पुकारो मुझे नाम लेकर पुकारो...

So many names, each with a tale to tell, and so many memories with every name...

Family and links called me Manu, the first ever name. School-name was Siddharth, which, later on, changed to Siddhartha. At IIMA, the FPM batch called me Professor and the dorm-name was Narad, with a weird reasoning behind.

Friends called me Siddhu, when the cricketer was at his career's height; and they called me Sid, when Dil Chata Hai became a hit. Although I was writing as Sid for more than two years then and Kanhaiya Lal Nandan had already published an article 'Sid Maane Siddhartha' by then, the abbreviated name is now single-handedly attributed to the movie only.

Some friends named me Buddha (as in old man) and one even called me Buddha (as in Gautam Buddha). And there are a few, which were very person-specific, Like - Siddha, Sadoo, Chhotu, and a few more... I was even a Fariyal (Angel) once.

There are some embarrassing ones too, which was the precise purpose of using such names; like - Seenkia (Straw-like) and Mrignayani. And there are a few, which I never came to know; for example - if my students at ICC had given me a name, what foes called me, and of course, what my friends call me in my absence.

Many of these names would be lost in the tides of time and many more will come as moments go by. Somehow, I love all these names for they have become a part of my being...

So what would you call me today?!