What's in a Name?

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    With this being the first 12 AP blog, I think introducing myself and talking about the origins of my name would be a better way to start the school year. 

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    So the name Shambhavi (Shum-ba-vee). Having a unique name already distinguishes me from others. My name usually isn't something that people are able to pronounce correctly the first time. Instead, I'll get a few mispronounced versions of my name before the right pronunciation. 

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    As a child, my appreciation for my name was much lower than it is now. I wasn't used to being the only unique name in between other Toms, Sallys, and Jims. In third grade, I chose to go by SGS which is my initials rather than my full name, which I wasn't able to continue for more than a week because of my teacher. Growing up my parents told me how my name was chosen, but the weight and significance of the name took longer for me to understand. 

    Shambhavi: the name of a Hindu goddess and the feminine version of Shambhu. Whenever I'm asked what my name means, I never have a true answer. "My name is a Hindu goddesses name" but it ends there. I've spent hours looking up the story of the goddess or even what the name means, but still to this day I haven't found anything.

    So what does this mean? 

    I have the ability to chart my own course and give my name its own meaning. It's true that the weight of my name being a goddess's name guided most of my behaviors and was constantly in the back of my mind, but without a definition for my name there's no model for me to follow. 

    My name is strictly me, there won't be another Shambhavi in the world who defines her name the same way as I do, because there is no definition. 


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