In our generation, a very large number of bright students left the Indian subcontinent and went to America. You see, the opportunities in India were very limited. We went with scholarships or job offers and with very little money. I went with $33 dollars and a scholarship from a top school in USA. Yes I am very grateful for this opportunity! Last year I retired with a nice nest egg of , well, more than $33.
During this wonderful journey my name was one of the problems. I know, in a noisy bar, I never tried to pick up women announcing my weird first name and long last name – I knew it will not work! But I have many sad stories about people outside noisy bars freaking out over my name, including generations of my students brutally butchering my name. After ten years of service to the University where I taught, they sent me a plaque of recognition as a token, routinely sent to all employees. My name was spelled as “Gautamman Bhaptazhachattzzaj” or something like that. Worse yet, when I called HR to complain, the lady asked me “how do you spell your name?” At that point I got a little insulted and told her to read the staff directory on her table , which had my name during the last ten years!!
One of my colleagues whose last name was “Wu” (two letters) had professional correspondence published in his name in a top Scholarly Journal from a National Institution as “Wun” – now where the hell did the letter “n” come from?
But Senator, this comment is about our children, who are in their thirties and forties now.
I remember a potential Supreme Court Judge, the head of a major government regulatory agency, and a number of top executives in Wall street and Fortune Five hundred companies that I played with when they were little boys and girls or heard about them from their proud parents when they were little.
Many of them have weird first names and last names. But they are not going anywhere, Senator!
We raised them , America raised them, now let these boys and girls contribute to your great country. They were bullied in grade school, but they are powerful and rich people in your country already!
This is from all the Raghuratanams, Bhattacharyas, Kumaramangalswamys and Shammnugans among you. Please get used to our children.
It is about time!
#myname