What's in a Name ? Effective suggestions to find a Good Baby Name

The following article appeared in the Sunday Review of Times of India on Sunday, October 18th. It is written by Ms.Shabnam Minwalla.

In the old, most parents took the easy way out. The moment their bundle of joy was placed in their arms, they dipped rather randomly into the pool of acceptable names and came up with Rajesh or Geeta, Sanjay or Archana. Today, however, parents spend months mulling over possible names. They draw up shortlists, conduct spot polls and consult innumerable tomes. Not surprisingly, then, dozens of sites on the Internet are devoted to this all-consuming issue. The ‘Name Popularity Finder’, ‘Ancient and beautiful baby bible' names-both bizarre and conventional seem to attract enormous traffic. Unfortunately, most of these sites are America centric. But pop in and take a look. May be you could provide the Indian Element. Here, from the Internet, are some helpful hints for naming baby:
* The name should have positive connotations for you.
* The first name should complement the last.
* The initials should not spell anything undesirable.
* Check the pronunciation and spelling of the baby’s name. If you use an unusual pronunciation, your child will have to constantly correct people.
* You could honor a family member or literary character with the name. In order to this you could check with your parents and grandparents and collect as many family names as possible.
* You could combine names of the mum and dad to come up with a unique name and unusual name. The middle name provides a unique opportunity to honor a family member.
* Be conscious of possible nicknames and variations that can emerge from the name.
By Shabnam Minwalla