On 09/10/2007, Deepa Mohan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > In Tamil Nadu, at least, in the old days, children who contracted > dread diseases like smallpox or cholera, or who were born after many > other children died, had their names changed to, or christened as, > something unattractive like "picchaiswami" (alms or charity from god) > or "vemban" (one who is bitter like the neem tree) in the hope that > the gods would find the names unattractive enough to spare the > child....Kiran, would the same practice account for some of the names > you have listed?
If I remember right, somebody had made pretty much the same comment on Jace's post. (I did too) Yes, it is true. The names also applied to a child born after a long wait. C -- http://www.flickr.com/photos/ravages http://www.selectiveamnesia.org/ http://chennai.metblogs.com +91-9884467463
