning I ventured that it could be in the same funny vein a Southee version of Hot. 

It was a long shot.

So I Googled for it today and discovered that Hatti Kaapi is a chain started just three years back in Bangalore for the benefit of the mid-income group of connoisseurs. The beans are sourced from the famed Chikmagalur coffee plantations. And the brew follows the age-old austere recipe. From an investment of Rs 1 lakh by its founder Mahendar, the chain has now grown to over 30 and more outlets with a turnover of Rs 7 crores.

But I couldn't get what is Hatti about it. Googling for 'hatti' in Kannada I could only find that hatti means patti in Telugu (cotton).

But I can't figure out what cotton has to do with coffee. So I stick with my 'hot' etymo.

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Three years ago when she was a few months old I asked Aniket the name of his cute daughter. And he said they call her Beany.

I asked him why.

And he said:

"She was thin and long like a string bean when she was born and so our doctor called her Beany" 

QED


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