My Name is Ganga

My Name is Ganga. 

I didn’t receive my namesake until three days after I was born. While I waited, my paternal grandmother and mother argued at my crib, trying to decipher whether it was appropriate to name me after my deceased grandfather, “Gangadharan,” or not. My name was a rushed decision, one left for the last minute, as my mother expected the birth of a baby boy, rather the contrary. So began the namesake that would serve as confusion to not only the world but to myself as well. 

When people hear my name, they bring to me different perspectives. To some, it’s nothing more than another Indian name. To others, it’s an outdated name; I mainly share my namesake with ladies with grandchildren of their own. In reality, my name holds no significant meaning; it’s simply that was passed onto me from birth, in memory of my paternal roots. 

This is why if you asked me what my name meant, I wouldn’t be able to do much but shrug. If you type my name into Google, the first thing that pops up is “The River That Flows From Heaven To Earth,” a reference to old folklore. Scroll down a little bit more, and you’ll find a geographical map of the actual Ganga River, one that I’ve personally never seen nor visited — nor has any of my family. Keep scrolling down, and you see a Spanish Dictionary translating “Ganga” into the word “bargain” — am I nothing more than merely an item put up for sale now? Get to the very bottom of the page, and you see that “Ganga” is Aussie slang for brash promiscuity. Shall I really follow along with the text and stick true to the meanings defined for me? 

No, I would much rather pave my path on my own and create a proper name for myself, once that isn’t defined by a simple search. My name doesn’t define me, nor where I will get in life. When I see my name, all I can focus on is how round and bubbly each letter is — there isn’t a single letter that doesn’t contain a curve. It is fluid, easy to bend, and easily adjustable, which characterizes me better. Like my name, I am also adaptive to change; if anything, I embrace it. Like my name, I also consider myself to be short and straight to the point if time allows it. Like my name, I sound average and quaint, yet as people get to know me better they realize how difficult it is to find another person with my namesake in the world. 

In the past, I used to be embarrassed about my name; I never corrected my teachers or peers when they got it wrong, nor was I particularly fond of it. It didn’t sit on my tongue correctly; my name always felt like there was something missing. Now, I know that the missing piece of the puzzle is none other than my own confidence; as I’ve grown more accustomed to myself, I also grew to love the unique nature of my name. It was my pride that allowed me to correct others when they mispronounced it, and it’s still something I carry with me to this day.

I am not a river. I am not for sale. I am not a symbol of licentiousness. 

I am simply. 

Ganga.

(Btw I know this isn't a normal article post like usual, these were just a few observations I collected up that I wanted typed out. Thanks for reading :))