Suddenly my name is not that unpronounceable anymore!! However, not everyone spells their name like famous people choose to. Anywhere I go I get called Rihanna. There was me with my difficult name, even when there was no pop star strutting her stuff by a similar name.
All throughout since school days I have taken the effort to tell people that it’s ‘Re’ not ‘Ri’. I hate being called Rihana. That’s not me. Infact the ‘e’ in my name is almost pronounced like an ‘a’. And please do take the time to pronounce the ‘h’; it’s in there for a bloody good reason. No, not numerology folks, it’s to make the right kind of sound when you intend to get my attention. You ain’t getting it otherwise.
Now this new twinkie with some exotic twist to her name is making life difficult for me. Just when I thought that this place is beginning to feel more comfortable.
I remember overhearing conversations a few years ago in local trains in Bombay about call centre employees working on behalf of some American or European companies facing flak from their customers for not being able to pronounce their name the way they would like it to sound. Why do you then not apologise for making a sound I don’t relate to?
Today, it’s not only the jobs in western countries that are at stake of being taken over; it’s also their popular culture that stands on the brink of being sidelined. Its plain mathematics, there will be more Asian youth than Caucasians in the next few generations. Not too long from now, Rehana will be the more easily pronounceable name than Louise or Christine. If you want my grand children to get Louise right, then take the effort to pronounce my ‘h’ and bother to notice that I use an ‘e’ not ’i’.
All throughout since school days I have taken the effort to tell people that it’s ‘Re’ not ‘Ri’. I hate being called Rihana. That’s not me. Infact the ‘e’ in my name is almost pronounced like an ‘a’. And please do take the time to pronounce the ‘h’; it’s in there for a bloody good reason. No, not numerology folks, it’s to make the right kind of sound when you intend to get my attention. You ain’t getting it otherwise.
Now this new twinkie with some exotic twist to her name is making life difficult for me. Just when I thought that this place is beginning to feel more comfortable.
I remember overhearing conversations a few years ago in local trains in Bombay about call centre employees working on behalf of some American or European companies facing flak from their customers for not being able to pronounce their name the way they would like it to sound. Why do you then not apologise for making a sound I don’t relate to?
Today, it’s not only the jobs in western countries that are at stake of being taken over; it’s also their popular culture that stands on the brink of being sidelined. Its plain mathematics, there will be more Asian youth than Caucasians in the next few generations. Not too long from now, Rehana will be the more easily pronounceable name than Louise or Christine. If you want my grand children to get Louise right, then take the effort to pronounce my ‘h’ and bother to notice that I use an ‘e’ not ’i’.
1 comment:
great blog! i happened upon it and saw that you are a hop, skip, and a jump away in lancashire.
and i also have a name that is so simple, yet mispronounced constantly. but the call centre employee in india got it right on! and it's not an indian name...
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