Long live numherhology

All parents wish the best for their kids and they do not mind following the words of a numerologist - if they felt it would help their children somewhere, sometime, in some way. Here are some time-pass insights into the numerology-based baby names trending in Chennai. The data is from the Chennai Corporation birth registration portal. The charts below have English letters in their horizontal axis, the vertical bars denote the number of babies that have been named starting with the corresponding letter. Blue charts are for boys; and as I could not find a pink bar readily, we are going to have orange charts for the girl babies. The fun study covers only the babies that were born to Hindu parents; and the babies for whom the names have been finalised. 

January 1, 2015:
159 boys and 152 baby girls were born on the new year day. Out of the names finalised for 110 baby boys born to Hindu parents, 72 names start with the letter 'A'; The second choice is 'L' and the names of 11 baby boys start with the letter. To stretch it a bit, 75% of the parents covered have named their boys starting with the letter 'A' or 'L'. The corresponding figure for girl babies is 73%. Visible hand of numerology. Coming to the names, 'Akhilesh' and 'Ashwanth' are the top picks for the boys; 'Akshaya' and 'Ashmitha' are popular among the girls. 



September 1, 2015: 
Maximum number of parents have decided on 'D' and 'S' as the lucky mascots of the day. Out of the 87 girls, 40 have been named starting with the letter 'S', 'D' comes a distant second with '21' occurrences. Incidentally, numerology is gender-proof. It does not matter if you were blessed with a baby boy or a girl, only what mattered was the baby's birth date. 'Sai..' and 'Sri..' take the top positions among the boys, and 'Sanjana' steals the limelight on the other side.



October 1, 2015: 
Like 01/01/2015, it seems as per the expert advice, 'A' and 'L' are the to-go letters of the date. But here, the frequency of 'L' is more pronounced compared to the first day of the year. 'Ashwanth/Ashwath' is the leader now, replacing 'Akhilesh'. But among the girls, Akshaya' is still at the top, though 'Avanthika' is giving her company now. 'Lakshitha' is the most popular in 'L'. To be noted, the numerologists here generally mention the starting sound/letters in Tamil, and not in English. Say, the expert will say 'Ka' or 'Kr' as pronounced in Tamil, and not necessarily the English letter 'K'. And, apart from the handed out auspicious first letters, there may also be conditions imposed on the overall spelling and phonetics too. At times, such terms turn the joy of naming a baby into a struggle inside a sentimental quagmire; and even a 'Sundar' can turn into 'Sundherr'.



November 1, 2015: 
'K' and 'S' are the hot favourites; Close to two thirds of the babies have been named with these starting letters. Even among the boys, there is a lot of variety in 'S' names. 'Sanjay' tops the list. You will also come across many 'Kavin' and 'Kamlesh'. Among the girls, 'Sadhana' is the show-stopper, while 'Kanishka' is not far behind. 



December 1, 2015: 
Out of the 80 baby boys covered, '30' babies have been named with 'D' as the starting letter. Among the names, "Darshan' wins hands down. Talking of the 68 baby girls, out of the 27 'D' names, 'Diya' tops the list. Perhaps, 2-3 decades earlier it would have been a 'Divya' or 'Deepa'. Every December, we all hear about superstar Rajni fanatics trying to get their babies delivered on December 12 even if there was a slight medical possibility. But surprisingly, among all the names registered in Chennai on 12/12/2015 - there is not one single baby named after the matinee idol. Even 12/12/12 does not have any Rajni.



Today, Chennai city will see another about 280 babies being born. And I will not be surprised if there are many cute and naughty 'Diyas' and 'Darshans' around. 

Baby episode

One more night that will add to the many such nights that leave me wondering in the early mornings.. who was the first one to dose off? The one who tried humming rhymes to make his child sleep, or the one who was waiting to see his father's discordant two-liners on rains and sheep turn into a blabber and very soon give way to a snore with harmony. But moments before that..


Vicky: Appa, tell me sea animals story.


Me: Oh yes! What sea animals?


V: Shark.


Me: Ok.. then..
(It's easier to weave a story if the characters are given.)


V: Big shark..


Me: Okay! Next...
(Oops.. this is going to take a dangerous turn. But I can handle.)


V: Mm.. very big shark.
(With a tone of achievement.)


Me: Good, then..
(God! I'm gone now!)


V: Eh... baby shark.


Me: Wow.. very good... THEN!!
(Don't play with my emotions Vicky. Can't you just say dolphin? Even the boring coral will do.)


V: Amma shark..


Me: ??


V: Appa shark..


And soon, the rhythmic snore.

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