When I look around, all our friends call their boyfriend or husband/girlfriend or wife a special name. Kutta, vava, ammu, kuttipa,bujji etc. etc. Some funny, some cute, some weird. And what do I call him??
“Pappu” that’s what I call him. (Yeah yeah.. I know how stupid it is with all those 'Pappu pass ho gaya and Pappu can’t dance') but what to do. I don’t know why and how, I ended up calling him Pappu. And I feel so much love when I call him that. That special name exudes my love, respect and concern perfectly. He used to hate it so much, I swear. He never liked it. That reminded him of a Malayalam comedian of same name--Kuthiravattom Pappu :D. And he thought I am making fun of him. But I couldn’t change it. I kept on calling and now, he loves it as much as I do. What's more fun, he has been the subject of mockery in his friends' circle when they hear me call him 'pappu' :D
Depending upon the intensity of my love, even Pappu gets modified.
Puppy — Coochie-cooing version (he hates it to the core)
Pops — Cool version
Poppy, pippy — Attention-seeking version
I know, I know it is so cheesy. But am so girlish at times. Love is always a li'l cheesy, isn't it? to be frank, I have no idea whats running in his mind when I call all these senseless name. But trust me, it makes sense to me. I feel like pampering and being pampered when I call him that.
And what does he calls me? Now that’s a mystery. He does have a pet name for me... But that is reserved and is used only when he feels so much love towards me (Unlike me who calls him all this pet names a million times in an hour). And when he calls me that, it sounds so romantic, sweet, loved and what not. But that is like once in a blue moon, and then it feels so special. So I decided to give a punch to my love and call him pappu very rarely. But me being me, ended up calling him ‘pappu’ all the time instead. I mean, beginning and ending the sentence with that.
Now this makes me wonder. Is this a modern phenomenon? Because my dad never calls my mom any pet name, neither does she. He doesn’t even call her by name. It’s a longggg ‘Dai’ not ‘Diiiiii’. I guess that conveys his love for her. And like any other typical malayalee wife, she calls him 'chettaa' with complete respect. Never seen my uncles or aunties calling each other pet names even. I have noticed that almost all our friends do have pet names for their spouses. But not everyone.There are many who are ok with the real names.
This brings me back to square one, whats there in a name? Is it with this generation of 'am-your-best-friend' relationships? What difference does it make in our relation? Does it shows the intensity of love? Or is it some kind of privilege? Does it change the person's identity at a personal level? Will I stop calling him 'pappu' when we grow old? I really don't know.
All I know is this: You maybe Mr. JD, Project Manager at office, but for me you are 'Pappu'.
P.S. I finished typing this and screamed " Pappuuu, come and read my latest post" :)
- Jane Doe
