Name Game: Urban Delights

Rhododendron, Chrysanthemums, Iris, Exotica, Hercules, Acropolis, Colosseum. To a generation, which need not read classics to be successful, it is important to decode this list. These are long, complicated words – some are names of flowers while some have roots in Greek and Latin mythology. And many urban residents reside in these words.

Not yet guessed, these are names one sees every Saturday in the property news supplements of leading newspapers. The obsession with something non-Indian is so strong especially in selling ideas to consumers. Every builder to build his reputation resorts to Greek and Latin names. The more complex the word, the more luxurious the apartment.

What is the qualification of a good address – in practical sense, it should be simple enough for a courier boy to relate to, abstract enough for relatives to ogle at you and comfortable enough to reach and reside.

If I was living in a Plato, Socrates or Aristotle, I would have just arrived in life. If, on the other hand, you were reading Plato, Socrates or Aristotle, you would truly have arrived in life – the mental plane we operate from would be a different one.

Socrates himself was in prison and had a difficult life – by our standards of adversity. Best works by best thinkers were always produced in prisons and dungeons. A dungeon for a home is also a welcome change if it espouses the right thoughts in our minds. If the Exotica or Rhododendron you live in offers you the freedom that Plato or Aristotle had, you are in the right address.

Real Estate regulation is Greek and Latin amongst other issues, afflicting both the industry and the consumer. A Colosseum which can collapse like an urban hut with one nail being drilled by your neighbor will not live upto its name.

Well thought out names, reflect the ethos of the society of its times. It instills pride, reminds us of a proud moment in history, or a common fervor / emotional connect. A name can be used to convey these. A name with shallow thought which no one understands but sounds intellectually gratifying is a cheap marketing gimmick. You expect your name to sell for you. Invest in it some thought.

Indian mythology, Indian history and Nature offer enough options. I was always enamoured by government quarters – names of rivers, mountains, Indian flowers. Of course, these have become as distant as Greco-Latin mythology for some of us – (next blog sometime later on laspse of culture & knowledge between generations). Standalone bungalows in old Mumbai called MatruChaaya or Pitruchaaya do not connote luxury. A “Sri Nivas , Maitri Bhavan, ” no longer evokes luxury. But these evoke a different feeling about home and being together.

A good name needs no special approval, no additional cost. Discover your real address by getting the name right and living upto the name! Better still – get real rhododendrons, daffodils, lilies and Chrysanthemums back in your life.