Not Much Of A Story: Part Two
Whenever we hear Part two, the first thing that comes to our mind is nothing else but Part one. Don't worry, guys. It's short and here is the link to it:
https://theprose.com/post/381834/not-much-of-a-story
So, I live in Thodupuzha, a small town in Kerala, which is in turn, popularly known as God's Own Country. But, there is something wrong with this usage. Not because it's not a place where God can reside in or, it's not beautiful enough and all. It's because of a simple reason. Kerala is not a country.
Kerala is a state, lying at the very bottom of India, a country known for its cultural diversities. So, about Kerala; Kerala is one of those states filled with lush greenery, hills, waterfalls, rivers, rain and almost all of the marvellous creations of nature; if we are to avoid volcanoes, deserts, thick snow, the lack of seasons and many many more. But, it still works out as a fantastic, welcoming tourist hotspot.
Brain: "A bit off the topic, don't you think?"
Am I? Alright. So, when I wrote the previous post, I accidentally revealed an uninteresting chapter in history. But somehow, a few people out there found it quite interesting. Interest can vary in people. It's all about the circumstances everyone passes through in their lives. Preferences are therefore varied, from person to person. Life can be complicated. Everyday...
Brain: "Ahem."
Alright. So, let's come back to the topic. So, talking about the uninteresting chapter in history, that is the origin of my name. As it's evident from the username, my name is Chacko Stephen (without the underscore). Chacko is said to be derived from the name Jacob, says Google, and Google is an honourable organisation.
Jacob is, in turn, one of Jesus' twelve apostles. And Google says that Jacob was further derived from James. And Google is an honourable organisation. So, Chacko is derived from Jacob, and Jacob is derived from James. Is James derived from something? I don't know, maybe. Jacob, in association with Jesus, has...
Brain: "Concentrate, you idiot."
Yeah, yeah, I am there. So, I hope everyone knows what Jacob did with Jesus and all. I don't. I would have to check Gooogle for that. Did I spell that wrong? Actually, I didn't. Google bought the domain, gooogle.com, gogle.com, googlr.com and who knows, maybe even more. Misspell Google in ways you can in the search bar, you will be surprised half the time. Google himself jumps out. Herself? Maybe herself. Let Google decide it for itself, right?
Brain: "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
I am sorry. I just can't stop myself. Alright, I can do it this time. So, to the local origin of the name. That is, how 'I' got the name. So, my house name is 'Cheriyil'. And Cheriyil, as far as I am concerned, means 'in the slum'. I cannot understand why anyone would name their house like that. I mean, in the slum, seriously? That does not sound so proud to me.
My father says it has other meanings. Maybe it has. It should have. Come on, no one could do that to their own house. So, in this Cheriyil (pronounced Chae-re-ill) family, from a point somewhere near the beginning, every male child was named Chacko. And Chacko, when properly divided as Chack-O literally means 'Is that a sack?', in a confusing note. The naming sense of my ancestors seems to be very poor, as a whole.
Well, I have another doubt too, which I have not yet clarified. If every male member in a family was Chacko, how could someone distinguish them with calls? Someone would just call Chacko, and everyone in a house comes out. Let's just not think about it. It sounds confusing.
But, I have a slight idea, because there was a time when I used to call both my elder sisters 'Mariya'. I just could not pronounce 'Meera', the name of my second elder sister. As time went on, I did achieve some improvement. I called them Mariya I and Mariya II, considering their ages respectively. Looking back at my history now, it starts making more sense. It might have to do with numbering.
But, when my great grandfather's turn was up, he decided to make a revolutionary change. He named his son Joseph. Breaking all the conventions, he always sounded like an innovative, modern man to me, though I never had the chance to meet him.
But that's alright. I could not meet my grandfather as well, he also was a bit busy. He left five years before I could even exist. Maybe, he ran away from this world in terror, knowing I am en route. But that's alright too. Some reliable accounts stated that he used to hurt my grandmother, for not much reason. Definitely not innovative or modern he was. So I am kind of happy I never met him.
But, he kept his modern sense when he named his son. He too, like his father continued to break the conventions in naming. Stephen, he entitled his youngest child, and not even one among the seven was a Chacko. And of course, the other six are no longer our priority.
Let's consider the history after Stephen's birth now. Not exactly from the time of his childhood, we will deal with a chapter, which occurred much later in history. That is, the time just before I was born.
So, Stephen, my father, was gifted with two girl children. Then, after five years, a boy was born. That would be me. As it happens everywhere, the name of the child became a trending topic for holding a debate on. And as the discussions went on, with all its energy and excitement, my father was resolved in continuing family conventions; He was desperate to name me Chacko.
Even though many other suggestions like Melvin, Mebin, M..., absolutely anything with M continued to rise, my father was being so arrogant. (The M thing was something to give all the children, a name starting with M.) And, what to say, arrogance won. All other labels failed to entitle me. The world would know me as Chacko.
It was quite humiliating to hold a name, which died back in the 1950s. My peers thought, let me be more correct, believed I should have been born a century before with this name. And who knows, maybe I would have been trending if I did.
But, as time went on, me, as well as my peers, found the humiliation quite dry. Not only this one, but I also had an added bonus for my birthday, it was the first of April. But, as we all grew up, it all went undermined. Everyone seemed to lack interest.
But, I have to tell you, even though these were not things to be proud of, it helped me gain such recognition. It also helped me learn how to be so shameless even when a lot of people are 'trying' to tease you. I could simply laugh at those, from such a young age. It helped me a lot in life. So, I feel maybe this was, after all, not that bad.
Now, I live as Chacko Stephen, a 17-year-old, born on the first of April, outliving all sorts of humiliation with an even more humiliating laugh. And I am so happy with my life.