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Before I go on, hereās a little disclaimer!
The things I say are solely off my personal experiences living in SG. If you disagree, thatās fine, but donāt invalidate what I went through! :)
Now moving onā¦
Hi! My name is Harpreet! Iām Punjabi and in my language it means āGodās loveā. In my culture, itās a beautiful name, and has greater significance knowing a Gyani (Sikh priest) named me. However, living in Singapore (and Asia really), I find myself hating my name, resonating less with its significance, feeling like itās not part of my identity. Why? Because of the experiences that have shaped me, experiences that I experience until today.
It started when I was in primary schoolā¦ roll calls were my worst nightmare with every new teacherā¦ āhar.. harā¦ what is this? Hapleet? Hapitāā¦ time and time again I went through being the only student in class who had to spend 30 seconds correcting the pronunciation of my nameā¦ whatās so hard? If I can pronounce Asian names, and put in the effort to learn proper pronunciation, why it this level of respect for my name not returned?
Moreover, the horrendous jokes made out of my nameā¦ getting called armpit?! Are you joking? Harpreet = armpit? Put some respect on the name. Those jokes were never funny. āGillā was my surnameā¦ āoh fish gills! Haha!ā..? Haha who? R u dumb? How shallow does one have to be to make fun of someoneās name. Shame. On. You.
I carry this embarrassment with me until now. I tell my profās and friends to call me āHarpā, out of sheer embarrassment of yet again being centre of attention correcting my name. One may say that a shortened version of your name is just a nicknameā¦ but shouldnāt you know the full name before u shorten it?
My Starbucks name is Zoya. Itās 4 letters. Itās easy to spell and hear. I donāt hold up lines spelling out my name letter by letter anymore. I have resonated with this name so much so that I have begged my parents to let me change it legally. What a shame to my cultureā¦
My reservation name is Jasmine. Itās much easier and faster to greet me and sit me at the table instead of staring at my name before looking at me with confusion right?
Until now, at 21, I hold embarrassment saying my name. All the times Iāve mustered up the courage to say it loud and proud have been met with āhuh? Sorry? I donāt know how to pronounce your nameā.
My name is my identity. So is yours. Nobody deserves to be ashamed of their name. The next time you encounter someone with a āuniqueā name, take the time and respect to learn it.
If youāve made it this far, thanks for reading! If youāre offended in any way, refer back to the disclaimer.
Cheers š„