I was named after a Madonna song. While this is not necessarily the most traditional way of picking baby names, it does work as an interesting conversation starter. In my case, the statement isn’t explicitly true -- the 1998 Madonna song “Shanti” instead provided my parents with a final push to choose the name Shanti rather than serve as the sole inspiration. Regardless, the pop song still played a pretty big role in my childhood identity. Even now, I have the videos of 3-year-old me, clad in an oversized yellow dress, belting the lyrics to the song while wildly dancing around the living room furniture. When thinking back to the childhood foundation the name provided, oddly enough, the song doesn’t just bring back memories of embarrassing child performances. It also reminds me of the true meaning behind my name, which is peace.
Shanti is a name of Indian origin, meaning peace and tranquility. I often reflect on the similarities between my personality traits and those that my name represents. Don’t get me wrong -- I can be incredibly loud and active about the things I am passionate about -- environmental sustainability, hip-hop, and occasionally the green tea flavored ice cream. But I also have a pretty calm demeanor. I tend to internalize my anxieties and I try to work them out in my head rather than show outward panic. Even more so, I used to attend yoga classes with guided meditation. They were part of my high school’s physical education requirements, complete with awkward spandex and even more awkward poses. But, the things that stuck with me the most from these classes, were the memories of the countless times I accidentally turned around when the instructor said “Shanti” during the Hindi recitations. I remember the discreet giggles and glances that resulted whenever the class had to repeat the phrase, “Om shanti,” at the end of class.
On the whole, I do appreciate the true meaning and cultural significance behind my name, and it’s always nice to see the conflicted expressions when I tell people that I was technically named after a Madonna song. While Shanti isn’t always the most common name or the easiest to pronounce (I’ve heard multiple variations of Chante, Shanty, and Shanthi), I value the role it has had in my life thus far. Not only does it give me an excuse to jam out to Madonna, but it’s also nice to carry a small reminder of the importance of internal peace or shanti.
