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| Sunday, 30 May 2004 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Nicknames.... who hasn't one? Fattso, Specko, Shorty, Gemma, Cocooo, Gheco, Coconut, 'Ospital, Miss Muffet... the list is endless. They come from varied fields - shapes and sizes, popular characters from folklore, fiction and myth, animal and plant kingdoms. But, what is the indispensable character which propels these names to be placed in one category? Nicknames..... It is next to impossible to find one who did not have a nickname during his or her childhood. While some nicknames die a natural death with age, some endearments or caricatures of particular characteristics are carried to the grave. Here, Godwin Witane, an old Richmondite shares his experience with nicknames. Recently when I wanted to join the 'Over 50 Club' of the old Richmondites, I received an application form to be filled and sent to the Secretary. One question that confronted me was "What was your nickname at school?" It goes without saying that a nick name follows you like your shadow starting from school days onto the life thereafter. It remains a pipe dream to escape unscathed from school without a nickname or for one branded in adult life. I had in an earlier article of mine, mentioned about how Carolis Bass was inflicted with the nick name 'Kodhuwa' under unforeseen circumstances.
Instead of calling a spade a spade, sometimes people used nick names to describe certain persons with added ridicule. Although such words render a more vivid picture of the character of that person, it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth, unwelcome to the mind often with loathsome implications and association. In expressing one's impression of the character, behaviour, appearance, or expertise of a person, one usually uses the names of animals, birds, fish, vegetables, fruits etc. Without calling a person fat, ugly, tall, cunning, wicked, liberal, lavish, a rouge, a foolhardy person, dark complexioned etc, they use other names in the vernacular adding more forceful meaning. When describing a fat or obese person of burly proportions, you brand him as an Aliya, Thalamah, Bathalaya or Kos Gediya. A fool hardy person is dubbed Aspaya, Buruwa, Gona, or Meeharaka. An ugly person is termed a monkey or wandura, Rilawa, orang-utan, loris or Una hapuluwa. A lascivious man is always called a kukula. A hawk is a man who plunders, a dark complexioned person is called a Kakka A man who shirks, slips or eschew responsibilities is named as an eel or aanda as it is slippery fish. A jackal or Nariya is reckoned as a cunning animal but when you stamp a man with the name Nariya or Hiwala, he is considered an unscrupulous man. A man is called a shark or Mora because the shark is a mammal that grabs anything and every thing that floats in the sea. So is the man who grabs and takes the fullest advantage of an opportunity given him to gain the maximum. Such a person is called a Mora, in consonance with his character. King Vessanthara had been a King of India who donated and gave to charity, all his wealth according to Buddhist scripture. Therefore, people who give liberally and lavishly are termed Vessantaras. However, most often, this is uttered having a different meaning in mind, mostly vilifying the act. When you call a person a baby or baba it is said most sarcastically as thoththa, baba. A traitor is called Ehelepola in keeping with Kandyan history. Sometimes a prostitute is called a bus for a bus carries people and passengers. In politics, once I could remember, a candidate was castigated as Puttalam Booruwa while an opponent was described as Dahaiyya Bonikka, both appropriate synonyms according to the belief of the name giver. Bassa or Bakamuna is given to a morose and silent person. When someone cannot tolerate a person's speech because its vulgarities, he is reprimanded and asked to shut his, Wakkada or Bokkuwa, meaning mouth. A fat woman is called a buggy or bakkiya in her absence. During my school days in the early thirties, at Richmond College most of the teachers and even the boys had nicknames. Our Principal, Mr. Sneath was called Piththa or Polpiththa because his suits were stitched by his wife who left a broad hem at the centre of the back of the coat. This must have prompted the boys to call him by that name. The Vice Principal E.R. de Silva, who later became the first Sinhalese Principal of Richmond, was also called Alawanguwa because he walked straight, sat straight and was straight in all his dealings. The teacher who taught Rural Science. Mr. Bandara was nicknamed Patholaya as he was tall and also dealt with the subject of growing vegetables. My classmate Amarasekera was known as botalaya for he was small made and had the shape of a bottle. Even our class master addressed him as bottle in endearing terms. While I was in the second standard at CMS school, Patuwata, Dodanduwa, my vernacular teacher known as Panditha Iscole Mahatmaya wore cloth and a coat and donned a Konde and Panawa. He was termed Tokka because he was in the habit of giving knocks on the heads of children. |
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Once when Carolis Bass was giving evidence at the Police Courts, Galle,
the Magistrate asked him "Besides the Check Roll, what else had you
in your pocket?" He answered, 'Hamuduruwane, I had my Kodhuwa in my
pocket meaning his measuring rod. Thereafter he was branded as Kodhuwa and
people speaking of him always mentioned him by that name.
