In The Name of Success
Would you change your name for a brighter future?
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”
— William Shakespeare
I often wonder about the significance of names.
Would my life be different if I was given the name Archana instead of Anuradha?
If I was Maya or Lavanya, would my life be a walk on a bed of rose petals, soft for the feet, sweetly scented and a pleasure to walk on?
I have always had a hate-love relationship with my name.
As a child growing up in the 80’s in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, my Indian origin name was quite often butchered.
I was called many names, such as Anudara (dara meaning virgin in Malay), Anuroda (roda meaning wheel), Anugerah (which means award — okay, this one I do like) and Arunada (which is a mixed up version of my name with no meaning).
So naturally, as I grew up, I preferred to tell the world that my name was Anu. Three words, two syllables — Ah-nu. Being Anu, and sharing it with thousands of others on Planet Earth, mostly from India or those of Indian descent, felt natural and comfortable.
I would like to believe that I was named after Anum, the Sumerian Sky God or Anubis, the jackel headed Egyptian deity. But let’s face it, with both my parents being Indian, this is rather unlikely.
Closer to reality, it is possible that my parents thought their daughter should be called an Atom, which is what Anu means in the ancient language of Sanskrit. Since both my parents came from a Science background, this may be plausible.
The truth however, is far simpler. They just liked the name Anuradha. I am sure that they had no clue that the name they chose for me would be a disadvantage to me, based on numerology.
A numerologist I met once said to me, “You have too many 7’s in your name, that is why so many things are delayed for you, including your marriage.” (Note: This was almost 15 years ago, and I am still not married, so this delay must be pretty long).
Apparently, it wouldn’t work if I decided to call myself Anu or Anuradha either, as both names have totals that have challenging lives. He suggested that I could change the way I called myself to Anur, which would be better off for me.
As tempting as it was to see if my life would change just by changing my name, I couldn’t. Adding an ‘r’ to my name felt like it was adding a whole new word to my name, so alien and not me. How could I not be Anu anymore? It felt too weird.
Fast forward to 2024, I happened to come across the book Successful Life Modern Numerology by Dr. R.I. Dhuraimurugar, and had a chance to find out for myself. The name Anu has a numerlogical total of 12 and according to the author, anyone whose name totals 12 has this in store for them:
People having these names in this number will be public workers but they cannot shine in their personal life. It is because the Sun and the Moon cannot shine at the same time. They have good power of oratory. They fight for the welfare of others.
Besides the fact that I don’t think I have excellent oratory skills; the rest resonates with me.
But when I checked the numbers of my full name, the results really got me thinking that there must be something real about numerology. It said:
If one’s name is formed in this number, the early life will be full of terrible struggles.
They are peaceful and full of grace. They have the people’s support also. Yet they struggle hard to lead their life. They wish to become great leaders. They get international recognition. They lead a life based on justice, honesty and morality. They try to improve the lot of the world by becoming writers, orators and religious leaders. They will bravely face all problems and become very famous. But there will be no satisfaction in their personal life. If people born on 2,11, 20,29 have names in this number, they will enjoy all comforts. (Note: I am not)
This description is certainly the life that I’ve led so far, believe it, or not. I believe I am in the “will bravely face all problems” stage in life. And I confess, I am looking forward to the bit about getting international recognition. But can I also have satisfaction in my personal life?
Would my life really be different if I was given the name Archana, Maya or Lavanya instead?
While it would be interesting to count the letters and find out the significance of the names according to numerology, I think I’ll pass. After all, I won’t be changing my name any time soon.
At the age of 47-going on-48, I will just have to do my best to deal with the cards that I’ve been dealt with, pray, have faith and do all that I can to make my future better and brighter every day. Fingers crossed!
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Question: Would you change your name if you found out it could make your life better?
Hello, I’m Anu! I appreciate you taking the time on my page. If you liked this story, please give it a few claps, highlight what you enjoyed, and drop a comment to share your thoughts.
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