Names, nicknames.

Mon June 14, 2021. 

"Kocik benamo, bosa begola" was the saying in Negeri dialect meaning  you have a name when small, a title when big. Actually this was in the wedding ceremony of yesteryears. I didn't miss it in 1971. After the "nikah" the "Buapak Selonggang" Bukit Temensu gave me the title "Gindo Rajo" or  something, I forget, because nobody used it. Unlike my late uncle, Jamaluddin Hassan. Even his late mother-in-law, wan (grandma) Sa'elah, called him "Sutan", the title he got when he married his wife, Mak Cik Lijah of Kubang Ruso. It was Sutan Mudo or something, I forget. Or my late father, called "Bang Naro". "Senaro Rajo" was his title when he married mom. My aunties and uncles on my mom's side all called him that, so the title stuck. On dad's side he was called different - "Acek". Then there was "To' Ungkai", "To' Niko", "To' Maharajo", "To' Kando" and even (according to To' Molod and therefore questionable) the "Apit Lempeng" they gave to Zainal Taib. 

All these should be differentiated from nicknames, of course. Nothing to do with "adat" here, but probably just as  anecdotal. Like Jimmy "Bok". Jimmy (already  an Anglecised "Norazmi")  used to play golf with us at Kelab Golf Seri Menanti, notorious for its muddy patches and ponds and deep ravines. Not being proficient, most of his shots would end up in these hazards, "bok !" they sounded. The late Hasnul promptly stuck it to him - "Bok !" Like "Shaari Mak Ayo". Shaari Aziz's mother, in Kampong Parit Seberang, referrred to herself when in conversation as "ayo" - "saya". Like "Po'at Calit". Po'at was frying something, and hot oil splashed on his forehead, leaving a mark ("calit"). Dark-complexioned Jimmy "Koling" was obviously racist. And the erstwhile To' Molod we simply refer to by initials - "PB".  It stands for "putting bungko". And there are many more.

Malay names have gone through changes over the last 100 years. Starting from native names like "Sojuk", "Burok", and "Murai", to Arabic names, often misspelt and always mispronounced, like "Rajmah", "Khairunnissa", "Ummi Kalthum" and "Kursiah", to good-sounding ones (to the parents), with little concern for any unintended meaning, or meaninglessness, like "Azizul", "Bazura", "Kuswadinata" and even "Hang Jebat" which should carry negative connotations. Now parents are more careful. The meanings are usually sought, nice pronounciations attempted, complete with the spelling  contriving originality ("Siddique", "Farooqe").  Throughout,  famous names attract adoption. Film stars, popular singers, world leaders and heros offer a large list to choose from.  That's why we have "Najib" (the army general who led the ousting of Egyptian monarchy), "Za'aba", "P. Ramli" and "R. Azmi", complete with the "P" and "R", meaningless in the copies. But the achievements of the namesake never follow, if you follow me.

With the advancement of the industrial revolution and the development of its science and technology, conquering the world, the West is still confused about Muslim names. In immigration forms they ask for "Christian" names, which I understood in my first flight to UK in 1974, which my No.2 Son didn't ,when he flew to Sydney in 1999, and wrote "I'm not Christian". They say we use one name only, no surname. That's why they had "Sirhan Sirhan" and the other repetitive names they gave, not the parents gave. "John Smith" is also a one-name name - "John". The "bin" is also confusing to them. Sometimes the subject involved, for whatever reason, doesn't help to solve the simple misunderstanding. That's why my cousin stayed for 3 years studying in Germany and was called "Bin" because of his long name of Hazarul Ariffin bin Jamaluddin.

Well, blame ourselves if we give our offsprings one name on records and another in actual use. My first-born, Azat, we call "Banjat". No. 2 is registered as Asraf. We call him "Adik". No. 3, Zulhilmi, goes by "Memi" but the siblings call him "Jujai". Amalina, the last girl, is of course "Dekna" - even at her workplace.

That's it for now. From me, named in Arabic "the beautiful decoration". My siblings call me "Canai", that famous breakfast. 

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