What's in a name?
Apparently a lot. Meet Ukandya Laxman Gondane, popularly known as 'sweeper mama' or simply 'mama'; it took some coercing to get the shy toothless mouth to spell out his name. He was pleased that somebody actually stopped to ask. I believe a person's name is their identity. If you don't like what you were named at birth, go ahead and change it. Identify with what you are called, ideally Live Upto Your Name.
Some have long names and they get shortened; some get called 'munna', monu, sonu, babli, tipki or some such loving "pet name" and it just might stick for life,
Many women not only take on their husband's name after marriage, they adopt a new 'mother tongue', tradition and culture too... basically change their identity. Anyway, more on this another day and another blog.
Back to Ukandya; I wonder if anyone ever called him by this name? Very likely he was called Laxman. And here is why. Some 6 or 7 decades ago (i am guessing mama is not much older than 65), when there was incidence of the first born "Ram", "Krishna" or maybe a "Raja" or "Shivaji" succumbing to infant mortality; the elders in the village decided to fool Yamraj. They named their first born "Ukandya" - which literally translated means 'pile of dirt' (or say worthless) in Marathi. This they believed would dissuade the mighty Yama from taking away their oldest offspring.
Looks like it worked, definitely so in the case of Ukandya Laxman Gondane. Whether its a coincidence or quirk of fate, his profession is cleaning piles of dirt. He does it diligently and always with his toothless grin. And he is very proud of what he does, just call me 'sweeper mama' he says. He can spell his name perfectly and read while I am writing it down too, so I ask "how much have you studied?" M.A.B.F. he replies. I am shocked, did he say MA BA??
He clarifies. This is short form of Matric Appear But Fail.
He wields the broom, he is definitely not the kachrewala,
He cleans up ' Ukandya', he segregates our garbage, he helps recycle. High Five!
Some have long names and they get shortened; some get called 'munna', monu, sonu, babli, tipki or some such loving "pet name" and it just might stick for life,
Many women not only take on their husband's name after marriage, they adopt a new 'mother tongue', tradition and culture too... basically change their identity. Anyway, more on this another day and another blog.
Back to Ukandya; I wonder if anyone ever called him by this name? Very likely he was called Laxman. And here is why. Some 6 or 7 decades ago (i am guessing mama is not much older than 65), when there was incidence of the first born "Ram", "Krishna" or maybe a "Raja" or "Shivaji" succumbing to infant mortality; the elders in the village decided to fool Yamraj. They named their first born "Ukandya" - which literally translated means 'pile of dirt' (or say worthless) in Marathi. This they believed would dissuade the mighty Yama from taking away their oldest offspring.
Looks like it worked, definitely so in the case of Ukandya Laxman Gondane. Whether its a coincidence or quirk of fate, his profession is cleaning piles of dirt. He does it diligently and always with his toothless grin. And he is very proud of what he does, just call me 'sweeper mama' he says. He can spell his name perfectly and read while I am writing it down too, so I ask "how much have you studied?" M.A.B.F. he replies. I am shocked, did he say MA BA??
He clarifies. This is short form of Matric Appear But Fail.
He wields the broom, he is definitely not the kachrewala,
He cleans up ' Ukandya', he segregates our garbage, he helps recycle. High Five!
