What is your name? (if available, include variation in native language.)

Jayakumar Sandhya Pillai

 

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Do you know the meaning of your name? (Especially their cultural links?) Do you think it has any relationship with your cultural identity

My name means 'the evening' in Malayalam which I thought was pretty lame at first and I didn't like it when I was younger especially since my sister's name means 'divine light' which was so much cooler to me. But then I learnt that actually Sandhya not only refers to the period after the sun sets, it refers to 3 time periods during the day, particularly the one at night, when Hindus are meant to pray. So it actually is a special time and I personally love it when the sun sets. I find it peaceful and thats when I get the most creative so I guess, the way I began viewing my name did shape and my identity. I now love my name and love the meaning behind it. Also my nickname is San which sound like Sun, which is quite ironic. I like this unexpected duality.

 

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What kind of experiences or issues have you encountered with other people (especially with people of a different cultures or nationalities in Singapore) regarding your name(s)? Or are there any of your personal experiences/stories with your name?

Yeah, no one can pronounce it but in actual fact it really isn't that hard. I can pronouce chinese names pretty well because I put effort into it. I feel like a lot of people view Indians to be comical and we allow it to happen and my grandma or relative actually told me once like why are you shortening your beautiful name for them? (Sandhya to San) Then I realised , i mean now I like San its become my trademark, but it started because I was just giving people an easy way out. If I really wanted I could have insisted that people at least try to pronounce it or at least care enough to ask but they dont.

 

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What is something about your name (especially related to your cultural identity) do you wish you could let them know?

It is beautiful and unique and important to me.

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What do you know about the names from the cultures in Singapore (your own and others, which you might have heard from your friends)

I do know a bit like I do know that the way it looks may not be the way it is to be pronounced but I am always open to getting educated about it.

 

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Curious questions or insights/thoughts you might have about your own or other cultures in Singapore or new immigrants (can be about names in particular or not)

I would actually like to know more about Bin/Binte because if I am not wrong, it's a gender specific term and that's quite interesting to me.